6.
Archaeology
Now you have finished your shopping. But there is something more
to do before you leave the town...
Choose an object you like from the part of the exhibition you
have looked at with this Activity Sheet. Draw it in the space below,
and answer the questions.
Primary School Activity Sheet 4.
Remember to look closely at the object, and read the information in
the Display Case. Work with a friend, if you want to.
Medieval People
People in the Town
Welcome to Medieval Ireland, an
exhibition that tells you what it was
like to live in Ireland during the Middle
Ages. The Middle Ages is the name
given to the years between AD500
and 1500, which are also called
Medieval times.
This Activity Sheet is one of a series
of six. Use it to help you find out more
about Medieval Ireland and meet
some of the people who lived there.
This is a
Where was it found?
When was it made?
What was it made from?
What was it used for?
Do people use anything like it today?
What do they use instead?
Congratulations! You have finished this Activity Sheet.
There are more Medieval People waiting to meet you on the other
Activity Sheets. If you have no time to meet them today, why not
come back for another visit?
Education and Outreach Department,
National Museum of Ireland. 2001.
Illustration credits: Front Cover, Carrickfergus Town and Blacksmith © The British
Library. All other illustrations © The National Museum of Ireland.
1.
To start... Find the Map of Ireland near the entrance to the
exhibition room. This shows Ireland as it is today.
Everywhere people live in or near a town or city. Some of these
towns are old, like Dublin and Wexford. Others are new, like
Craigavon, Co. Armagh and Shannon Town, Co. Clare. Many of
our Irish towns began in the Middle Ages. Do you live in a
Medieval Town? If not, look at the map to find the town nearest
to your home that began in the Middle Ages.
Write its name here:
Something to do at School or at Home.
Find out about how this town began.
Fact
Medieval Towns were
smelly places. Streets
were narrow and dirty.
There was no refuse
collection and people
threw their rubbish
into the streets. Dogs,
cats and pigs hunted
for food among the
rubbish, and birds
carried off what they
could. You had to look
out for pickpockets and
beggars...
4.
Your next stop is the Bone and Antler
Worker’s Shop further on down the street.
This was a busy shop in a Medieval town,
as many different things were made from
bone and antler in the Middle Ages.
Here are some of the things you could buy
in the Bone and Antler Worker’s shop. Use
the clues to identify them, and then write
their names in the boxes.
to keep your hair tidy.
to play music.
to help you to read.
2.
Now look at the model of Carrickfergus to the left
of the map. This is what an Irish town would have
looked like in Medieval times.
5.
You have just one more shop to visit. It is
across the street.
Take a look... Find these places in the town, and
tick the boxes when you have done so
Most of the townspeople would never visit
the Tiler’s shop. Only important buildings,
like churches and the homes of wealthy
lords, had tiled floors. Most houses had
earthen floors, and wooden floors on the
upper storey, if there was one in the house.
The town walls
- to keep out enemies.
The castle
- the lord and his family lived here.
The market place
Imagine you worked in the Tiler’s shop, Use
the space to design your own tile.
- where farmers came to sell their produce.
The main street
- where craftsmen had their shops.
Let’s go to the shops. There are many shops
to choose from, and in each you will meet a
master craftsman. He has spent many years
learning his trade.
3.
First go to the Blacksmith. The blacksmith is
very busy shoeing horses. A horse has lost its
shoe. Can you see it? But that is not the only
reason to visit the Blacksmith.
Look in the display case for things that you
could buy from the Blacksmith. Use the clues to
identify them and write their names in the boxes.
to eat with.
to keep a door closed.
Fact
There were no big
stores or supermarkets
in Medieval towns.
People bought what
they wanted from
craftsmen who worked
at different crafts and
trades. Each craftsman
had his own workshop.
These workshops were
usually attached to
their shops, and often
the craftsman, his
family and his workers
lived upstairs in the
same house.