- CULLEENS, CO. SLIGO, Sligo

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Sligo Site name: CULLEENS, CO. SLIGO

Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR SL017-063 Licence number: E1156

Author: MICHAEL RYAN AND STELLA CHERRY

Site type: Early Bronze Age graves

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 534815m, N 831326m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.226665, -8.999669

Introduction
In May 1989 a short cist containing an inhumation and a vase was discovered when a large stone, which had been impeding the movement of farm machinery, was removed. Beneath the stone the skeleton and a vessel were noticed. The bones and the vessel were removed from the cist by the finders, but later replaced. The cist had apparently been opened some 50 years previously by the father of the present landowner, but the capstone had been replaced. The site was reported to the NMI by Martin Timoney and was then investigated by Michael Ryan and Stella Cherry. The human remains were examined by Laureen Buckley.

Location (Fig. 3.162)
The site was in the townland of Culleens, west Co. Sligo.296 It was located on the summit of a low ridge at an altitude of 50–60m above sea level, over 1km north-west of Culleens village and approximately 6km east of Killala Bay.


Fig. 3.162—Location map, Culleens, Co. Sligo.

Description of site
The cist was trapezoidal in plan, with its long axis aligned east/west. Internally, it measured 1.08m long by 0.76m wide by 0.57m high (Fig. 3.163). It was formed of four main edge-set slabs, which each comprised one wall.297 The southern side stone was a relatively regular slab of granite. The northern side stone was less regular in shape, having a curved outline with its concave face towards the interior of the cist. Both end stones were of split granite boulders, rounded on their outer aspects, with their flat faces inwards. The side and end stones had been bedded in sockets. The socket of the southern side stone in the south-east corner was greatly enlarged to form a small pit-like feature. It was in this that the vessel had been placed by the finders. It may be that this was an earlier feature and is related to a previous disturbance of the cist. There were two packing stones beneath the northern side stone and one beneath the southern side stone. A number of stones had also been laid flat on top of the side slabs as an interface between the latter and the capstone. The capstone was suboval in shape and measured 1.66m long by 1.04m wide. It was removed by the mechanical digger in order to undertake the excavation. The cist had a compact earthen floor and there was no evidence of paving.
The cist contained the unburnt remains of an adult female (2009:23) and a vase. The soil that had spilled into the cist during previous disturbances was removed and was found to contain several fragments of human bone. According to the finders, the skeleton had originally been in a crouched position, with the head in the north-west corner. Several human teeth recovered from the area close to the northern side stone probably indicate the original placement of the head. The vessel was apparently placed in the south-eastern corner of the cist, but it was impossible on enquiry to establish its precise position.


Fig. 3.163—Plan and sections of grave, Culleens, Co. Sligo.

The vessel had been intact at the time of discovery—it was described as having just one chip missing from the rim—but on excavation of the cist the rim was found to have been detached from approximately one third of its circumference. It was clear from enquiries that a number of stones placed in the cist to protect its contents were in fact pad stones used as supports to the capstone. The original position of these could not be established. The soil from the cist was carefully searched as it was being removed, but despite this the complete skeleton was not retrieved. Some of the bone was very badly decomposed, and it is likely that previous disturbances of the cist had removed or destroyed some of the bone.

Tripartite vase, 2009:24 (Fig. 3.164)
This is an example of a tripartite vase. The vessel is incomplete; approximately 25% of the wall and 70% of the rim are now missing. Four sherds of the same vessel were found during the excavation. If these were re-attached to the vessel, approximately 60% of the rim and 20% of the body would still be absent. The vessel has a bevelled rim and pronounced shoulder. Two horizontal ridges delimit the shoulder. Between the shoulder and the rim are two more ridges in false relief. A series of four imperforate lugs occur at intervals along the shoulder. One of the four additional sherds was originally from the shoulder of the pit and also bears a complete lug. It is probable that up to seven lugs were originally present on the pot.
The interior of the bevelled rim is decorated with four rows of oblique incised lines forming two rows of herringbone pattern. The exterior of the rim is decorated with a double line of chevrons with single incised vertical lines beneath. The upper portion of the vessel is decorated with a series of oblique incised lines forming a rough herringbone pattern. This decoration is also present on the raised area of the lugs, with comb impressions filling the depressions between them. The decoration between the shoulder and the base of the vessel consists of large herringbone pattern. The base of the vessel is decorated with four hatched triangles, the spaces between them forming a roughly cruciform pattern. Of the four individual sherds recovered, one is a substantial rim sherd. One is the sherd from the shoulder of the vessel, with a complete lug. The other two sherds are smaller: one bears a ridge and is from the upper portion of the vessel; the other, from the body of the vessel, is decorated with large herringbone pattern.
Dimensions: H 14.1cm; int. D rim 11.6cm; est. ext. D rim 15cm; D base 6.3cm.

Comment
Two radiocarbon determinations from samples of bone from the cist yielded dates of 3660±60 BP and 3710±80 BP giving a mean date of 3685±50 BP (Brindley 2007, 91), which calibrates to 2210–1920 BC.298 Brindley (2007, 255–6) places the tripartite vase in the earliest phase, stage 1, of the development of pottery in the vase tradition, which is dated to 2020/1990–1920 BC.

HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY

Introduction
This skeleton (2009:23) appears to represent one individual; the skeleton was badly decayed on the right side but reasonably well preserved on the left. This may represent some feature of the orientation of the skeleton and/or surrounding soil conditions. Several of the bones had a mineral deposit on them, which again probably reflects some feature of the surrounding soil.


Fig. 3.164—Ceramic vessel, Culleens, Co. Sligo.

Bones present
The skull was badly fragmented and in a decayed state. There was a large piece of the frontal bone, the left temporal bone, fragments of occipital and parietal bones and the left side of the sphenoid bone present. There was no maxilla but the left side of the mandible was present. Very little of the vertebral column remained; the twelfth thoracic vertebra was complete and there were arches of five others. There were also three incomplete lumbar vertebrae. Only the lateral half of the right clavicle remained. Most of both scapulae were present but the glenoid cavities were missing. The left humerus was virtually complete but part of the proximal joint surface was destroyed. The left radius and ulna were also virtually complete, but the right radius and ulna were fragmented and badly decayed. The proximal half of one metacarpal, the third left, was present, as well as one proximal, three middle and two distal hand phalanges. Fragments of at least eight ribs, four from the left side and four from the right, were present. The pelvis consisted of most of the left ilium and left ischium, part of the right ilium and the complete sacrum. The left femur was virtually complete and the distal end of the right was present. The proximal two-thirds of the right tibia was present in poor condition. Only one foot bone, the right first cuneiform, was present.

Age and sex
This skeleton had a wide pelvis with a very wide sciatic notch and sacrum, indicative of a female individual. The mastoid processes and the linea aspera of the femur were more robust than is normally seen in females. As the pelvis is most accurate for sexing purposes, this skeleton was probably female. The small number of degenerative changes in this skeleton places it in the middle adult age range.

Stature
Stature was calculated using the regression equations devised by Trotter and Gleser (1952; 1958). The individual was 169cm or 5ft 61 ⁄2in. tall.

Dentition
The teeth in the left side of the mandible were in situ and the other teeth were loose. Also present were a molar and incisor, which were badly broken.

Attrition: there was a slight degree of wear on the molars.
Calculus: deposits seemed to be slight, although some may have broken off from the crown surfaces.

Pathology
One of the lumbar vertebrae has evidence of osteophytosis on the inferior surface of the middle of the centrum. It is only a slight amount, but the vertebral body is broken on the left side so the full extent cannot be seen. There were only one other lumbar and one thoracic vertebral body available for inspection, neither of which had evidence of osteophytosis. Degenerative joint disease was also present in one costo-vertebral joint. One of the articular surfaces of the transverse processes of a thoracic vertebra had severe pitting of the surface, and one of the articular surfaces of a rib tubercle had osteophytic lipping.

Non-metric traits
The frontal metopic suture was retained. This suture is normally fused by seven years but is sometimes retained in adult life. There were secondary articular surfaces on both ala of the sacrum.

Summary and conclusions
This was the skeleton of an adult female with an estimated living stature of 5ft 61 ⁄2in. (169cm), which is slightly taller than the average height for modern females of 5ft 6in. (1.68m). The individual was of a fairly robust build and showed little evidence of disease. From the preservation of the remaining bones it appears that the skeleton was lying on its left side.

296. Parish of Kilglass, barony of Tireragh. SMR SL017-063——. IGR 134850 331320.
297. The measurements of the wall slabs are as follows: southern side stone 1.04m long by 0.18m thick by 0.62m (visible) high; northern side stone 1.04m wide by 0.18m thick by 0.66m (visible) high; eastern end stone 0.68m long by 0.18m thick by 0.66m high; western end stone 0.7m long (visible) by 0.17m thick by 0.59m high.
298. GrA-5399 and OxA-3229.