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flag Brusselstown Ring in Ireland is now recognized as the largest prehistoric settlement in Britain and Ireland, dating from 1210 to 780 BC.

flag A hillfort site in County Wicklow, Ireland, known as Brusselstown Ring, has been identified as the largest nucleated prehistoric settlement in Ireland and Britain, potentially representing Ireland’s earliest proto-town. flag Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast found evidence of up to 13 hilltop forts, over 600 potential house platforms, and at least 98 confirmed roundhouse footprints, with occupation spanning from the early Neolithic to the late Bronze Age, and possibly into the Early Iron Age. flag Radiocarbon dating indicates continuous use from around 1210 to 780 BC, challenging prior assumptions that Viking towns were Ireland’s earliest urban centers. flag A boat-shaped anomaly may have served as a water cistern, suggesting advanced planning. flag The findings, recognized with the Prehistoric Society’s 2025 James Dyer Prize and published by Cambridge University Press, highlight unprecedented social complexity and call for the site’s preservation.

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