Archaeological excavations at the Iron Age Drumanagh Fortress in northern Dublin have unearthed the first complete Roman pot ever made in Ireland. A team of dozens of volunteers led by specialized county archaeologists surveyed an area of the fort site, which features were seen in previous geophysical surveys. They found fragments of Roman amphibians under the ground, and in a ditch, the team discovered a complete inverted pot next to large fragments of amphibians (neck and edge).
The Drumagh Cape Fort dwells on a headland where the Roman Empire had a trading post. There is no evidence of Roman settlements, but the number and variety of discoveries demonstrated significant commercial engagement between ancient Ireland and the Roman Empire.
Five years of excavation are being conducted there every summer, revealing imported goods such as spelling bread, olive oil, glass containers, ceramic cups, jewelry, glass beads, and 2024, a 2,000-year-old fig. It is also the first of its kind found in Ireland, simply because it is burnt. This year’s excavation also found eight bone combs and four dice made of antlers, glass beads and nails.
The Roman pot is now in the National Museum of Ireland, where it will be cleaned, preserved and analyzed. The soil attached to the pot will also be analyzed to analyze the residue from any organic traces.