Ballykinvarga
Ballykinvarga (also Caherballykinvarga , Irish Baile Cinn Mhargaidh , "home [at] the head of the market") is an oval dun surrounded by a double wall .
Geographical location
Ballykinvarga is located in the Burren region in County Clare in Ireland not far from Kilfenora . In the region there are the remains of around 500 mostly much smaller and simply walled duns.
description
Ballykinvarga has a diameter of about 52.0 m and a curtain wall that is more than four meters thick and today still 3.6 in some places five meters high. There are two terrace-like steps on the inner wall. The entrance, which was intact until 1900, had a straight lintel .
A Cheval de Frize made of sharp limestone columns surrounds the complex. Such an obstacle to approach occurs in Ireland only four times in prehistoric places ( Dun Aengus and Dún Dúchathair on Inishmore and Dunamo in County Mayo ). There are a few examples in the UK ( Dreva Fort ). The main concentration of Chevaux de Frize is in northern and central Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula .
Dating
It is difficult to make the structure without archaeological excavation to date. However, it is classified in the Middle Iron Age (several centuries before and after Christ).
literature
- George Cunningham: Burren Journey . Ballyvaughan; reprinted in 1993
- Thomas J. Westropp: Archeology of the Burren: prehistoric forts and dolmens in north Clare . Clasp Press, Ennis 1999.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 59 ′ 50.7 " N , 9 ° 11 ′ 30.4" W.