Chelsea Ryan

Conveying Identity Through Place: Understanding Bronze Age People via Nucleated Settlements

Turlough Hill (Co. Clare), a nucleated settlement of 184 roundhouses (after Bergh 2016).

I am a second-year doctoral candidate studying under Dr Stefan Bergh. My PhD topic is focused on Bronze Age Nucleated Settlements in Ireland, an under-researched settlement type of the period. The primary aim is to better understand nucleated settlements and accordingly enhance our knowledge of individual and communal identity during the Bronze Age in Ireland. A theoretical framework based on the archaeology of landscape and place will be employed during data interpretation.

There is evidence of at least ten nucleated settlements across Ireland, ranging from 20 to upwards of 200 aggregated roundhouses. I recently presented research findings at the European Association of Archaeologists Conference 2018 in Barcelona during a session entitled, ‘Temporality and relationality in place-making’.

In addition to my research, I’m serving as the Student Representative to the Board for the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland. If you’d like to get involved with the IAI Student Committee, contact: student.rep@iai.ie

Chelsea Ryan Supervisor: Dr Stefan Bergh LinkedIn Instagram