The Vikings raided large stretches of land across Europe, but colonized heavily in Scotland, Britain, France, and Ireland (Mark, “Vikings”). Specifically in Ireland, the Vikings first appeared around 790 BCE, and continued to raid and colonize for the next 300 years (Mark, “Ancient Ireland”). Although lots of Vikings left Ireland, some did create permanent settlements, which have become some of the largest cities in the country. For example, Dublin, the present-day capital city, was founded by the Vikings around 840 BCE. At that time, the settlement was called Longphort (Atwood, 48).

McGreevy, Nora. “For the First Time in a Century, Norway Will Excavate Viking Ship Burial.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 12 May 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-time-century-norway-will-excavate-viking-ship-burial-180974854/#:~:text=Norwegian%20archaeologists%20are%20set%20to,the%20country's%20government%20announced%20Monday.&text=According%20to%20Forbes%2C%20the%20Gjellestad,Jell%20Mound%20in%20%C3%98stfold%20County. 

Most archaeological remains have been dated using carbon dating, allowing scientists to produce a range of dates for the time of death. Carbon dating measures the remaining radioactive carbon left in an organic specimen. 

According to Atwood, one notable discovery was the remains of four male skeletons from an excavation under a Dublin street. The remains were found with Viking weapons, originally just reaffirming a history of Viking presence in Ireland. However, results from carbon dating pointed to time periods earlier than the accepted first Viking raid. This presented scientists with the idea Vikings were present in Ireland before 790 BCE. These early settlements could have been used to identify where profitable sites were located, helping future Viking raiders. 

Archaeologists also performed geophysical surveys to gather spatial information. These surveys used sensing instruments to create an image or map of the areas they were excavating, which would be useful when analyzing and categorizing artifacts.

In a very recent 2019 discovery, Norwegian archaeologists used georadar to locate a buried Viking ship (McGreevy). In this method, electromagnetic waves are used to produce an underground image. This leaves the artifact undisturbed, and allows scientists to plan and prepare before an excavation. Although this discovery was found in Norway, not Ireland, the technology holds promising for future use, and could be used to learn more about Viking settlements in Ireland.

Garcia, Bibiana. “The Viking Technology that Conquered the World.” BBVA, BBVA OpenMind, 26 March 2018, https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/economy/geopolitics/the-viking-technology-that-conquered-the-world/