County: Derry Site name: CASTLEROE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: P.C. Woodman, Department of Antiquities, Ulster Museum, Belfast.
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Mesolithic (8000 BC-4001 BC)
ITM: E 685833m, N 929884m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.108920, -6.654799
This site is on a bluff just south of the Cutts, on the western bank of the River Bann. It is about 30ft above the river. A small rescue excavation was carried out when service trenches inside an out-building of the Span Board factory exposed the remnants of a Mesolithic occupation layer which had been mostly destroyed when the factory was erected. The exposed area included two substantial postholes and a pit.
The archaeological material seems to be the same as that found at Mount Sandel (upper). One rather crude scraper, a micro-awl and several micro liths were recovered. Two samples were submitted for C14 dating. The results were:
Occupation layer
Pit 1.
U.B.2171 6805 ± 135b.c.
U.B.2171 6610 ± 75b.c.
