Archaeologists Reveal Emain Macha in Ireland as Site of Huge Iron Age Temples and Other Religious Complexes

Emain Macha (Navan Fort) is a large circular Iron Age earthwork on top of a hill close to the city of Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) in the north of Ireland.  For centuries it was home to the kings and queens of Ulster, which is one of the four historic Irish provinces. Archaeologists, who have been studying the site over recent years,  believe they have now found physical evidence that Emain Macha  could have been in use as early as the 4th Century BC. Magnetic gradiometry and electrical resistance surveys conducted at the site have provided indications of huge Iron Age temples and other religious complexes on the site.

Over the last year further excavations has uncovered evidence to support this. More research by a team from Queen's University, Belfast is now being undertaken. Dr Patrick Gleeson is part of the research team which is trying to interpret the history of the ancient site. He has explained the significance of the site in an interview with BBC NI:

"At the moment it looks like what we have is an entirely new early to mid-Iron Age monumental horizon to the complex," he said.

"When you come to the site today everything that you see dates to around 95 BC or later.

"What we have discovered is that some of the buildings that were excavated in the 1960s sit within a huge series of timber palisaded enclosures from the 4th to 1st Century BC in terms of date range.

"They consist of large buildings on the crest of the hilltop, situated within a large figure of eight shaped enclosure about 160m in diameter stretching across the crest of the hill with huge timber posts defining the edges of the site."

Image: Emain Macha - Navan Fort at sunset image courtesy of BBC NI