event · evt_bi_mount_gabriel_closing_phase
Closing phase of Mount Gabriel copper mining
The main Mount Gabriel mining horizon belongs around 1700–1500 BCE, with the release interval capturing its later working and closure.
What is the evidence?
observation
The main Mount Gabriel mining horizon belongs around 1700–1500 BCE, with the release interval capturing its later working and closure.observed evidence
The main Mount Gabriel mining horizon belongs around 1700–1500 BCE, with the release interval capturing its later working and closure.Mount Gabriel is an important antecedent to later Irish metallurgy, but the mine's closure does not imply the end of Irish copper use or identify the sources of all later metal.
Inspect the sources →Review and provenance
Specialist reviewer: not recorded. Review date: not recorded.
Dataset workflow: proposed. This is separate from specialist review.
Confidence describes the stated assessment; it does not certify expert approval. How review works.
Chronology
Dating intervals may describe uncertainty or phases; their width alone does not establish event duration.
1600 BCE–1500 BCE
Precision: radiocarbon and typological range
Chronology model: regionally resolved positive bce
highPositive BCE integers are used; the larger value is earlier. The range preserves archaeological and calibration uncertainty. Mount Gabriel is an important antecedent to later Irish metallurgy, but the mine's closure does not imply the end of Irish copper use or identify the sources of all later metal.
- supports · dates
Prehistoric Copper Mining in South-West Ireland: The Mount Gabriel-Type Mines — William F. O'Brien (1990)Synthesises survey and excavation of Mount Gabriel-type mines, including an 11 m working and preserved wooden tools.
Locator: Abstract; pp. 269–290; chronology and mine 3/4 sections
Interpretation and caveats
Mount Gabriel is an important antecedent to later Irish metallurgy, but the mine's closure does not imply the end of Irish copper use or identify the sources of all later metal.
Event context
Classification
Event type: mining decline and abandonment
Evidence layer: archaeological
Timeline role: regional core
People and places
Locations: Mount Gabriel mining district, South-west Ireland archaeological search region
Affected entities: Mount Gabriel mining district, South-west Ireland archaeological search region
Why it matters to the timeline
This regional-core event covers an Irish copper-production system explicitly prioritized by the brief and clarifies its chronology.
Research notes
- Synthesises survey and excavation of Mount Gabriel-type mines, including an 11 m working and preserved wooden tools. Role: provides evidence and date. Locator: Abstract; pp. 269–290; chronology and mine 3/4 sections.
Evidence and sources
- supports · provides evidence and date
Prehistoric Copper Mining in South-West Ireland: The Mount Gabriel-Type Mines — William F. O'Brien (1990)Synthesises survey and excavation of Mount Gabriel-type mines, including an 11 m working and preserved wooden tools.
Locator: Abstract; pp. 269–290; chronology and mine 3/4 sections