Animals and Sacred Bodies in Early Medieval Ireland

Clonmacnoise was among the busiest, most economically complex, and intensely sacred places in early medieval Ireland. In Animals and Sacred Bodies in Early Medieval Ireland: Religion and Urbanism at Clonmacnoise, John Soderberg argues that animals are the key to understanding Clonmacnoise’s development as a thriving settlement and a sacred space.

John Soderberg is visiting assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Denison University.

Chapter 1: Enclosure, Cattle, and Sanctuary Cities in Early Medieval Ireland Chapter 2: Excavating Clonmacnoise Chapter 3: Grounding the Archaeology of Religion Chapter 4: Animals and the Rise of Clonmacnoise Chapter 5: Animals, Tabernacles, and Towns: The Iconography of Sanctuary Chapter 6: The Animals of Clonmacnoise in a New Millennium