A recently discovered large hilltop settlement could challenge the theory that the Vikings built the first towns in Ireland, a researcher has said.
Dr. Dirk Brandherm and his colleagues have identified more than 600 suspected houses in the Brusselstown Ring, making it the largest nucleated settlement ever discovered in prehistoric Britain and Ireland.
The settlement, which emerged around 1200 BC (Late Bronze Age), is located in the Baltinglass Hillfort Cluster, at the southwestern edge of the Wicklow Mountains.
Among the 13 large hilltop enclosures spread across this mountain range, the site features structures dating back to the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods.
A significant portion of the findings has been published in Antiquity, a peer-reviewed journal of world archaeology.
The study states: Given its exceptional size, density of occupation and architectural complexity, Brusselstown Ring represents a unique case within both the Baltinglass hillfort cluster and more widely within the Atlantic Archipelago.
Dr. Brandherm emphasizes the importance of this discovery due to the concentration of large roundhouses found at the site, which deviates from the previous understanding of small hamlet structures predominating during the Bronze Age.
This groundbreaking finding suggests that Ireland boasted a proto-town long before Viking settlements, fundamentally altering perspectives on early urban development in the region.
