New research at Haughey's Fort, a Late Bronze Age site in Northern Ireland, has proven it to be one of Europe's oldest and most organized proto-urban centers.
The study, published in the journal "Antiquity", was conducted by experts from the Universities of Glasgow and Belfast. They identified traces of over 200 wooden dwellings.
One of the most striking findings is circular structures up to 30 meters in diameter, believed to have served public or administrative purposes.
The complex is not a simple fortress but a high-level proto-city centered on trade, crafts, and rituals.
Excavations revealed remains of bronze and gold production, as well as objects from the Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe, confirming extensive trade networks.
Haughey's Fort was part of a planned system including King's Stables and Creeveroe Earthworks.
