Beyond Elites: Reassessing I rish I ron A ge Society

Summary The past two decades have seen an expansion of archaeological activity on the island of I reland that has transformed our knowledge and understanding of most periods in I rish prehistory and history. However, I ron A ge sites and artefacts remain rare finds and are often ephemeral, particularly in the case of settlements. It is now clear that the peculiarly sparse record of the I rish I ron A ge is genuinely representative of the surviving archaeology. It is also clear that this evidence does not fit the traditional ‘ C eltic’ picture of warrior elites, druids and tribal hierarchies imported from other regions and later insular texts. This paper proposes an alternative model for the I rish I ron A ge of the first millennium BC , one that centres on nomadism and heterarchy.