Ireland's 'Kerry Cow' Bones Are Actually Wild Boar and Bear, Shaking Up the Story of Farming's Arrival on the Island
A new analysis of bones dating back 6,500 years from Ferriter's Cove in County Kerry, Ireland, excavated between 1983 and 1995, has determined that they belonged to bears and wild boars rather than domestic cattle. This discovery, published in the Prehistoric Society newsletter, questions previous beliefs regarding the onset of farming in Ireland. The bones, which have been radiocarbon dated to 4450-4270 B.C.E., were earlier interpreted as signs of interaction between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers prior to 4000 B.C.E. Researchers from University College Dublin and University College Cork utilized zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry in Lille, France, to reassess the findings. They are currently working to identify the specific bear species, with initial hypotheses suggesting either brown or polar bear.
Key facts
- Bones found in Ireland between 1983 and 1995 were originally thought to be cattle but are actually bear and wild boar.
- The bones were discovered at Ferriter's Cove, County Kerry, on the Dingle Peninsula.
- Radiocarbon dating placed the bones between 4450 and 4270 B.C.E., during the Late Mesolithic period.
- The reanalysis was conducted by researchers at University College Dublin and University College Cork.
- The technique used was zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, performed at the French National Center for Scientific Research lab in Lille, France.
- The findings challenge the idea that farming arrived in Ireland before 4000 B.C.E.
- The bear species is not yet identified; possibilities include brown bear or polar bear.
- The research was published in Past, the newsletter of the Prehistoric Society.
Entities
Artists
- Martin Moucheron
Institutions
- University College Dublin
- University College Cork
- French National Center for Scientific Research
- Prehistoric Society
Locations
- Ireland
- Ferriter's Cove
- County Kerry
- Dingle Peninsula
- Lille
- France