An intact Roman pot, believed to be the first of its kind ever found in Ireland, was unearthed during recent excavations at Drumanagh, near the village of Loughshinny in County Dublin. According to HeritageDaily, the discovery was made by a team of archaeologists conducting annual excavations at the Iron Age promontory fort located on a coastal headland in north Dublin.
"We are breathless with the excitement that all this generates. This is the first intact Roman vessel excavated in Ireland," said Christine Baker, heritage officer and archaeologist at Fingal County Council, according to Archaeology Magazine. "We have found here five or six different types of Roman artifacts, including an amphora neck, but an intact vessel has never been discovered in Ireland before."
The pot was found upside-down next to a large sherd fragment of an amphora. The intact vessel was sent to the National Museum of Ireland, where further analysis and conservation will be conducted. Specialists will analyze soil clinging to the pot for potential traces of organic material.
"In Ireland, there is very little Roman material," Baker explained. She noted that previous excavations provide evidence of people of Roman origin and possibly a few overseeing trade at the site. "We have no evidence of a settlement here, but there is definitely evidence of deep contact with Roman Britain and Roman Europe," she added.
Excavated artifacts at Drumanagh include glass beads, gaming pieces, a bone comb, and dice made from antler. Previous archaeological work at the site has shown that while there was no settlement there, it is speculated that the site served as a major trading post for commercial activities between the Romans and the local population.
About two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire ruled most of Europe and parts of Western Asia and North Africa, but its power did not extend to Ireland, according to Archaeology Magazine. Despite the Roman Empire not reaching Ireland, Roman influence and goods did land on the island. Last year, a team of researchers found a 2,000-year-old charred fig at the Drumanagh site, providing evidence of exotic food being traded between the Roman Empire and Ireland.
The discovery demonstrates that the ancient Roman Empire had deeper contact with the communities inhabiting the islands of Great Britain and Ireland than previously believed. "Excavations at Drumanagh have been held annually for the past five years," reported HeritageDaily. The fame of the Drumanagh site has grown in recent years, making it one of the most important locations in all of Ireland for the study of archaeology and history.
The vessel will be carefully cleaned, conserved, and examined. Fingal County Council considers the intact pot a nationally important artifact.
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