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Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the largest cluster of houses ever discovered in the entire region prehistoric britain and Ireland.
To date, the largest cluster ancient settlement The famous Mullaghfarna in Ireland is an archaeological site in County Sligo.
It is believed that the mound housed more than 150 houses at the time. mesolithic age The period from 3300 to 2900 BC, and later periods bronze age period between 1200 BC to 900 BC.
Now, researchers have found evidence of a much larger settlement containing more than 600 houses in prehistoric Ireland during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, 3700-800 BC.
The remains of a prehistoric house were unearthed in County Wicklow, Ireland.
Known as the Baltinglass Hillfort Group, the area contains up to 13 large hillforts, spread over a “necklace” of hills on the southwestern edge of the Wicklow Mountains, with at least seven major hillforts and several additional enclosures.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge said it showed signs of continued use and monumental architecture from the early Neolithic to the Bronze Age, between 3700 and 800 BC.
Within this cluster there is a unique structure called the Ring of Brussels, with two widely spaced walls surrounding the outer shell.
Aerial surveys of the Ring of Brussels indicate that it may have had more than 600 suspected house platforms, 98 of which were within the inner wall and the remaining 509 between the inner and outer walls, making it the largest clustered hillfort settlement in prehistoric Ireland. U.K. So far.
Cherie Edwards, one of the authors of the study published in the journal, said: “This site and a handful of other cored hilltop settlements appear to have emerged around 1200 BC.” ancient times.
Researchers say the discovery suggests early cities in Northern Europe may have developed nearly 500 years earlier than previously thought.
Dr Edwards said: “Excavated trenches were deliberately placed on house platforms of varying diameters (6m, 7m, 8m and 12m) to assess potential correlations between house size and indicators of social differentiation.”
“The settlement apparently dates to the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1193-410 BC) and represents a core or gathering place characterized by a high density of dwellings,” he said.
Archaeologists also discovered a unique structure near one of the trenches, with a flat interior outlined by large stones.
Previous investigations have shown that a stream once flowed from the mountain into the structure, and scientists suspect it may have been a Bronze and Iron Age cistern, possibly the first of its kind in an Irish hillfort.
However, researchers are calling for more research to better understand the extent and nature of potential reservoirs in Brussels Town Hill.
Dr Edwards said: “The chronological trajectory of the site closely mirrors that of other smaller hilltop core sites in Ireland, meaning its abandonment follows a wider regional pattern of the gradual decline of the Iron Age around the third century BC.”
“This decline also does not appear to be related to the climate shift to a cooler, wetter climate that began during the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition around 750 BC,” he added.