Summary: Systems and Equipment
Key dates:
Farming began in lands east of the Mediterranean, known as the Fertile Crescent. This meant that people could grow crops and rear domesticated animals rather than the hunting which is associated with the Mesolithic people. This new age is known as the New Stone Age or Neolithic period.
As farmers, new kinds of equipment were needed to prepare the ground and harvest the crops. These tools were still made of stone as metal working had not been developed.
The land had to be cleared, either by burning the trees or by using stone axes to chop them. As more land was cleared, better axes, such as those made of porcellanite, were required.
Simple ploughs known as ards were used. They did little more than scratch the surface of the earth. These ards probably had a pointed stone on the tip to penetrate the soil and make the wooden implement last longer. These simple implements remained in use until well into the Iron Age. Hand held sickles were used to harvest the grain.
About 3100BC the landscape was reorganised. Field systems for several kilometres were laid out in a major cattle rearing area in Co Mayo. It is likely that this area could support a large number of both cattle and people.
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