1990:016 - KILCUMMER LOWER, Cork

The site at Kilcummer Lower, Castletownroche, Co. Cork, is situated on a c. 30m high cliff overlooking the River Blackwater. Excavation was prompted after the discovery of diagnostic Early Mesolithic flint artefacts during previous years of field walking. A four week season, funded by the Royal Irish Academy, was undertaken during the month of September 1990.

The purpose of the excavation was threefold:
(1)to investigate the nature of the flint scatter;
(2) to determine the limits of the site;
(3) to recover suitable material for radiocarbon determinations.

The Excavation
A total of seven trenches was opened, comprising an area of 35 sq m. Total sieving was employed to ensure the recovery of all lithic and faunal material. The consistent sieving proved to be the source of much of the smaller pieces of flint debitage which could have been overlooked during normal trench recovery. The main area of investigation was centred in the deepest part of the field, a hollow, where field walking had yielded the largest concentration of lithics. Here a 4m x 6m trench was opened with a further 2m x 1m extension (Trench 1). A test trench (Trench 2) was also opened 2m to the south of the main cutting, in order to monitor the horizontal stratigraphy. Removal of the topsoil of this trench revealed a distinct orange B-horizon containing two parallel dark humic bands, running in a north-south direction. These were interpreted as the base of north-south plough furrows. The orange B-horizon measured c. 0.15m in depth and directly overlaid the limestone bedrock. In the northern half of the main cutting (Trench 1), the bedrock was also encountered at a very high level, in places less than 0.15m below the sod. The orange B-horizon was exposed in the south-eastern corner of this trench where the faint traces of plough marks were visible on the surface. Only in the southern area of the cutting was there a depth of soil which could have protected any evidence for 'in situ' material from plough disturbance. Further investigation here revealed a hollow, delimited to the west and north by a layer of undisturbed gravel. Two stakeholes, one dug into this gravel layer and containing a flint flake, the other on the southern edge of the hollow were excavated. Unfortunately, neither contained any charcoal. Also, within and beneath this gravel layer, a small quantity of unidentifiable burnt bone was recovered.

Given that the greatest depth of soil was in the southern part of Trench 1, a 2m x 1m extension was opened to the south-west. Deposits of mid/dark brown humic soils were encountered here containing only very occasional flecks of charcoal; none were considered suitable or secure to warrant recovery for C14 dating. This main cutting bottomed out at a maximum depth of c. 1m. Throughout, a generally homogenous mixture of mid/dark brown humic soils, probably originating from up-slope was encountered. In the hope of finding undisturbed material and suitable charcoal samples, a 2m x 2m trench (Trench 3) was opened 1m to the south of Trench 1. Excavation of this trench revealed the same homogenous deposits as those encountered in Trench 1. The disturbed nature of the soil horizon was attested by the recovery of modern delph and glass fragments in association with flint flakes which was noted throughout the excavation of this trench which reached a maximum depth of c. 1m.

Considering that the deposits appeared to be colluvial in nature, a series of 1m x 1m test trenches was opened running up-slope, in an east-west direction from the main cutting. Test Trench 7, positioned at the highest point of the field, did contain a thin layer of the orange B-horizon although no lithic material was recovered from here. The remaining test trenches, except for that positioned closest to the main cutting (Trench 4) where colluvial deposits were also encountered, bottomed out directly onto bedrock at a depth of c. 0. 12m.

In summary, the series of deposits within the main trenches (1 and 2) appear to have originated from up-slope. This colluvial action would account for the homogenous nature of the deposits although the layer of undisturbed gravel may be in situ. Unfortunately, there was no charcoal associated with this layer.

The Stone Tool Assemblage
Over 300 flint pieces were recovered, the majority coming from the ploughsoil horizon. The condition of the material varied from heavily patinated pieces, ranging in colour from orange to blue to white, to some black/grey fresh flint rods, while one is a fragment of a scalene triangle. Three microburins, resulting from the production of these forms, were also among the assemblage. Other retouched forms include two small scrapers and three miscellaneous retouched pieces. One small single-platformed core was also present.

Conclusion
It was clear during the excavation at Kilcummer that continuous cultivation over the years had severely disturbed the site and had certainly removed any prehistoric features that may have been present in the upper levels. The survival of two stakeholes in the deepest part of the site is interesting but of little use given the absence of charcoal in the fills. It is unfortunate also that no datable organic material was found in association with the flint artefacts as this would have provided independent dating evidence for the southern lithic assemblages.

Kilcummer Lower still remains the only excavated Early Mesolithic site in the southern half of the country. However, the lack of datable organic material was disappointing. Yet with the recovery of diagnostic flint tools, namely microliths, and based on parallels with other sites, the site would appear to be Early Mesolithic in date c. 9000 b.p.-8000 b.p.