Scientists uncover Ireland’s largest prehistoric hillfort settlement, reshaping views of Bronze Age society
Archaeology News Online Magazine••world
Key Points:
- Archaeologists have uncovered over 600 dwellings within the Brusselstown Ring hillfort in County Wicklow, making it the largest known nucleated prehistoric settlement in Britain or Ireland from the Late Bronze Age.
- The site features two widely spaced ramparts enclosing not only the main hillfort but also a nearby Neolithic enclosure, a rare layout in Ireland and Britain that suggests complex social organization.
- Excavations indicate the settlement was occupied between 1200 and 400 BCE, with evidence pointing to a densely populated, egalitarian community rather than scattered farmsteads typical of the period.
- A unique stone-lined structure, possibly a water cistern, was found near the site, implying advanced planning to sustain a large hilltop population,
