1976:058 - KNOWTH, Meath

Work was concentrated on three main areas:

1. Neolithic occupation outside the main mound (Site I) on the W.
2. Beaker occupation on the S. side.
3.  Early Christian occupation at the base of the main mound on the E. side.1. Limited excavations have been in progress in this area over the past few years and by now a fairly extensive area has been cleared, features that have come to light include a “structure”, palisade trenches and pits. To date the area of neolithic activity exposed covers about 650 square metres.
   a) The “structure” was sub-rectangular and its maximum dimensions were 12.3m by 10.8m This area was delimited by a trench and there was an entrance on the N.E. corner. The section of the trench on the W. side was the largest. It was 1.6m wide at the mouth and it was dug into the sub-soil for a depth of nearly 1m. There were eleven postholes spaced out along its base. The trench on the other three sides was much shallower; it averaged 30cm in depth. The fill in the trenches consisted of soft dark earth mixed with charcoal flakes. Within the enclosed area there were three fireplaces, a patch of paving and pits. The finds largely consisted of sherds of “Western” Neolithic wares but there were also a few scraps of flint. Nearly all of these came from the filI of the W. trench. Charcoal from this trench has been dated (C14) by the British Museum to 4852±71 b.p. (2902b.c.).
   While it may be suggested that this structure was a house the absence of evidence for posts along the perimeter (except in the W. trench) and in the interior makes one ask what sort of supports could the roof have had.
   b) There are two palisade trenches each about 60m long. These are parallel to each other, about 10m apart, and run approximately in a N.-S. line. It is not known yet if they are contemporary.
   c) Pits etc., These varied in size (from 0.25 to 1m) and in depth (from 0.1 to 0.4m). The fill of both produced “Western” Neolithic pottery and flints. There was also an area of fairly intensive activity. Here there was a patch of paving. There was also a scatter of “Western” Neolithic pottery and flints. It appears that flint knapping took place as, apart from 15 artifacts, the remainder (over 100) were scraps and chips. The artifacts consisted of scrapers and a single leaf shaped arrowhead. This activity pre-dates passage graves 5, 7, 8 and 9 and the “structure” is earlier than the N. palisade trench as the latter cuts across it.

   2. The principal evidence for this concentration was provided by finds of pottery sherds and flints. These occurred in a layer of dark material that averaged 17cm in thickness. This overlay the old ground surface and extended over a sub-rectangular area, approximately 20m x 10m. In turn, apart from a small area on the south side of the site, this dark layer was sealed by a layer of brownish sterile material.
   Evidence for structures was slight. This consisted of a small number of individual features- a subrectangular area reddened by burning, probably a hearth, two oval postholes, an area of rough cobbling and an oval pit. The burnt area and the cobbling were on the old ground surface. While the dark layer contains material that could have been derived from an occupation layer, there is also a considerable amount of broken shale mixed through it. It therefore seems that the dark layer is occupation debris that was scattered due to subsequent agricultural activity such as ploughing.
   The finds came from all levels of the dark layer. All the pottery is Beaker and, except for a few sherds, is fine ware. The flint assemblage consists of both worked and waste flints. Amongst the artifacts round scrapers predominate, but two well-made arrowheads were found, one barbed-and-tanged, the other a broken laurel-leaf type.

   3. In previous seasons excavation in the area beside the entrance to the E. tomb of Site I had revealed evidence of intensive Early Christian occupation. Structural features associated with this include five houses, five souterrains and a number of hearth sites. Work this season concentrated on the excavation of a partially destroyed house, originally rectangular, with surviving maximum dimension of 5.4m x 4m. This house was earlier than two of the souterrains in this area. The pin of a bronze ring headed pin and a jet bracelet fragment was found in the layer of brown flecked clay directly below the floor level of the house. Six metres to the S. of this house a parallel-sided charcoal spread was found stratified below three houses of Early Christian date. Although some disturbance had occurred it seems likely that this is the remains of a house site.
   It may be added that two kerbstones, those missing from the entrance area to the E. tomb of Site I, were found in the fill of the “Iron Age” ditch in this area. One of these has a vertical line incorporated in its decoration like that on the kerbstone opposite the entrance to the W. tomb.

Click on the link below for  the Royal Irish Academy's online resource for Knowth Excavations:

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