This article presents a critical review of the way inland navigation is constructed in the archaeological literature as an essential component of mobility in Mesolithic Ireland, with a particular focus on boats and rivers. Against a scarce background of direct archaeological and environmental evidence, a content analysis of the academic discourse highlights a dominant processual approach structured around three themes: seafaring and pioneering “events”; boat technology and performance; broad generalisations about the land- and waterscape. It is argued that such a narrative could be usefully revisited by adopting a small-scale, high-resolution approach that would explore human and material agency and integrate analogy as a method.

中文翻译：

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史前时期的高速公路？中石器时代爱尔兰的船只、河流和移动

本文对考古文献中内河航运作为中石器时代爱尔兰流动性的重要组成部分的构建方式进行了批判性回顾，特别关注船只和河流。在缺乏直接考古和环境证据的背景下，对学术话语的内容分析突出了围绕三个主题构建的主导过程方法：航海和开拓“事件”；船舶技术和性能；关于陆地和水景的广泛概括。有人认为，通过采用小规模、高分辨率的方法，可以有效地重新审视这种叙述，该方法将探索人力和物质的能动性，并将类比作为一种方法。