County: Dublin Site name: ROBSWALLS (Paddy's Hill)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: D. Keeling
Site type: Prehistoric site - lithic scatter
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 723924m, N 744624m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.437126, -6.134846
A considerable quantity of flint found during field walking, indicated the existence of the site. Phosphate samples were taken to determine the limits of the site and identify possible activity areas or structures.
Thirteen cuttings were opened. The basic shallowness of the soil (15-20cm) militated against the in-situ survival of either finds or structures. While large quantities of both worked and unworked flint material occurred throughout the ploughsoil the only features revealed by the excavation were two pits. Pit I was 42cm in diameter and 40cm deep but contained no finds. Pit 2 was 1.3m in diameter and 25cm deep. Its fill contained pieces of charcoal, animal bone fragments, 545 lithics, 5 hammerstones, a polished porcellanite stone axehead and some perriwinkle shells. Samples from this pit yielded the following radiocarbon determinations: GrN-12346: 4120±70 BP (from charcoal) arid GrN-12337: 4040±70 BP (from seashells).
A total of 2874 artefacts were classified from the site. 1332 from the excavation and 1542 collected between 1964 and 1981. A large variety of artefacts are represented including scrapers, arrowheads, points, blades, flakes and cores. The quality (if the raw material employed indicates that it was probably collected from the rich beach deposits less than 1 kilometre to the east of the site.
