An extraordinary discovery of a Roman pot was made at the Drumanagh promontory fort in Ireland, the first ever found.
The unbelievable apparition of a Roman pot at Drumanagh in County Dublin left archaeologists “breathless with excitement,” according to Christine Baker in Archaeology Magazine, a heritage officer onsite.
Previously, archaeologists had uncovered five or six Roman artifacts in Ireland. An intact vessel in this state of preservation, however, had never been seen in the country before.
Very little evidence of the Romans even exists in Ireland, despite evidence of contact with Roman Britain and Europe. This recently discovered evidence suggests significant trade between the Irish and the Romans.
A team of volunteers led by county archaeologists excavated a fort that appeared to exhibit unusual features in a geophysical survey.
Called the Drumanagh promontory fort, the Roman Empire traded with the Irish at this Iron Age post, but they did not build a settlement, unusually, even. They did appear to have a strong commercial relationship with Ireland, which has brought the Drumanagh promontory fort notoriety in recent years.
Since 2017, Fingal County Council has carried out extensive excavations of the site every summer after acquiring it for a million euros. According to Perplexity, the fort had three closely spaced earthen banks and ditches. In one, most recently, the team uncovered fragments of Roman vessels.
Specifically and most excitingly, they found an undamaged pot next to a broken amphora, The History Blog reports. As the Romans didn’t conquer/integrate Ireland into the empire, their artifacts, when they appear, cause a stir. Finally, they seized an intact vessel.
A wealth of goods
The summer excavations have dug up a wealth of remarkable discoveries in recent years. Ireland was interested in acquiring these Roman goods from Spain, Gaul, Britain, and beyond.
Archaeologists unearthed Dressel 20 pottery from Baetica in Southern Spain and a 2,000-year-old charred fig, which turned out to be the oldest exotic Mediterranean fruit found in Ireland. They also discovered olive oil, spelt bread, jewelry, bone combs, and dice made from antlers and gaming pieces, according to Heritage Daily.
Irish merchants probably traded gold, wolfhounds, and even slaves in exchange for luxury items such as wine, pottery, glass, and exotic foods.
But still, archaeologists have unanswered questions about the Drumanagh promontory fort. Some think it was a Roman “military bridgehead” in the campaigns to conquer Britain. Others suspect it was an Irish settlement that heavily traded with the Romans or a thriving commercial center.
The Irish just traded with the Romans
Archaeologists thought Ireland existed in an isolated dark age without any contact with the Roman and Mediterranean worlds, Perplexity concludes. However, they appeared to be involved in a larger trading network that extended to Gaul.
Thrillingly, the Irish evaded any conflict with the Romans in some blip in history. They seemed to be more interested in what the other had to offer, simply.
Ireland was present, if not active, the whole time, forging conquest altogether by trading with the Romans at this coastal headland.
The artifacts are on view at the National Museum of Ireland.
