Tievebulliagh

Tievebulliagh (Irish Taobh Builleach ) is a 402 m high hill, 4.4 km from Cushendall in the Moyle District in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He is part of the watershed between Glenann in the north and in the south Glenballyeamon.

Tievebulliagh is partly formed from volcanic rock (basalt, dolerite ), which was reorganized in extreme heat under unusual geological conditions to porcellanite. Porcellanite is an extremely hard, white, with impurities also dark blue or gray, low metamorphic rock. In contrast to Flint, it is not brittle and therefore ideal for processing into axes. Three small outcrops of porcellanite lie on the southeast slope of Tievebulliagh.

The Archaeology able to demonstrate an approximately 3000 BC Neolithic operated quarry at the foot of Tievebulliagh. Axes that come from this quarry, were ( 7000 ) found in Ireland and other parts of the British Isles. Haircuts and semi-finished axes can be found around the hill and at the summit. Here the material was recovered and pre- worked out before it was ground at the residence.

The course is comparable to the axes of the Langdale industry in the Lake District and the quarries at Penmaenmawr in North Wales, where in each case, however, also comes a large number of stone axes, made ​​of other materials.

The " Malone Hoard ", the only Neolithic treasure of Ireland, consisting of 19 polished stone axes from porcellanite Tievebulliagh or similar material from Brockley on Rathlin Iceland, there was found at Danesfort house, on the Malone Road, Belfast. Some of the axes inserted upright in the ground. The axes are too big and too heavy for practical use, so they were meant to be used for ceremonial purposes.