Ralaghan Man

Ralaghan Figure

Ralaghan Man is an anthropomorphic, carved wooden figure found in the bog of Ralaghan, County Cavan, Ireland, which dates back to the late bronze age; currently on display in the National Museum of Ireland. [1]

Discovery

Ralaghan Figure head
Curiosity from the bog. A newspaper article from the Chatham New York Courier, 1931.

Adolf Mahr, keeper of Irish Antiquities in the National Museum in Dublin wrote in 1930; The figure was found, while cutting turf, under 3 to 4 feet of peat....It is made of yew, its height being 3 feet, 8 and five eighths inches.[2] It was found in Ralaghan bog, which has since been drained, on a boundary. It is therefore currently regarded as a boundary marker, though it has also been referred to as a votive offering. [3]

Description

Although covered in cracks, the figure has strongly incised facial features.[4] The left eye is slightly higher than the right, with the nose off-centre and possible damage to the left of the face. The pubic area features a gouged out hole (initially reported as drilled)[5] which led the initial theory that the figures was female. It was established however that the figure was male; the missing 'male organ' has, to date, not been handed in to the National Museum of Ireland.[6]

Display

Ralaghan man is currently part of the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland. [7]

References

  1. "National Museum of Ireland". museum.ie. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  2. Mahr 1930 'A wooden idol form Ireland', Antiquity 4, 487
  3. O' Sullivan, Aidan. "Exploring past people's interactions with wetland environments in Ireland.". Academia.edu. ria.metapress.com. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  4. Coles, Bryony (1990). "Anthropomorphic Wooden Figures from Britain and Ireland". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 56 (2050-2729): 315––333. doi:10.1017/S0079497X0000517X. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. Mahr 1930 'A wooden idol form Ireland', Antiquity 4, 487
  6. Ralaghan Man, http://agsmaoineamh.com/2014/06/24/ralaghan-man/
  7. "National Museum of Ireland". museum.ie. Retrieved 28 July 2015.

External links

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