County: Donegal Site name: LISNAMULLIGAN, CO. DONEGAL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: Grave 1: SMR DG079-043001Grave 2, SMRDG079-043002 Licence number: E1054
Author: NESSA OCONNOR AND RAGHNALL Ó FLOINN
Site type: Early Bronze Age graves
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 624337m, N 892427m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.779228, -7.621695
Introduction
In October 1984 a short cist containing an inhumation was discovered near Castlefinn, Co.Donegal, when the capstone was dislodged during ploughing. The site was reported to the Garda Síochána at Castlefinn, who visited the site and informed the NMI. On their visit to the site, the Gardaí shovelled out some of the contents of the cist and removed a few large stones,which had been used to support one of the cist ends. This site was excavated by NessaO’Connor of the National Museum on 8 October 1984. A second cist containing an inhumation and a bowl was discovered five years later some 3m south-west of the first cist, in the same field. It came to light during probing in a barley field in a patch of ground left bare after the dry summer. The find was reported by the landowner to the NMI and a two-day rescue excavation was carried out on 2 and 3 August 1989 by Raghnall Ó Floinn and Stella Cherry. The human remains from grave 2 were analyzed by Laureen Buckley.67
Fig. 3.45—Location map, Lisnamulligan, Co. Donegal.[/caption]Location(Fig. 3.45)
The site was in the townland of Lisnamulligan, south-west Co. Donegal, close to the County Tyrone border.68 It was at the western end of a low ridge running east/west with views to the north, west and south. It lay at an altitude of approximately 90m above sea level, at the western edge of a large rectangular field. The two cists are set approximately at right angles to one another. The smaller (grave 1) was aligned east-north-east/west-south-west and the larger(grave 2) lay on a north/south axis.
Description of site
Grave 1
The cist was slightly wedge-shaped in plan, with its long axis aligned east-north-east/west-south-west. It measured 0.84m long by 0.38m wide by 0.4m high internally (Fig. 3.46). The chamber was formed of six main slabs, one each at the long sides and two placed on top of each other at each of the short ends. The southern side slab appears to have extended beyond the western end of the cist, and there is evidence for at least one packing stone on the north-western corner. A number of small packing stones had also been removed on the previous day by the Gardaí. The capstone of the cist was sub oval in shape, measuring 1.32m long by 0.78mwide by 0.27m thick. The original location of the capstone in relation to the cist is not known,as it was removed prior to excavation, but it is assumed that its long axis would have been aligned with the long axis of the cist. The floor of the cist was paved with a single slab. The grave contained an inhumation burial and no accompanying artifacts were found. The bones had been disturbed prior to excavation and a quantity of earth had also been removed by the Gardaí on the previous day, so that on inspection the contents consisted of a femur and a scattering of other bones.
Grave 2
This cist was in the same field as that discovered in 1984, approximately 3m to the south-west of it. The top of the capstone lay approximately 0.15m below the sod. The cist was trapezoidal in plan, with its long axis aligned north/south. It measured 0.94m long by 0.65m wide by 0.45mhigh internally and was formed of four flat edge-set slabs, that on the west being of granite and the others being of schist (Fig. 3.47). Two large slabs were placed across the short ends overlapping the end stones, and it was on these that the capstone rested. The sides of the cist were flanked externally by a substantial number of smaller packing stones, some measuring up to 0.45m in length. The floor of the cist was paved with one large slab surrounded by a number of smaller slabs. A large, roughly oval slab of mica-schist measuring 1.7m long by 1.1m wide by0.25m thick covered the cist. This was lifted by ropes, and just over half the pit was revealed in the cutting made around the capstone. The pit was oval in shape and would have measured approximately 2.3m by 1.5m. The red fill of the pit was clearly visible against the buff-grey boulder clay of the subsoil. Excavation revealed that the floor stones and side slabs appear to have been put in place first, after which the pit was filled with packing stones.The southern half of the cist fill was removed first and it was apparent that this had been recently disturbed, as scattered flakes of mica-schist which had peeled off the underside of the capstone were visible throughout the fill. The floor of the cist was covered with a thin layer, less than 0.01m deep, of grey silt, which had probably been washed in from the boulder clay into which the pit was dug. The grave contained a crouched inhumation representing one adult(1989:46) accompanied by a bowl. The body had been placed lying on its left side with the head facing east. In the north-eastern corner of the cist was an upright bipartite bowl, which was tilted to the north-east. Only some of the leg and arm bones were preserved, along with a portion ofthe cranium in contact with the floor of the cist. The vertebrae, ribs, hand and foot bones had disintegrated. The teeth were found scattered around the area of the cranium.
Simple bowl, 1989:45(Fig. 3.48)
This vessel is a simple bowl with a slight constriction. It is ornamented with impressed decoration in horizontal bands of alternating comb impressions and false-relief chevrons.The rim is everted and is decorated with a row of chevron false relief formed by triangular
impressions. The neck is decorated with a series of rows of horizontally disposed comb impressions. Below this is a band of chevrons in false relief, then a band of vertically disposed comb-impressed decoration, below which is a row of chevrons executed in false relief, similar to that found near the rim. Below this again is a band of rows of comb impressions, bordered by a row of chevrons executed in false relief. Below this is a third row of horizontal comb impressions, again bordered by a row of chevrons in false relief. The final band of decoration on the vessel, again bordered below by a row of false-relief chevrons, consists of vertical lines of comb impressions. The base of the vessel is decorated with an eleven-pointed star surrounded by concentric cord-impressed rings.Dimensions: H 9.3cm; ext. D rim 11.3cm; int D rim 11.16.
Comment
A sample of bone from grave 2 yielded an AMS date of 3640±70 BP, which calibrates to 2205–1776 BC.69 Brindley (2007, 57, 173, 243) places the bowl from Lisnamulligan, grave 2, in stage 1 of the development of pottery in the bowl tradition, which is centred on 2120 BC.
HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY
Grave 2 (1989:46)
The burial was in very poor condition and consisted mainly of the long bones and the part of the skull that was lying on the floor of the cist. There were no ribs, vertebrae, pelvic or hand bones remaining. Preservation of the long bones was very poor, with little remaining of the joint ends, and the outer cortex was decayed and flaking off.The left parietal bone of the skull was in good condition and almost complete, with most 158Breaking ground, finding graves of the lambdoid, the anterior part of the sagittal and medial part of the coronal sutures all visible. The left temporal bone was also almost complete but the mastoid area was missing.Only a small fragment of the left side of the frontal bone remained, and part of the left greater wing of spheroid was present. There were no other bones present from the skull. The left arm consisted of most of the glenoid area of the scapula and part of the a cromion, most of the shaft of the left humerus and the proximal third of the left ulna. Only the shaft of the right humerus remained from the right arm. The left femur was almost complete but the distal joint end was missing. The proximal joint was incomplete and was very decayed. The shaft and part of the distal joint surface remained from the left tibia and there was a fragment of shaft from the left fibula. The proximal third was missing from the right femur, and most of the shaft of the right tibia and a small fragment of the distal joint surface also survived. The only feet bones present were the left calcaneum and talus, but they were very decayed.
Dentition
The following loose teeth were present:
Attrition
There was a moderate degree of wear on the incisor and the first molar but only slight polishing on the second and third molars.
Summary and conclusions
This burial consisted of one adult individual. There was insufficient bone remaining to enable the sex or age to be determined. Nevertheless, the lack of attrition on the molar teeth and the absence of osteoarthritis on the few remaining joints suggest that this was not an older individual.
67. The human remains from grave 1 have not been located.
68. Parish of Donaghmore, barony of Raphoe. SMR DG079-043001-. Grave 1, IGR 224391 392435. Grave 2, SMR DG079-043002-. IGR 224392 392433.
69. OxA-2667, from collagen.
