Eamonn Kelly, keeper of antiquities at the National Museum, with a spindle whorl, found at the Viking fortress. [Photograph: Ciara Wilkinson]
Posted on 09/22/2010 5:52:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A Viking fortress of international importance has been uncovered at Annagassan, Co Louth. It is believed to be the longphort (ship fortress) of Linn Duchaill, founded in AD 841 -- the same year as Viking Dublin...
A defensive rampart, consisting of a deep ditch and a bank, was excavated and, while the results of radio carbon tests are awaited to confirm the date, it "has all the appearances of the main fortification of the Viking fortress," he said. The excavations have also uncovered part of a human skull, a whorl for spinning thread and a brooch pin.
Dr Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum, said: "This could be on a par with Woodstown in Waterford, which has been shown to be a pure Scandinavian settlement of the mid-ninth century during the raiding phase of the Vikings."
Eamonn Kelly, keeper of antiquities with the National Museum, said attempts to identify this site date back more than 200 years, "and the significance of it is immense. It will be up there with all the major Viking sites in Europe."
...Dr Clinton described the defensive ditch at Annagassan as "massive" and said it was clear the Vikings had built it across an inlet on the river, some 200m from the Irish Sea.
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
Eamonn Kelly, keeper of antiquities at the National Museum, with a spindle whorl, found at the Viking fortress. [Photograph: Ciara Wilkinson]
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OT.
I’ve been to Co Louth. Home of Harp Lager.
Lovely....
;-)
I wanted to be a Viking when I was little. Not one college in my area offered Viking courses.
Annagassan, Co Louth. This is perfect desolate ground for Snow Buntings
you and brett
Try Women’s Studies, bring a helmet to class and you won’t know the difference.
I norse what you mean.
Did you try Minnesota?
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