8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Irish archaeologists discover a rare 1,600-year-old idol in the Roscommon bog

A 1,600-year-old wooden pagan idol has been discovered in a bog in Co Roscommon by Irish archaeologists.

This rare artifact made more than 1600 years ago was discovered in the swamp of the town of Gortnacrannagh, 6 kilometers northeast of Rathcroghan, a prehistoric royal site.

The wood carving was discovered by a team of Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) before the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road project, which was funded by the Irish government and managed by the Irish Transport Infrastructure (TII) through the Roscommon County Council.

The idol was fashioned from a split trunk of an oak tree during the Iron Age, with a tiny human-shaped head at one end and many horizontal notches cut along its body.

Only a dozen such idols have been discovered in Ireland, and the Gortnacrannagh Idol is the biggest to date, standing more than two and a half meters tall.

“The Gortnacrannagh Idol was carved more than 100 years before St. Patrick came to Ireland-it is most likely an image of a pagan god. Our ancestors regarded the wetlands as mysterious places where they could connect with their gods and the afterlife The animal bones found next to the ritual dagger indicate that the animal sacrifice was performed at the site, and the idol is likely to be part of these rituals,” said Dr. Eve Campbell, an AMS archaeologist in charge of excavation at the site.

The idol was made during the Iron Age from a split trunk of an oak tree, with a small human-shaped head at one end and several horizontal notches carved along its body.
The idol was made during the Iron Age from a split trunk of an oak tree, with a small human-shaped head at one end and several horizontal notches carved along its body.

Wooden idols have been known in bogs throughout Northern Europe, where waterlogged conditions allow for the preservation of ancient wood. The Gortnacrannagh Idol is presently housed at University College Dublin, where conservator Susannah Kelly is working on preserving the ancient artifact during a three-year period. Once conserved the idol will go on display at the National Museum of Ireland.

Cathy Moore, a wood specialist, pointed out that the bottom ends of numerous figurines were similarly worked to a point, suggesting that they originally stood upright.

“Their meaning is open to interpretation, but they may have marked special places in the landscape, have represented particular individuals or deities, or perhaps have functioned as wooden bog bodies, sacrificed in lieu of humans,” she said.

A replica of the idol will be on display at the Rathcroghan Centre in Tulsk, Co Roscommon, created by AMS personnel in cooperation with members of the UCC Pallasboy Project and the UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture.

Dr. Ros Maoldin of AMS stated that because the Gortnacrannagh Idol was such a rare and remarkable find, a duplicate was being made to assist people in better understand the idol and appreciate how it was made.

Cover Photo: Wood specialist, Cathy Moore, inspecting the wooden pagan idol that was found in a bog near Rathcroghan.

Related Articles

Unveiling the Secrets of the “Air-Dried Chaplain”: A Unique Mummification Method Discovered in Austria

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

Researchers investigating a remarkably well-preserved mummy discovered in the church crypt of St. Thomas am Blasenstein, a small village in...

A rare Byzantine gold coin discovered in Norway, probably brought from Constantinople

9 December 2023

9 December 2023

A metal detectorist exploring the mountains in the municipality of Vestre Slidre in southern Norway discovered a rare histamenon nomisma...

New evidence pushes the origins of the Great Wall back by 300 years

19 February 2025

19 February 2025

Recently discovered evidence from the Changqing district of Jinan, located in East China’s Shandong Province, reveals that the origins of...

A 2,000-Year-Old Shoe Discovered in a German Bog

22 June 2021

22 June 2021

Archaeologists discovered a leather shoe that had been lost in a bog for 2,000 years and believe it may have...

Ancient Rome’s city borders were discovered in a rare stone

17 July 2021

17 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed a rare stone outlining ancient Rome’s city borders during excavations for a new sewage system. The stone comes...

Researchers explored a rock art site near Idupulapaya in India

1 October 2021

1 October 2021

A rock art site was discovered near Idupulapaya in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rock paintings from the Megalithic...

7,000-year-old discovery in Umm Jirsan Cave

28 June 2021

28 June 2021

Archaeologists have made new discoveries in the Umm Jirsan cave in the Harrat Khaybar lava field in northern Saudi Arabia....

New Research Shows Angkor Wat’s Incredible Population Density

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

Angkor Wat was the grand capital of ancient Cambodia. The population of Angkor Wat, one of the most magnificent cities...

The World’s Earliest Ground Stone Needles Found in Western Tibetan Plateau

26 June 2024

26 June 2024

In western Tibet, six peculiar stone artifacts were discovered in 2020 by archaeologists excavating close to the shore of Lake...

An architectural gem from the medieval monastery of Posa, Germany

26 July 2023

26 July 2023

Archaeological excavations have been taking place on the Posaer Berg (Posa Hill) near Zeitz (Burgenland) every year since 2017. They...

Opulent Bronze Age Girl’s Tomb Discovered in Iran’s Greater Khorasan Civilization

1 August 2025

1 August 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably rich Bronze Age burial of a young woman at the site of Tepe Chalow in...

Scientists Uncover 22,000-Year-Old Evidence of Prehistoric Transport

9 March 2025

9 March 2025

In a remarkable glimpse into the ingenuity of our early ancestors, recent research reveals that 22,000 years ago, humans may...

Largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered in Britain illuminates ‘Dark Ages’

16 June 2022

16 June 2022

Archaeologists working on HS2 (the purpose-built high-speed railway line) have discovered a rich Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, where almost...

Rare Tales of Merlin and King Arthur Found in 13th Century Manuscript

17 April 2025

17 April 2025

In a remarkable discovery, a fragile manuscript fragment dating back to the 13th century has been found hidden within the...

A rare sheep carriage and ancient chariots found near mausoleum of China’s first emperor

28 October 2023

28 October 2023

A rare “six-sheep” carriage and a four-wheeled wooden chariot were discovered near the mausoleum of Qinshihuang, China’s first Emperor during...