Irish archaeologist speaks at Washington College on discovering the world’s oldest field system

CHESTERTOWN, MD — Seamus Caulfield, who discovered and excavated what has been described as the oldest agricultural field complex in the world, will speak about his work at Céide Fields at Washington College on December 3, 2019.

Caulfield, an archaeology professor emeritus at University College Dublin, will give a talk entitled “From Belderrig to Beijing: Local Research to the World Stage.” The free, public event, which begins at begin at 7:30 p.m. in Hynson Lounge, is sponsored by the Eastern Shore Food Lab, the Department of Anthropology, the Public Archaeology Lab, and the Center for Environment & Society.

While a young boy walking the local peat bogs with his father, Caulfield discovered what would become known as Céide Fields, a site some 6,000 years old that currently stands as the earliest dairying site in Ireland and the oldest complex field system in the world. Caulfield went on to spend his career excavating and interpreting the site, which includes stone-walled fields, homes, and megalithic tombs. He will talk about discovering the site, how growing up in the adjacent remote fishing village of Belderrig in northwest County Mayo helped him interpret it and realize its significance, and how Céide Fields has grown to receive national and international recognition.

# ## #

~ Washington College
Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 39 states and territories and 25 nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.