Summary
At many of the larger archaeological sites, a common component is an
earthen enclosure. Earthen enclosures consist of a “large, earthen
bank, without an obvious ditch, forming an enclosure around an area from
which the bank material was scraped, thus creating a lower surface inside
the monument than out” (Condit and Simpson 1998:
45). Most earthen enclosures are found in the lowland river valleys,
closely associated with passage tombs and near copper resources (Condit
and Simpson 1998:45). When they were built, it was likely that
they served ritual or ceremonial purposes – they might even have been used
for solar or lunar observations. Therefore, nearby copper resources
would be essential to construct the many ritual goods associated with each
site. Evidence of earthen enclosures has been dated from the Neolithic
to the Bronze Age. The extensive walls that were built were possibly
used to separate ritual space from common space, for protection or for
privacy. An intriguing example of an earthen enclosure is Dún
Ailinne, County Kildare.