Irish Ringforts, Matthew Stout. (Four Courts Press/Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement, £19.95) ISBN 1-85182-300-X

This very welcome study by Matthew Stout represents surprisingly the first ever book devoted to the most common field monument of Irish archaeology. During the Early Medieval Period—the Early Christian Period of less secular-minded archaeologists and historical geographers—according to Stout, whose figures must be regarded as authoritative, about 45,000 examples of this homestead-type monument were … Read more

Hibernia im Ruhrgebiet: William Thomas Mulvany & the industrialisation of the Ruhr

To find the title Hibernia im Ruhrgebiet (Ireland in the Ruhr) on a ninth-century map of ecclesiastical centres would cause little or no surprise. To find the title on a nineteenth-century map of successful mining enterprises is altogether more unexpected. In Britain and Industrial Europe 1750-1870 W.O. Henderson opens his chapter on the Ruhr with … Read more