Historic Settlement:

New Stone Age Settlement:

1. Megalithic tombs are evidence of New Stone Age settlement
(3500 BC) in an area.
2. The large burial tombs built by the New Stone Age people is
proof that they had begun to live in more permanent
settlements, in comparison to their hunter-gatherer ancestors.
3. Many of their tombs are found on lowland fertile landscapes,
close to a regular water supply and at dry points above a river.

Iron Age Settlement:

1. Hillforts are evidence of Iron Age settlement (600 BC) in an
area.
2. During the Iron Age, people were very concerned with
defence and hillforts were often built on hilltops, alongside
rivers or on lakes to make them more difficult to attack.
3. Settlements began to develop around these hillforts, with
people relying on the nearby hillfort for protection.

Early Christian Settlement:

1. Monasteries are evidence of Early Christian settlement (500800 AD) in an area.
2. During the 6th and 7th centuries, St Columba, St Brigid and St
Ciarn developed monasteries that became great centres of
prayer and learning.
3. These monasteries provided a religious function, attracting
students from home and abroad, and eventually these centres
grew into towns.