The Céide Fields: A Neolithic Site in Ireland
ANNOUNCER: Part 4. You will hear an archaeology student giving a presentation on an important site in Ireland called the Céide Fields. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
SPEAKER: For my presentation today, I'm going to talk about the Céide Fields in the northwest of Ireland, one of the largest Neolithic sites in the world.
SPEAKER: I recently visited the site and observed the work currently being carried out by a team of archaeologists.
SPEAKER: The site was first discovered in the 1930s by a local teacher called Patrick Caulfield.
SPEAKER: While people were digging in the bog, they kept hitting rows of stones.
SPEAKER: Patrick Caulfield realized these stones were actually ancient walls buried beneath the bog.
SPEAKER: He contacted the National Museum in Dublin, but at the time his discovery was not taken seriously.
SPEAKER: Around 40 years later, his son Seamus Caulfield, who had become an archaeologist, continued the investigation.
SPEAKER: He used iron probes to map the pattern of stones beneath the bog.
SPEAKER: This was a traditional technique that local people had used for centuries to locate fuel in the bog.
SPEAKER: Later, carbon dating confirmed the site was over 5,000 years old.
SPEAKER: The bog covering the site helped preserve the remains extremely well.
SPEAKER: A bog contains around 90% water, which slows down the process of decay.
SPEAKER: Dead plants accumulate in layers, forming peat.
SPEAKER: Preservation occurs because peat is acidic and lacks oxygen.
SPEAKER: For bog formation, at least 175 days of rain each year are required.
SPEAKER: This region of Ireland receives around 225 rainy days annually.
SPEAKER: The Neolithic farmers at Céide likely lived in relatively stable communities for several centuries.
SPEAKER: Their settlements consisted of groups of houses surrounding a community building.
SPEAKER: Unlike earlier dwellings, these houses were rectangular, not round.
SPEAKER: A small hole in the roof allowed smoke to escape.
SPEAKER: This suggests they were among the first people to cook indoors.
SPEAKER: Another important innovation introduced by Neolithic settlers was pottery.
SPEAKER: Archaeologists have discovered fragments of Neolithic pots at Céide and other locations in Ireland.
SPEAKER: These pots were used for storing food.
SPEAKER: They were also used as lamps when filled with fat and lit.
SPEAKER: The Céide Fields themselves were probably used as paddocks for grazing animals.
SPEAKER: Each field was likely large enough to support an extended family.
SPEAKER: Farmers may have practiced rotational grazing to prevent overgrazing.
SPEAKER: Interestingly, no buildings have been found that would have sheltered animals during the winter.
SPEAKER: Archaeologists believe farming at Céide eventually stopped suddenly.
SPEAKER: One possible reason was that the soil became less productive.
SPEAKER: The farming system may have been too intensive to sustain long-term agriculture.
SPEAKER: At the same time, climatic changes made conditions much wetter.
SPEAKER: These wetter conditions encouraged the formation of the bog that now covers the site.
SPEAKER: Today, this bog protects and preserves the ancient landscape of the Céide Fields.
ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Part 4. You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 4.
ANNOUNCER: That is the end of the listening test. In the IELTS test, you would now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.
