Woodstown
 Shown within Ireland
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| Location | County Waterford |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°15′03″N 07°11′42″W / 52.25083°N 7.19500°WCoordinates: 52°15′03″N 07°11′42″W / 52.25083°N 7.19500°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| Length | 1.5 km |
| Width | 0.5 km |
| Area | 75ha (185 acres) |
| History | |
| Founded | 830-940 AD |
| Periods | Viking Age |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2003-2007 |
| Condition | Partially preserved |
| Ownership | Private |
Woodstown is home to a historic settlement measuring 1.5 km by 0.5 km, located on the southern bank of the River Suir, about 5.5 km west of Waterford City in the southeast of Ireland. This site should not be confused with Woodstown beach which is on the western side of Waterford Harbour near the fishing port of Dunmore East.
The National Roads Authority had planned to build a road over the site which showed no evidence of a historical monument. Investigation ditch and gulley across the road route led to the discovery of the site. In 2005 the site was declared a national monument and the motorway bypassed the site. The NRA, who have no responsibility for the site in the future, published reports, based on excavations in April and August 2003. These suggest that the site found at Woodstown was a defended, riverside settlement with evidence of industrial activity, most likely dating from the period - 830 to 940 AD.
With over 600 features such as house gullies, pits and fireplaces found, the archaeology points to a densely populated and affluent settlement. Apart from Woodstown, there is no evidence of a large 9th-century Viking settlement in Western Europe. Further small excavations, which took place in 2006, identified a structure which may have been associated with metal-working. Reports on these excavations have yet to be published.
The 2010 International Viking Conference confirmed the site as a longphort - a defensive enclosure built to protect the ships of Viking raiders and the treasure which they amassed, including silver, local captives (whom they would sell as slaves) and cattle.
About 4,000 objects including silver ingots, lead weights, ships nails, Byzantine coins and Viking weaponry have been recovered through preliminary surface test trenching. Much of the metal work found at Woodstown dates back to the mid to late 9th century.
Work being carried out on the grave suggests that it is one of the best equipped such graves from Ireland or Great Britain. Included were a sword (which may have come from Carolingian Francia rather than Norway itself), a spearhead showing silver inlay, a shield which seemed to have been placed over the dead man’s face, an axe and whetstone.
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Wikipedia