Archaeologists have found what is believed to be the first intact Roman pot in Ireland ever.
The pot was unearthed earlier from an archaeological excavation at Drumanagh, near the village of Loughshinny, Co Dublin.
Fingal County Council Heritage Officer and Archaeologist Christine Baker, said: "We’re breathless with the sheer excitement of it all.
"This is the first ever intact Roman pot excavated in Ireland.
"We have found five or six different types of Roman artefacts here, including the neck of an amphora.
"But nobody has ever seen a pot like this before in Ireland."
At its height around two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire ruled much of Europe, and parts of Western Asia and North Africa.
Its power did not extend into Ireland, however.
"You get very little Roman material in Ireland," explained Ms Baker.
"From previous digs, we have evidence that there were people of Roman background here, maybe a few people overseeing trade.
"We have no evidence of a settlement here, but there’s definitely evidence of deep contact with Roman Britain and Roman Europe."
The Drumanagh promontory fort is a nationally important Iron Age archaeological site.
A 2000-year-old fig was discovered during excavations there last year, offering tantalising evidence of an exotic food traded between the Roman Empire and Ireland.
The intact pot is now being sent to the National Museum of Ireland where further analysis and conservation will be carried out.
