BURCHELL, J.P.T. & MOIR, J. Reid. The Early Mousterian Implements of Sligo. Drawings by C.O. Waterhouse

. Suffolk: Harrison, 1928. 4to. pp. 28, 19 (plates). Qtr. linen on printed boards.

The Early Mousterian Implements of Sligo by J.P.T. Burchell and J. Reid Moir is a significant contribution to the study of prehistoric archaeology in Ireland. Published in the early 20th century, the book focuses on a collection of stone tools discovered in County Sligo, offering evidence of early human habitation during the Mousterian period—typically associated with Neanderthal culture in Europe. What sets this study apart is its suggestion that similar technologies existed in Ireland, a claim that sparked considerable interest and debate among archaeologists of the time.

The publication includes detailed analysis and classification of the implements, with insightful commentary on their typology, use, and the geological context of their discovery. Drawings by C.O., the illustrator credited in the book, provide meticulous visual representations of the tools, aiding readers in understanding their form and function. These illustrations are both scientifically valuable and artistically rendered, contributing to the book's historical importance.

Though some of its conclusions have been revisited or refined with modern archaeological techniques, The Early Mousterian Implements of Sligo remains a foundational work. It represents an early and ambitious attempt to link Ireland to broader prehistoric European narratives, and continues to hold value for researchers interested in the deep human past of the Irish landscape.

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