Largest prehistoric Irish hill fort reveals 600 house platforms. Bronze and Iron Ages, 3,200-2,400 years ago County Wicklow, Ireland Brussels Ring Hill Fort
A massive hill fort at Brusselstown Ring in County Wicklow, Ireland held more than 600 suspected house platforms across 41 hectares. That's one of the largest prehistoric settlements in Ireland or Britain. Radiocarbon dating shows it was occupied from the Late Bronze Age through the Iron Age. 🏰🇮🇪
Key Facts
- Bronze and Iron Ages, 3,200-2,400 years ago
- County Wicklow, Ireland
- Brussels Ring Hill Fort
- 600 suspected house platforms identified
- Largest clustered settlement in prehistoric Ireland and Britain
- Two widely spaced ramparts encompassing 41.19 hectares spanning two hilltops
- 98 platforms in inner enclosure, 509 between inner and outer enclosures
- Previous largest example had 140-150 roundhouses
- Test trenches revealed cobbled floors, hearths, stake holes, pit features
- Radiocarbon dating: primarily occupied 1210-790 BCE
- One roundhouse dated to early Iron Age 750-400 BCE
- Boat-shaped structure tentatively identified as cistern
Related site: Brusselstown Ring — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Latest Archaeology Discoveries in January 2026 by Inside Archaeology