Deer Park Farms
The early medieval Rath of Deer Park Farms is located in Glenarm Valley, on the north west coast of Ireland in County Antrim in Northern Ireland . It is similar in structure (but more complex) to the older Navan Fort (Emain Macha) in County Armagh and Tara, about the same old .
Although the Rath was also referred to as a fortification or settlement, it was a pagan ritual or cult place in the Kingdom of Dalriada and from the 9th century in the Kingdom of Ulidia . The remains of two round twin or eight-shaped semi-detached houses and one single house from the 7th century have been preserved since 1984. The double walls of the houses woven from hazelnut branches (with bracken as filler material) have been recreated in Ulster History Park .
By the 7th century AD, several generations of early medieval people lived in Deer Park Farms, a presumably Bronze Age , elevated town with a diameter of 26 m, which they used for a long time and later gave up. People left traces of their economy, their physical work and thus their material culture. Towards the end of the 10th century, two basements were built into the Rath as part of a renewed use of the now abandoned square .
The council was completely excavated by Chris Lynn. During the excavation to the natural ground, they uncovered well-preserved post and wattle houses with craftsmen's waste and artefacts and evidence of nutrition, economy and the environment. Deer Park Farms is one of the most important archaeological digs of modern Irish times.
description
The oldest characteristic of the Iron Age square was a circular moat about two meters wide and one meter deep without a wall, with access from the east. The trench was muddy or filled in before the first council built it over. A new trench was dug to receive material for the elevation of the council. The first wall was probably built at the same time.
After a while, the Rath was converted into a flat hill, and a wide access was built on the east side with a ramp made of clay and gravel. The outer surface of the hill was covered with lumps of basalt (probably as a cheval de frise ) and the moat was deepened. The houses were not all given up at the same time in the final phase, as was probably the case with other Raths. Each house was individually abandoned and its remains covered when they reached the end of their usefulness.
The finds
Most of the metal finds were familiar items such as fragments of knives, nails, and needles, but many others were of new shape. A drill, a three-pronged meat fork, a hip , a wooden ax, a candle holder, a ploughshare, a carving knife and scissors. An example of craftsmanship was the discovery of clips (used to attach tires to wooden containers) in a basket next to an interior wall. Several unfinished vat parts were found on the floor. Smaller jewelry, such as a bronze brooch and pin, and seven glass beads of various types were found in the areas considered wall beds, which they undoubtedly were not. More than 80 glass beads were found in the mound.
Organic material has been discovered in the deep, moist soil that is not found in places with solid soil. Parts of wooden containers, scraps of leather for shoes and textiles. An oak trough on the floor of one of the houses contained a carved wooden shoe. Vegetables and other organic matter did not rot, and a mass of compressed material such as food scraps, wood fragments, insects and animal bones remained. Contrary to expectations, however, there was no evidence of agricultural activity or animal husbandry within the council.
literature
- Chris J. Lynn & Jacky A. McDowell et al .: Deer Park Farms. The Excavation of a Raised Rath in the Glenarm Valley, Co. Antrim. Northern Ireland Archaeological Monographs 9 2011
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 54 ′ 37.7 " N , 5 ° 59 ′ 34.3" W.