Scéal: preserved in peat for thousands of years, bog butter remains one of the most enigmatic of all archaeological finds
By Maeve Sikora and Isabella Mulhall, National Museum of Ireland
When we consider the central role that butter plays in the modern Irish diet, coupled with its diverse and extensive uses, it is unsurprising that it has had such a long and varied history of use and production in this country. Archaeologist A.T. Lucas notes in Cattle in Ancient Ireland that 'virtually everyone in [early Irish] society was preoccupied with cows'. Cattle were prized more for their white meats or ‘bánbhia’ (milk, buttermilk, butter, curds, cheese, and various other dairy products) than their meat, since the former did not require the killing of the animal.
Culinary historian, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, notes that this preoccupation with cattle and dairy is also evident in our placenames, with the Irish word for road ‘bóthar’ deriving from ‘bó’ and defined by the length and breadth of a cow. Butter related placenames range from Coill Ime (Kilimy, wood of the butter) in Laois, Gort an Ime (Butterfield) in Dublin and Limerick, to Móin na dTobán (Monadubbaun) in Kilkenny, meaning bog of the tubs, most likely referring to the tubs of bog butter.
The phenomenon of 'bog butter' - ancient butter that has been preserved by being buried in peat bogs - has been shown to date from the Bronze Age to the early modern period. This vast date range of over 4,000 years clearly demonstrates a long-lived tradition of the deposition of butter in bogs, highlighting that it was a vitally important agricultural product and an integral part of the Irish diet since prehistoric times.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Maeve Sikora from the National Museum on the bog butter, cannonballs and human remains handed into the museum last year
Bogs are remarkable repositories of archaeological, cultural, and environmental information, opening many windows onto Ireland’s distant past. Owing to the extraordinary preservative qualities of peat, organic materials such as textiles, wooden objects, leather objects, plant material, trackways, and even human remains (‘bog bodies’) survive millennia in the cool, waterlogged conditions. These finds, many of which remain almost unchanged over time, provide us with unique insights into ancient practices, shedding light on the nature and social complexity of past societies.
The range of objects deposited in bogs and subsequently recovered as chance finds, or as part of archaeological excavations, is quite astonishing. Archaeological finds from peatland contexts in the collections of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) and elsewhere range from mundane everyday items (shoes and tools) to highly elaborate (the ninth century gospel book known as The Faddan More Psalter; the late sixth century Springmount Bog waxed writing tablets; the eighth century Moylough Belt Shrine).
Finds from bogs also include wooden platters and dishes, cooking utensils, deer traps, baskets, satchels, wheels, tridents, spades, buckets, ox and horse yokes, shields, capes, hurling balls, dug-out canoes, and wooden idols or figurines. Many such finds can be viewed at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology in Dublin.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Ray D'Arcy Show, chef Kevin Thornton on the taste of bog butter
Bog butter is one such find that has come to light in quite large quantities as chance or stray finds in Ireland’s bogs over the last few centuries. Finds of bog butter have also been unearthed in the bogs of Scotland, although in much smaller quantities. The discovery of bog butter has come about as a direct result of peat extraction, bog drainage works and, in more recent years, as a consequence of the ongoing peatland rehabilitation works.
The NMI regularly receives reports of discovery of butter from bogs around the country and NMI staff inspect find spots and engage directly with finders to ensure that all relevant details of the discovery are documented for future reference. Bog butter is whitish in colour, and for this reason is one of the most frequently reported finds from peatland contexts as it is highly visible when exposed, in contrast to the dark brown peat that surrounds it.
As the name implies, bog butter is, in essence, butter that has been deposited or placed in bogs for a variety of possible reasons. In its surviving form, it consists of large whitish solid masses of fatty or waxy deposits. When discovered, it has a distinctive pungent smell. It has been found in a wide variety of containers including carved wooden vessels such as the one from Rosberry, Co. Kildare (see below). In addition, other organic coverings such as animal-derived material (skin or other membrane), plant-derived coverings or bark coverings have been used in the past to contain and protect the butter. Butter has also been found encased within baskets or simply deposited without any apparent covering.
More than 500 finds of bog butter are recorded as having been recovered from Ireland’s bogs, both from the raised bogs of the midlands and the blanket bogs in mountainous areas and along the western seaboard. Regrettably, however, many of these finds never made their way into museum collections and now only survive as records.
The reasons for the deposition of butter in bogs are complex and probably changed over time. Some commentators have suggested that it was deposited for security purposes or to safeguard against leaner times whilst others have suggested it was to allow it to develop a particular taste. Butter may also have been placed in bogs as votive deposits or offerings. Its deposition in bogs has meant that it has survived, in some cases for thousands of years, where under other circumstances it would not have. Undoubtedly, bog butter finds have revealed much about Ireland’s distant past and have also afforded us invaluable opportunities to gain greater insights into food production and consumption in centuries past.
In its surviving form, the butter consists of large whitish solid masses of fatty or waxy deposit with a distinctive pungent smell
Bog butter finds also provide archaeological support for the historical sources, which emphasise the importance of cows and dairying in ancient Ireland. Despite this, bog butter remains one of the most enigmatic of all known archaeological finds. It is the most striking physical expression for the vast range of milk products referenced in early Irish sources, which formed such an integral part of the diet in early Ireland. Its burial over many millennia represents a remarkable phenomenon and underscores the importance of dairying in Ireland over the past four thousand years.
As peat harvesting decreases on a national scale, the instances of the discovery of bog butter will also decline, making the national collection held in the NMI all the more precious a resource, one to be treasured for many years to come.
This is an edited extract of the author's piece as published in Irish Food History: A Companion (Royal Irish Academy)
Maeve Sikora is Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland. Isabella Mulhall is an Assistant Keeper in the Irish Antiquities Division at the National Museum of Ireland.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
