• The Irish tower house
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The Irish tower house

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Tower houses are the definitive building of medieval Ireland. This study investigates their significant social role, which has previously gone underappreciated. Innovative conclusions stem from an ...
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  • 07 April 2021
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The Irish tower house examines the social role of castles in late-medieval and early modern Ireland. It uses a multidisciplinary methodology to uncover the lived experience of this historic culture, demonstrating the interconnectedness of society, economics and the environment. Of particular interest is the revelation of how concerned pre-modern people were with participation in the economy and the exploitation of the natural environment for economic gain. Material culture can shed light on how individuals shaped spaces around themselves, and tower houses, thanks to their pervasiveness in medieval and modern landscapes, represent a unique resource. Castles are the definitive building of the European Middle Ages, meaning that this book will be of great interest to scholars of both history and archaeology.
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Price: £30.00
Pages: 288
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Series: Social Archaeology and Material Worlds
Publication Date: 07 April 2021
ISBN: 9781526155931
Format: Paperback
BISACs:

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, Archaeology by period / region, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, HISTORY / Europe / Ireland, European history: medieval period, middle ages, Architecture: castles and fortifications, Material culture
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'This is a well-produced and attractive book, and McAlister has demonstrated her ability to write in a clear and accessible fashion, creating a text that is sure to be consulted by anyone engaged in the study of castles in late medieval Ireland.'
Antiquity

'This is an informative and refreshing approach to tower house studies […] This will become an important book for anyone studying many aspects of medieval and early modern Ireland.'
Ulster Archaeological Society

' This book deserves to be read and absorbed by anybody interested in medieval Ireland, its architecture and its economy. McAlister is to be congratulated.'
Irish Arts Review

Victoria L. McAlister is Assistant Professor of History at Southeast Missouri State University

Introduction
1 Around the castle wall: the tower house complex and rural settlement
2 The medieval agrarian economy: lifeblood of the tower house
3 Rivers in pre-modern Ireland: environment and economy
4 Movement, transport and communication: tower houses and waterways
5 ‘Urban’ tower houses
6 Tower houses, late medieval Ireland and the connection with the wider world
Conclusion: the social, economic and environmental contexts of the Irish tower house
Index