Doneraile’s Mammoth Cave
Modern BCE labels give a misleading impression of precision. Archaeologists date material from this period chiefly through radiocarbon measurement, then convert radiocarbon ages into calibrated ranges using internationally maintained calibration curves. Those ranges may span centuries or millennia; they do not identify an individual season, much less an exact year. Moreover, the relevant evidence is not a single layer sealed in a secure camp site. Castlepook’s cave deposits accumulated over a long time and were disturbed by water, animal activity and early excavation.