Cush Earthworks facts for kids

The Cush Earthworks are a fascinating group of ancient structures made from earth. They are located in County Limerick, Ireland. These earthworks are so important that they are protected as a National Monument of Ireland.

Where are the Cush Earthworks?

The Cush Earthworks are found on the western side of a hill called Slievereagh. They are about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) northwest of a town called Kilfinane. You can find them close to where the River Loobagh begins.

A Glimpse into Ancient Life at Cush

The area around Cush was once home to people living during the Iron Age. This was a very long time ago, from about 1000 BC to AD 400. Some of the burial sites found here are even older, dating back to the late Bronze Age.

What Did Archaeologists Find?

Archaeologists are like history detectives! They carefully dug up the Cush Earthworks between 1932 and 1934. They found many interesting things that tell us about the people who lived there.

Ancient Burials

They discovered several special burial sites called cist burials. A cist is a small stone box or chamber where a person was buried. Sometimes, these burials included "grave goods." These were items placed with the person, like pottery or tools, which might have been important to them in life. Some of the burials also contained large pots called urns.

Underground Tunnels

The archaeologists also found structures called souterrains. These were underground tunnels or chambers. The ones at Cush were lined with timber (wood) and stone, showing how clever the ancient builders were.

Everyday Objects

Other discoveries included rotary querns. These were special stones used to grind grain, like wheat, into flour. Imagine making bread with these! They also found beautiful glass beads and pieces of iron slag. Slag is a waste product left over from making iron, which tells us that people here knew how to work with metal.

What Do the Earthworks Look Like?

The Cush Earthworks are made up of several circular enclosures called raths or ringforts. These were often homes or small settlements protected by earthen banks and ditches.

The Southern Raths

To the south, there are six raths, each about 20 meters (66 feet) across. These raths were connected to each other. There was also a large rectangular area to the west, which might have been used for farming or keeping animals.

The Northern Ringforts

Further north, archaeologists found more than six other ringforts. Around all these structures, you can still see signs of an ancient field system. This shows that the people living at Cush were farmers, growing food in organized fields.