This paper synthesizes and discusses the spatial and temporal patterns of archaeological sites in Ireland, spanning the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age transition (4300–1900 cal BC), in order to explore the timing and implications of the main changes that occurred in the archaeological record of that period. Large amounts of new data are sourced from unpublished developer-led excavations and combined with national archives, published excavations and online databases. Bayesian radiocarbon models and context- and sample-sensitive summed radiocarbon probabilities are used to examine the dataset. The study captures the scale and timing of the initial expansion of Early Neolithic settlement and the ensuing attenuation of all such activity—an apparent boom-and-bust cycle. The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods are characterised by a resurgence and diversification of activity. Contextualisation and spatial analysis of radiocarbon data reveals finer-scale patterning than is usually possible with summed-probability approaches: the boom-and-bust models of prehistoric populations may, in fact, be a misinterpretation of more subtle demographic changes occurring at the same time as cultural change and attendant differences in the archaeological record.

中文翻译：

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新石器时代和青铜时代的爱尔兰的面貌变化：解决和埋葬记录的大数据方法

本文综合并讨论了跨新石器时代和青铜时代过渡（公元前4300-1900 cal）的爱尔兰考古遗址的时空格局，以探讨考古发生的主要变化的时间和意义。该时期的记录。大量新数据来自未发布的开发人员主导的挖掘，并与国家档案馆，已发布的挖掘和在线数据库相结合。贝叶斯放射性碳模型以及上下文和样本敏感的总放射性碳概率用于检查数据集。该研究记录了新石器时代早期沉降的初始扩张的规模和时机，以及随之而来的所有此类活动的衰减（一个明显的兴衰周期）。新石器时代晚期和石器时代晚期的特征是活动的复兴和多样化。放射性碳数据的语境化和空间分析揭示了比总概率方法通常更精细的模式：史前人口的繁荣与萧条模型实际上可能是对同时发生的更为细微的人口变化的误解。文化变化和随之而来的考古记录差异。