Marcus Byrne

Boundaries and Identity in the Irish Bronze Age

I am a third year PhD candidate in the department of archaeology here at NUI Galway and my research is founded by the Hardiman scholarship fund. I have studied archaeology at NUIG from undergraduate to postgraduate level, in which time I have been awarded numerous awards. My primary area of research is focused on the Later Bronze Age period in Ireland. I am particularly interested in how both physical and metaphysical boundaries were used to express identity in terms of ritual and settlement. The importance of boundaries during the Bronze Age is reflected in the construction of embankments and the practice of depositions at liminal areas within settlements. Likewise, the deposition of artefacts and human remains at special locations in the landscape highlights the ritual significance afforded to boundary places. I am currently in the write up stage and look forward to completing this research.

Marcus Byrne Hardiman Scholar m.byrne2@nuigalway.ie   Supervisor: Dr Carleton Jones