Davis, E: Historical Archaeology and Artifacts from a Desert

Slievemore Mountain (Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland) has recorded archaeological sites possibly representing 5,000 years of continuous settlement, spanning the Neolithic until shortly after the Great Potato Famine. Political events and missionary efforts during the Famine disrupted the lives of the Slievemore villagers, who abandoned their homes and never returned. Ruins at the Deserted Village of Slievemore include 74 stone houses and associated archaeological features. This book presents an artifact analysis with emphasis on the post-medieval (historical) ceramics from the archaeological excavations conducted from 1992 to 2000. Historical archaeology offers a direct connection to the lives of the impoverished classes in post-medieval Ireland, but relatively few studies have been conducted to date. This examination of the artifact collection from the Deserted Village contributes to the ongoing site investigations, and provides contextual information for future study of other post-medieval (historical) archaeological sites.