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The Pair of platform raths at E.CHRIST. RATH PAIR in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a prehistoric settlement site comprising two adjoining earthwork platforms characteristic of early medieval Irish ringfort construction. Dating to the early Christian period, likely between the fifth and ninth centuries, these platforms represent domestic and defensive enclosures typical of the archaeological record for elite or farming communities in early medieval Ulster. The site's two-platform configuration suggests either a single settlement phase with multiple use areas or a family grouping of related homesteads, a settlement pattern common throughout early medieval Ireland. Such raths served as fortified farmsteads, combining residential, agricultural, and storage functions within their distinctive earthwork boundaries.
Pair of platform raths is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7598. View the official record →
The Pair of platform raths at E.CHRIST. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7598.
Pair of platform raths dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath pair. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pair of platform raths is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 7598.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cup-&-ring-marked stone (5.7 km), Portal tomb or cist burial (6.2 km), Ballyalton court cairn. court tomb (6.7 km).
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