View source for Navan Fort

{{Short description|Ceremonial and possible royal site near Armagh, Northern Ireland}}
{{distinguish|text=the town of [[Navan]] in [[County Meath]]}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox ancient site
  |name = Navan Fort
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  |image = Navan Fort, County Armagh - geograph.org.uk - 43871.jpg
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  |caption = Navan Fort or Eamhain Mhacha
  |map_type = Northern Ireland
  |map_caption = Location of the site in Northern Ireland
  |map_size = 250px
  |coordinates = {{coord|54|20|53|N|6|41|50|W|display=inline,title}}
  |location = [[County Armagh]], [[Northern Ireland]]
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'''Navan Fort''' ({{langx|sga|Emain Macha}} {{IPA|sga|ˈeṽənʲ ˈṽaxə}}; {{langx|ga|Eamhain Mhacha|label=[[Irish language|Modern Irish]]}} {{IPA|ga|ˌəunʲ ˈwaxə}}) is an ancient ceremonial monument near [[Armagh]], [[Northern Ireland]]. According to tradition it was one of the great [[Royal sites of Ireland|royal sites]] of pre-Christian [[Gaelic Ireland]] and the capital of the [[Ulaid]]h. It is a large circular hilltop enclosure—marked by a [[Henge|bank and ditch]]—inside which is a circular mound and the remains of a [[tumulus|ring barrow]]. Archeological investigations show that there were once buildings on the site, including a huge [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouse]]-like structure that has been likened to a [[temple]]. In a ritual act, this timber structure was filled with stones, deliberately burnt down and then covered with earth to create the mound which stands today. It is believed that Navan was a [[Celtic polytheism|pagan]] ceremonial site and was regarded as a sacred space. It features prominently in [[Irish mythology]], especially in the tales of the [[Ulster Cycle]]. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'', "the [Eamhain Mhacha] of myth and legend is a far grander and mysterious place than archeological excavation supports".<ref>{{cite book|last=MacKillop|first=James|title=A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-O0wzFcu2gC&pg=PA181|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-860967-4}}</ref>

Navan Fort is the heart of the larger 'Navan complex', which also includes the ancient sites of [[Haughey's Fort]] (an earlier hilltop enclosure), the [[King's Stables]] (a manmade ritual pool) and Loughnashade (a natural lake that has yielded [[votive offering]]s).

The name ''Eamhain Mhacha'' has been interpreted as "[[Macha]]'s twins" or "Macha's brooch", referring to a local goddess. 'Navan' is an anglicisation of the Irish ''An Eamhain''.

==Name==
The Irish name of Navan Fort is ''Eamhain Mhacha'', from Old Irish: ''Emain Macha''. The second element refers to the goddess Macha, for whom nearby [[Armagh]] (''Ard Mhacha'') is also named. However, the overall meaning of the name is unclear. It has been interpreted as "Macha's twins" or "Macha's pair" (possibly referring to the two features on the hilltop, or to Navan Fort and another nearby monument),<ref>Newman, Conor. "The making of a royal site in early Ireland". ''The Past in the Past: the Re-use of Ancient Monuments''. Edited by Richard Bradley & Howard Williams. Routledge, 1998. p.139</ref> or as "Macha's [[Celtic brooch|brooch]]" (possibly referring to the shape of the monument). There are tales that try to explain how the name came about. In the second century AD, Greek geographer [[Ptolemy]] noted a place called ''Isamnion'' somewhere in southeastern Ulster. Some scholars believe this refers to ''Emain'', and Gregory Toner has derived it from [[Proto-Celtic language|Proto-Celtic]] ''*isa-mon'' ("holy mound"). Others believe it refers to a place on the coast.<ref>Warner, Richard (2013). "Ptolemy's Isamnion promontory: rehabilitation and identification". ''Emania – Bulletin of the Navan Research Group'', Issue 21. pp.21-29</ref>

''Eamhain Mhacha'', and its short form ''An Eamhain'', was anglicised as 'Owenmagh', 'Nawan' and eventually 'Navan'.<ref>[http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=10437 Navan, Co Armagh]. PlaceNamesNI.</ref>

==Description==
[[Image:Navan.jpg|thumb|right|Navan Fort seen from the outer bank, the 40-metre mound in the background]]
Navan Fort, sometimes called '''Navan Rath''', is a State Care Historic Monument in the [[townland]] of Navan. It is on a low hill about {{convert|1.6|mi|km}} west of [[Armagh]] (at grid ref. area H847 452).<ref>{{cite web | title=Navan Fort | work=Environment and Heritage Service NI – State Care Historic Monuments | url=http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/state_care_monuments_2007.pdf | access-date=3 December 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722033155/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/state_care_monuments_2007.pdf | archive-date=22 July 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The site consists of a circular enclosure {{convert|250|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter, marked by a large bank and ditch encircling the hill. The [[Henge|ditch is on the inside]], suggesting the earthwork was symbolic rather than defensive. Inside the enclosure two monuments are visible. North-west of centre is an earthen mound {{convert|40|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter and {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=off}} high. South-east of centre is the circular impression of a ring-barrow, about {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter.<ref name=navan>{{cite book |last= Lynn |first= Chris |title= Navan Fort: Archaeology and Myth |year= 2003 |publisher= Wordwell Books |location= Spain |isbn= 1-869857-67-4 }}</ref>

==Construction and early history==
[[File:NavanFortIronAge (2).JPG|thumb|right|Small-scale reconstruction of the circular building that once sat on the site of the mound]]
Flint tools and shards of pottery show activity at the site in the [[Neolithic]] (c. 4000 to 2500&nbsp;BC).<ref name=halpin-newman>Andy Halpin & Conor Newman. ''Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600''. Oxford University Press, 2006. pp.95-98</ref>

In the eighth century BC ([[Bronze Age Ireland|Bronze Age]]), a [[Timber circle|ring of timber poles]] was raised at the western site, where the high mound now stands. It was 35m in diameter and surrounded by a ring ditch with an eastern entrance.<ref name=halpin-newman/> This ditch was {{convert|45|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter, {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=off}} wide and {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=off}} deep. In the fourth century BC ([[Iron Age Ireland|Iron Age]]) a new wooden structure was built on the same spot. It was a round building attached to a bigger round enclosure, making a figure-of-eight shape, both with eastern entrances. The larger ring of the figure-of-eight was {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter, the smaller about {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}}. The smaller building had a [[hearth]]. The structure has been interpreted as a [[roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouse]] with an attached yard or pen, or a building with an attached enclosure for rituals. Finds suggest that at this time the site was occupied by someone of high standing such as a king, chieftain or druid.<ref name=halpin-newman/> They include a [[chape]], a finely-decorated pin and the skull of a [[Barbary macaque|Barbary monkey]], which was likely a pet that was either imported or given as a gift.<ref>[http://irisharchaeology.ie/2014/05/a-barbary-ape-skull-from-navan-fort-co-armagh/ "A Barbary Ape Skull from Navan Fort, Co. Armagh"]. Irish Archaeology. 19 May 2014.</ref> The structure was rebuilt several times over the following centuries.<ref name=halpin-newman/>

In the first century BC, a huge timber roundhouse-like structure was built on the same spot. It was 40&nbsp;metres in diameter and consisted of an outer wall and four inner rings of posts (probably holding up a roof), which circled a huge central pillar.<ref name=halpin-newman/> This [[oak]] pillar has been dated by [[dendrochronology]] to the year 95 BC<ref name=navan />{{rp|61}}  and could have stood about 13&nbsp;metres tall.<ref>''A New History of Ireland, Vol 1''. Oxford University Press, 2005. p.167</ref> The building had a western entrance, toward the setting sun, which suggests it was not a dwelling. A ditch and bank were dug around it. There is evidence that the huge ditch and bank that encircles the hill was dug at about the same time.<ref name=dating>[[J. P. Mallory|James Patrick Mallory]], David Brown & [[Mike Baillie]] (1999). "Dating Navan Fort". ''Antiquity'', Volume 73, Issue 280. pp.427-431</ref>

Not long after it was built, the building was filled with thousands of stones, to a height of nearly 3&nbsp;metres.<ref name=halpin-newman/> This stone [[cairn]] was flat-topped and split into wedges, resembling a spoked wheel when seen from above. There is some evidence that the stones came from an older monument in the area, perhaps a passage tomb.<ref name=lynn>Lynn, Chris. "Navan Fort: Home of Gods and Goddesses?". ''Archaeology Ireland'', Volume 7, Issue 1. 1993. pp.17-21</ref> The building was then deliberately burnt down before being covered in a mound of earth. It was made up of many soil types, suggesting that soil was brought from surrounding areas.<ref name=lynn/> There is archaeological evidence for similar repeated building and burning at [[Hill of Tara|Tara]] and [[Dún Ailinne]].<ref name=navan />{{rp|24–25}}

In the first or second century BC, a figure-of-eight structure was also built at the eastern site. It was similar to those at the western site and may have been built around the same time as the mound.<ref>Mallory, James Patrick (2002). "Recent excavations and speculations on the Navan complex". ''Antiquity'', Volume 76, Issue 292. pp.532-541</ref> The larger ring was {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} in diameter, the smaller about {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}}. This figure-of-eight structure was then cleared away and replaced by another round wooden structure. It was double-walled, had a central hearth and an eastern entrance. Two graves were found just outside the entrance. This structure was in turn replaced by a ring-barrow: a round mound, usually raised over a burial, surrounded by a ditch and bank.<ref name=halpin-newman/>

===Purpose===
It is believed that the creation of the mound was a ritual act, but its meaning is unclear and there are several theories. The timber building may have been built only as a temporary structure to be burned, or it may have briefly served as a [[temple]] before its ritual destruction.<ref name=dating/> Scholars suggest that the event was a sacrificial offering to the gods and that the structure was symbolically given to the [[Celtic Otherworld|Otherworld]] by being ritually burned and buried. Dr Chris Lynn has likened it to the '[[wicker man]]' rite allegedly carried out by the [[Gauls]], in which a large wooden effigy is burned with a living sacrifice inside.<ref name=halpin-newman/><ref name=lynn/> It is thought that the huge outer bank and ditch was made to mark out the hilltop as a sacred space. It could also have been seen as a way of containing the power of the Otherworld within that space.<ref name=warner/>

Dr Richard Warner suggests that the mound was made to be a conduit between this world and the Otherworld.<ref name=warner>Warner, Richard (2000). "Keeping out the Otherworld: The internal ditch at Navan and other Iron Age hengiform enclosures". ''Emania – Bulletin of the Navan Research Group'', Issue 18. pp.39-42</ref> It may be an attempt to replicate an ancient [[Tumulus|burial mound]] (''sídhe''), which were believed to be portals to the Otherworld and the homes of ancestral gods.<ref name=lynn/> He believes the mound was made as a platform on which druids would perform ceremonies and on which kings would be crowned, while drawing power and authority from the gods and ancestors.<ref name=warner/>

It is possible that each part of the monument represents something. The stones inside the wooden structure may represent souls in the [[Tech Duinn|house of the dead]],<ref name=halpin-newman/> or the souls of fallen warriors in their equivalent of [[Valhalla]].<ref name=lynn/> Another theory is that the monument symbolizes a union of the [[Trifunctional hypothesis|three main classes of society]]: druids (the wooden frame), warriors (the stones) and farmers (the soil).<ref name=lynn/> The central pillar could also represent the [[world pillar]] or [[world tree]] linking the sky, the earth and the underworld.<ref name=lynn/> The radial pattern of the stone cairn may represent the [[Taranis|sun wheel]], a symbol associated with Celtic sun or sky deities.<ref name=lynn/>

Dr Lynn writes: "It seems reasonable to suggest that, in the beginning of the first century BC, Navan was an otherworld place, the home of the gods and goddesses. It was a Celtic tribe's sanctuary, its capitol, its sacred symbol of [[sovereignty]] and cohesion".<ref name=lynn/>

A recent study used remote sensing (including lidar, photogrammatry, and magnetic gradiometry) to map the site, and found evidence of Iron Age and medieval buildings underground, which co-author Patrick Gleeson says suggests that Navan Fort was "an incredibly important religious center and a place of paramount sacral and cultural authority in later prehistory".<ref>{{cite news |last=Geggel |first=Laura |date=2020-08-05 |title=Massive ancient temple complex may lurk beneath famous Northern Ireland fort |url=https://www.livescience.com/iron-age-temples-medieval-kings-ireland.html |website=LiveScience.com |access-date=2020-08-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Gleeson P, ((Queen's University Belfast)), Others, CitationNeeded |journal=Citation Needed |title=Citation Needed |date=c. 2020 }}</ref>

==In Irish mythology==
[[File:NavanFortIronAge (5).JPG|thumb|Reconstructed [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouse]] at the Navan Fort centre]]
In the [[Ulster Cycle]] of [[Irish mythology]], Emain Macha is the royal capital of the [[Ulaid]]h, the people who gave their name to the province of [[Ulster]]. It is the residence of [[Conchobar mac Nessa]], king of Ulster. He is said to have had a warrior training school at Emain.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ó hÓgáin |first=Dáithí |author-link=Dáithí Ó hÓgáin |title=Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition |publisher=Prentice Hall |year=1991 |page=112}}</ref> Conchobar's great hall at Emain was called by medieval writers ''in Chraebruad'' (the red-branched or red-poled edifice), and his royal warriors are named the Red Branch Knights in English translations.<ref>Ó hÓgáin, p.413</ref>

Emain Macha is said to have been named after [[Macha]], who is believed to have been a [[sovereignty goddess]] of the Ulaidh.<ref name="O hOgain - Macha">{{Cite book |last=Ó hÓgáin |first=Dáithí |author-link=Dáithí Ó hÓgáin |title=Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition |publisher=Prentice Hall |year=1991 |pages=284–285}}</ref>  One tale says that Macha, queen of the Ulaidh, forced her enemy's sons to dig the great bank-and-ditch after marking it out with her neck-[[Celtic brooch|brooch]] (''eomuin''), hence the name.<ref name="O hOgain - Macha"/> In another tale, Macha is the fairy wife of [[Cruinniuc|Crunnchu]]. Despite promising not to speak of her, Crunnchu boasts that his wife can outrun the king's horses. The king forces the pregnant Macha to race the horses. She wins, but then gives birth to twins on the finish line.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meehan |first=Cary |date=2004 |title=Sacred Ireland |url= |location=Somerset |publisher=Gothic Image Publications |page=45 |isbn=0 906362 43 1 |access-date=}}</ref> Before dying in childbirth, she curses the Ulstermen to be overcome with the exhaustion of childbirth at the time of their greatest need. This is a fore-tale of the ''[[Táin Bó Cúailnge]]'' (Cattle Raid of Cooley). The name Emain Macha is thus explained as "Macha's twins".<ref name="O hOgain - Macha"/>

The ''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]'' says that the [[Three Collas]] conquered the area in 331&nbsp;AD, burning Emain Macha and driving the Ulaidh eastwards over the River Bann. Another tradition is that Emain Macha was destroyed by [[Niall of the Nine Hostages]], or his sons, in the following century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ring |first1=Trudy |title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Northern Europe |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |page=56}}</ref>

Many other characters from Irish mythology are associated with Emain Macha, including:

*[[Amergin mac Eccit|Amergin]] the poet
*[[Cú Chulainn]], the great warrior
*[[Emer]], his strong-willed and beautiful bride
*[[Conall Cernach]], his foster-brother and close friend
*[[Lóegaire Búadach|Lóegaire]], another warrior
*[[Cathbad]], the chief druid
*[[Fergus mac Róich]], another great warrior and king
*[[Deirdre]] of the Sorrows, and [[Naoise]], her brave lover
*[[Leabharcham]], the wise woman

==Conservation and tourism==
[[File:Entrance to the Navan Fort Armagh - geograph.org.uk - 1516235.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the Navan Fort visitors centre]]
Until 1985, the site was threatened by the growth of a nearby limestone quarry. Due mostly to the efforts of the activist group Friends of Navan, a public inquiry held that year halted further quarrying, and recommended that Navan be developed for tourism. A visitor centre, featuring artefacts and audio-visual exhibitions, was opened in 1993, but closed in 2001 for lack of funds.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bender |first= Barabara |editor= Layton, Robert |title= Destruction and Conservation of Cultural Property |url= https://archive.org/details/destructionconse00layt |url-access= limited |year= 2001 |publisher= [[Routledge]] |isbn= 0-415-21695-8 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/destructionconse00layt/page/n215 199]–209|chapter= The Politics of the Past: Emain Macha (Navan), Northern Ireland}}</ref> It reopened in 2005 after the site was bought by [[Armagh City and District Council]].

Other significant prehistoric sites nearby include [[Haughey's Fort]], an earlier Bronze Age hill fort two-thirds of a mile (1&nbsp;km) to the west; the [[King's Stables]], a manmade pool also dating to the Bronze Age; and [[Loughnashade]], a natural lake which has yielded Iron Age artefacts.

==In popular culture==
Eamhain Mhacha is the name of an Irish traditional music group formed in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOEaLoHj4EE|title = Reels at Fleadh Tullamore 2009|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> Irish heavy metal band [[Waylander (band)|Waylander]] also has a song called "Emain Macha" on their 1998 album ''[[Reawakening Pride Once Lost]]''.

"Emain Macha" is the name of a place in the computer games ''[[Dark Age of Camelot]]'',<ref>[http://daoc.shadowsedge.org/emain.php Shadows Edge – DAOC – Emain – Dark Age of Camelot New Frontiers Map<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'' and ''[[The Bard's Tale (2004 video game)|The Bard's Tale]]''.
"Eamhain Macha" is the name of the capital of Ulster in the "Viking Invasion" expansion to the video game "Medieval Total War".

==See also==
* ''[[An sluagh sidhe so i nEamhuin?]]'' ("Is this a fairy host in Eamhain Mhacha?") – an Irish poem dated to the late 16th century.

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

* {{cite book |author=Hutton, R. |author-link=Ronald Hutton |year=1991 |title=Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles |title-link=The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles |place=Oxford, UK |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=978-063118946-6}}

==Texts==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050610073737/http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~dc920/bricriu.html Bricriu's Feast]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=U-O0wzFcu2gC&q=emain+macha&pg=PA181 Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology]

==External links==
{{commons category|Emain Macha}}
*[https://visitarmagh.com/places-to-explore/navan-centre-fort/ Navan Centre & Fort] – Official site at Visit Armagh
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140402022244/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/navanforteng.pdf Navan Fort] – information at [[Northern Ireland Environment Agency]]
*[http://www.navan-research-group.org/index.html Navan Research Group] – official website
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4075872.stm "High Hopes for NI Tourist Centre"] (BBC News)
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/ni/emain_macha.shtml BBC Timelines]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061011041448/http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/places/monuments/navan.shtml Environment and Heritage Service page on Navan Fort, with photos]
*[http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Assets/Photo_albums/Eleven/pages/Navan_Fort.html Geography in Action: Navan Fort] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018014150/http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Assets/Photo_albums/Eleven/pages/Navan_Fort.html |date=18 October 2006 }}
*[http://www.miotas.org/article.cfm?id=Emain_Macha The Mysterious Ritual at Emain Macha in 94BC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222204559/http://www.miotas.org/article.cfm?id=Emain_Macha |date=22 December 2019 }}

{{Museums and galleries in Northern Ireland}}
{{Ulaid}}
{{Irish mythology (Ulster)}}
{{County Armagh}}
{{Places of Interest in County Armagh}}

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[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 8th century BC]]
[[Category:Ancient Ireland]]
[[Category:Ulster Cycle]]
[[Category:Places in Táin Bó Cúailnge]]
[[Category:Royal sites of Ireland]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Environment Agency properties]]
[[Category:Archaeology of Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:History museums in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Museums in County Armagh]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in County Armagh]]
[[Category:Wicker man]]