A 2,000-Year-Old Fig From Ancient Rome Was Uncovered Just North Of Dublin
Just north of Dublin, archaeological excavations have turned up a 2,000-year-old fig from ancient Rome. It is evidence of how Roman culture made its way to Ireland in antiquity.
Until now, researchers did not know that figs made it all the way to Ireland. The hard, charred fragment of fig was found in Drumanagh, where a trading post from the Roman Empire used to be.
“Straight away, it seemed unusual,” said Meriel McClatchie, an associate professor at the University College Dublin. “It was a large charred mass, so it was carefully packed by the excavation team, labeled as a possible apple fragment, and sent to me for analysis.”
It is extremely rare to find remnants of ancient food. After peering at the object underneath a microscope, McClatchie concluded that the fruit’s surface pattern and the size of its seed did not fit the description of an apple or fruits like berries.
She believed it was a fig, and sure enough, she was right! McClatchie shared photos of the specimen with colleagues all over Europe to confirm her suspicions.
Eventually, she brought the fruit to Historic England, where experts examined it with a powerful microscope. They agreed with her identification.
The fig was able to survive for so long because it was burnt. It is the oldest example of an exotic fruit ever discovered in Ireland. In the past, only seeds have been uncovered. The fig also represents Ireland’s relationship with ancient Rome.
“Figs have such a strong association with foodways of the Roman Empire, so the discovery of a fig at Drumanagh fitted well with the bigger picture from this site,” said McClatchie.
Long ago, the Roman Empire once stretched across most of Europe, in addition to parts of western Asia and northern Africa. The Romans never conquered Ireland, but many cultural aspects of theirs managed to reach the country.
As the Roman Empire expanded, some elements of its culture spread as well. In Drumanagh, a variety of Roman goods, such as figs, dates, grapes, and almonds, were introduced to people in Ireland through trading routes. Figs could be transported easily when they were dried.
Aside from the fragment of fig, archaeologists have unearthed storage pits and burials dating from the first to third centuries C.E. at the site in Drumanagh.
Other artifacts recovered at the site have shown that ancient people were raising animals for food and to process their hides. They spun wool, practiced weaving, and manufactured glass beads.
Furthermore, large amounts of spelt wheat have been found at the site. The wheat was rare in Ireland but very common in Roman Britain.
Although Ireland may not have been part of the Roman Empire, the people living there still experienced its cultural influence. The empire finally fell in 476 C.E.
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