2007:AD12 - BALLYNAMONA (2), Cork

Phase 2 excavation works were undertaken, on behalf of Cork County Council, along the route of the N8 Fermoy–Mitchelstown bypass. The proposed bypass involves the construction of c. 16km of dual carriageway extending from Gortore north of Fermoy to Carrigane north-east of Mitchelstown. A programme of advance testing (Phase 1) had been carried out in October 2005, the results of which appeared in Excavations 2005.

The site at Ballynamona 2 was situated on level ground to the east of Brigown and Mitchelstown. This site included metalworking features, Bronze Age round houses, a cremation pit and a burnt mound/fulacht fiadh. The site was split into two areas of excavation (Area 1 and Area 2). In addition to material from excavated periods, several sherds of Early Neolithic carinated ware were discovered in the ploughzone during topsoil-stripping of this site.

Area 1
Metalworking features, a possible cremation pit, a group of pits and a burnt mound/fulacht fiadh were excavated at Area 1.

Metalworking features
There were two furnaces identified in Area 1. The furnaces were relatively small and the average dimensions were 0.73m in length, 0.66m in width and 0.37m in depth. The fills of both furnaces were rich in slag and charcoal. Two pits containing waste material and slag were located adjacent to the furnaces.

The furnaces were associated with eleven pits which contained slag and charcoal fills. On average these pits measured 0.83m in length, 0.66m in width and 0.29m in depth. These pits were somehow associated with the metalworking activity at the site and their final fills contained large amounts of metalworking waste.

A further eighteen pits were recorded in the metalworking area but did not contain any slag. Flint was recovered from the fill of pit C.38. Fourteen layers, twelve post-holes and three stake-holes were recorded in the area. Slag was recovered from one.

A linear feature, ditch C.27, ran through the metalworking area. It truncated some of the features associated with pits containing pottery. The ditch contained fills that included slag and debris associated with the activity of the site. Therefore it appears that the ditch was open when metalworking was carried out at the site. The ditch may possibly have formed a boundary or enclosure.

Pits with pottery and bone
A group of pits was located to the south of the ditch, two of which have been recognised as cremation pits. They were subcircular-shaped with average dimensions of 0.4m by 0.35m and depth of 0.09m (C.106) and 0.21m (C.108). They both contained fills that were charcoal-rich and contained frequent flecks of burnt bone. Five further pits contained fills that included a small percentage of burnt bone. Five pits and a deposit included sherds of pottery. The pits were dispersed and did not appear to form any pattern.

Features in southern part of the site
A small group of six pits, two post-holes and one possible hearth deposit have been recorded in the southern part of the site. Features contained charcoal-rich fills with inclusions of burnt clay, burnt bones and heat-shattered stones. One of those pits contained slag and another flint flake.

Burnt mound
The burnt mound was irregular, c. 5m long by 3m wide and 0.3m deep. The deposits were rich in charcoal and heat-shattered stone.

This deposit of burnt-mound material was associated with a trough, a possible trough and one pit. The subrectangular trough was 4.7m long, 1.31m wide and 0.49m deep. A line of four large stones ran from north to south from the centre of the trough. The possible trough was subcircular in plan. It contained two fills, both of which were dark, charcoal-rich and contained frequent heat-shattered stones. Eight post-holes and four stake-holes underlay the mound.

The mound covered a curvilinear ditch. This appeared to be a circular enclosure with a possible entrance on the north-west side. The ditch fills were similar to burnt-mound material (charcoal-rich and with heat-shattered stone).

One pit cut into burnt-mound deposits.

Area 2
The archaeology in Area 2 included an isolated bowl furnace and two round houses and group of associated pits, post- and stake-holes. One of the round houses was 90% excavated (part of the house lay outside the road-take) and the second house was exposed, recorded and then re-covered.

Metalworking features
An isolated furnace contained two fills, rich in slag and charcoal. It was circular in plan, 0.43m in diameter and 0.32m deep. There were no other metalworking features associated with this furnace.

Round house (Structure 1)
A narrow footing trench (C.472) outlined the perimeter of a circular building (Structure 1) which was 9.4m in diameter. Traces of the footprints of upright planks or panels of wattle and daub were visible at regular intervals (c. 1m in length) along the top of the trench. The slot-trench was 0.18m wide and between 0.12m and 0.18m deep. This was too insubstantial to form the foundation of the building and much of the support for the roof probably came from the deep post- and stake-holes associated with the structure. One end of the structure was truncated by later activity. There were pits and post-holes with grain-rich fills, saddle querns and rubbing stones found at this part of the building, indicating that it was used for grain storage and processing at one point during the Bronze Age. A hearth was recorded in the interior of the structure. A group of 40 stake-holes were recorded in the central area of the house. Fourteen of the stake-holes were surrounding the grain-rich pit C.504. A series of possible occupation layers were recorded in the area of the entrance.

A series of seventeen pits, twelve post- and four stake-holes were recorded outside the perimeter of Structure 1.

Unexcavated round house (Structure 2)
The second structure was defined by a footing trench. This was a circular building, 9.7m in diameter. The footing trench was 0.2m wide and 0.2m deep. This remained unexcavated. The results indicate that, although Structure 2 appears slightly larger than Structure 1, the dimensions of both buildings are broadly similar.

Agricultural features
Several linear features traversed both areas of excavation. These included field drains, furrows, field boundaries and an anomalous linear feature. These represent post-medieval and modern agricultural features.