1997:418 - MOYNAGH LOUGH, Brittas, Meath

Excavations continued on this site (see Excavations 1995, 69–70; Ríocht na Midhe 8 (3) (1997), 50–61). Four periods of activity were examined during the 1997 season: Neolithic, Early/Middle Bronze Age, Later Bronze Age and Early Christian. The Mesolithic level was not a focus of investigation.

Neolithic
A hoard of 176 flints was discovered in the open-water mud which accumulated between the abandonment of the site during the Mesolithic and the reoccupation of Early/Middle Bronze Age times. The flints were tightly packed and set in a bowl-shaped pit, 90mm deep, measuring 270mm by 70mm at the mouth. The primary flints were placed horizontally at the base of the pit and subsequently other flints were arranged vertically to form an edging, seven rows deep in places. The flints which were deposited in the centre of the pit, however, continued to be placed horizontally. The flint is light grey in colour with traces of white cortex, and is of high quality. Only one of the flints is a diagnostic artefact, a hollow scraper. The majority are blades and flakes that could have been worked up into implements, and at least fifteen appear to be blanks for hollow scrapers. There are traces of secondary working, or ‘nibbling’, on at least ten pieces. A similar hoard, unfortunately dispersed by ploughing, but also placed in the open-water mud, was discovered in 1984 about 150m from the excavation site.

Early/Middle Bronze Age
Occupation extended over a surviving area of 12m by 8m; it had been removed on the south side by the bulldozing which led to the discovery of the site. The initial activity consisted of the deposition of a layer of timber and stones to form a foundation for the structures above. The remains of two houses were present.

House 1 was the earlier of the two. It was of circular plan with a diameter of 6m. The wall consisted of thirteen posts, spaced approximately 0.9m apart, ranging in diameter from 60mm to 160mm. The occupation layer consisted of charcoal and peat which averaged 60mm in thickness. The finds from this structure were few and consisted of pieces of burnt flint and grain.

House 2 was round in plan with a diameter of 6.8m. The wall was formed of twenty posts, spaced approximately 0.85m apart, with an average diameter of 100mm. The occupation layer, consisting of discrete lenses of charcoal, peat and brushwood, was more substantial than that in House 1 and reached a maximum thickness of 150mm in the centre. The artefacts recovered included sherds of decorated, cordoned pottery from at least twelve vessels, rounded scrapers, pointed bone objects, rubbing stones and fragments of saddle querns.

A series of posts, running in an east–west direction, were found at a distance of 4m from the houses. These may form part of an enclosing palisade, but owing to the fact that this area was under water all summer it was impossible to confirm. A radiocarbon determination of 1510 uncal. BC (3460±35 BP) was obtained from the occupation layer.

Later Bronze Age
Excavation of this phase of activity continued. At the end of the 1996 season part of a circular structure about 6.5m across with a hearth placed slightly off-centre was discovered. Investigation this season revealed that the remains were fragmentary and that sections had been removed by bulldozing activity. Despite the presence of a hearth and associated ash-spills, it had no distinctive occupation layer.

Finds from this level included two quernstones, a bone spindle-whorl, sherds of coarse pottery, and a bronze ‘hair-ring’. The latter is a thick penannular ring of D-shaped cross-section and consists of bronze sheeting placed over a lead core; the terminals are decorated with incised criss-cross lines set within a rectangular panel. Elsewhere on the site two hearths belonging to this level were discovered. The first was delimited by a circular edging of stones and measured 0.8m in diameter; it was filled with layers of ash to a depth of 0.1m. The second hearth was also circular in plan; it had a flat base-stone and was bounded by stones set on edge. It had a diameter of 0.9m and was 0.17m in depth. The remains of five wooden stakes were found in the immediate vicinity of the hearth and it is likely that these were supports for a cooking-spit or tripod. All of the evidence indicated that these were outdoor hearths.

With the exception of a small area of activity on the south side of the site, the excavation of the Later Bronze Age level was completed this season. The evidence now available indicates that the initial activity on the site consisted of the construction of the circular structure, the two outdoor hearths, and four stone platforms; in addition to the finds from the structure mentioned above, other objects recovered from this level included rubbing stones and saddle querns. This level was subsequently covered by a layer of stones, mostly heat-cracked, intermixed with charcoal and debris. The layer produced animal bones and artefacts. Fourteen bronze objects were present—eight pins, two tweezers, two spearheads, a disc, and a rod. There were 32 amber beads and part of an amber ring, as well as one glass bead. The objects of lignite and shale consisted of parts of five bracelets, six beads and two rings. The bone and antler artefacts consisted of a cheek-piece, two spindle-whorls, two pins, a bone point, a comb and a rectangular piece with a cylindrical perforation. Several hundred sherds of coarse pottery were recovered but these seem to derive from no more than five or six individual pots. Two stone spindle-whorls, six rubbing stones, two burnishers, and fragments of over 22 saddle querns were also found.

Early Christian
Parts of a trackway, a hearth, a semi-oval timber structure, and an alignment of posts were excavated this season. The trackway consisted of 32 oak planks placed on longitudinal runners; many of the planks had been reused and were in a fragmentary condition. The trackway ran for a distance of 4m in an east–west direction and was 0.8m in maximum width. It led to a rectangular hearth, measuring 1m by 0.9m, which was delimited by edging-stones; it was 0.1m deep and was surrounded by several ash-spills.

West of the hearth was a semi-oval structure measuring 2.9m by 1.9m. The wall of the structure consisted of 29 wooden posts, the majority of which were of oak. The timbers were set into a gravel foundation. The finds from within the structure consisted of pins and spindle-whorls of bone, a bronze pin, and iron nails. The purpose of the structure is unclear but it may have functioned as a workshop. All of these features belonged to the initial phase of Early Christian activity on the site.

Running eastwards from the semi-oval structure was an alignment of nine wooden posts with an average distance between them of 0.5m. It had all the appearance of a palisade, but it is also possible that it formed part of an internal division such as a fence. Owing to the fact that this area was heavily waterlogged throughout the summer, however, it was impossible to determine its function.

Maynooth, Co. Kildare