A 2,000-year-old fig was discovered during excavations at Dormana in Dublin. The discovery sheds light on the food that was traded between the Roman Empire and Ireland thousands of years ago.
The 2,000-year-old fig tree is one of many items unearthed during excavations in the area. Other finds include metal and ceramic objects, as well as food remains, according to a University of Dublin release about the ancient finds. The remains of food were preserved in a burnt state.
Ancient figs provide new insight into the goods traded between the Roman Empire and Ireland.
The photo above shows details of a seed embedded in a charred fig taken from the Dramana excavation site. (Historic England)
2,000-year-old Roman road discovered by London archaeologists
“Fig seeds dating back to the 13th century have been discovered in medieval excavations in Dublin, Cork and other towns,” Professor Merial McClatchy, director of the UCD Ancient Foods Research Group, School of Archeology, said in a news release. . .
This ancient discovery is a first for Ireland.
“While no actual fruit has ever been found in Ireland, the most important thing about the Dolmanai fig is its age. It is unique in Ireland and by far the most exotic fruit found here. This is the oldest example of this,” McClatchy said.
Trade routes between the Roman Empire and Ireland allowed for the exchange of food. Until this discovery, researchers had no idea that figs arrived in Ireland thousands of years ago.
The team involved in the Dormana excavations were able to unearth various ancient objects at the site. (Christine Baker, Fingal County Council)
Greece's new metro system, archaeological finds discovered during construction on display for passengers
“It's so exciting to imagine that someone so long ago enjoyed these exotic foods here in Ireland,” McClatchy said in a news release.
The Dormana excavation was led by Christine Baker, Fingal County Council's heritage officer and archaeologist.
She and her team were able to unearth many ancient objects besides food remains. All these discoveries have helped researchers better understand how people in Ireland lived thousands of years ago.
“Our excavations reveal more stories about the people who lived and worked at Dramana,” Baker said in a news release. “We now know that there was an importation not just of goods but of lifestyles. By the wind-swept cliffs, people wore brooches and glass beads while selling spelled bread and olive oil. , consuming figs and drinking the drink in glass vessels or fine china cups.The evidence goes far beyond Roman connections to the Chester/Wirral region of Britain during the first 200 years of the Roman Conquest. It shows.”
The photo above shows a charred fig found during excavations at Dormana. (Historic England)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Ireland has long been a place of many culinary discoveries. Another recent example of an ancient discovery in Ireland was in County Donegal, where a farmer discovered a 60-pound slab of moor butter on his land by what he called “sheer luck”.
He finds swamp butter after sensing a “cheesy” smell in the air. Bog butter is not considered an incredibly rare find in the region, with around 500 discoveries recorded in Ireland, but its size was more unique.
According to Irish News, archaeologist Paula Harvey, who visited the site, said the 60-pound slab was “one of the largest chunks of bog butter ever discovered in Ireland.” It is said that there is a possibility that
Michael Boyle, who discovered the bog butter, said it was “sheer luck that we came across it”, according to the Irish Examiner. I explained that I was wrapped up and led him. To quickly conclude what he discovered.
