2000:0006 - BALLYMENA: Tullygarley Road, Antrim

Monitoring of topsoil removal before the construction of a housing development revealed a series of pit clusters of Neolithic date. The main pit clusters formed an arc that had an approximate radius of 5m and travelled through 180°. The pits ranged in size from 2m to 0.75m in diameter and had an average depth of c. 1m. A series of smaller pits was found, scattered randomly around the larger clusters. The excavated evidence suggests that the larger pits functioned as post-holes, while the inclusion of large quantities of pottery in the smaller features may suggest some form of ritual offering. The positioning of a large boulder within the fills of one of the large clusters appears to have been deliberate. There was no evidence of a cut for the boulder; therefore it would appear to form part of the fill. However, a significant proportion of the stone would have been visible above the original ground surface, suggesting that it may have acted as some form of marker stone. It is not clear whether this stone marks the central position of the surrounding posts contained within the cluster or it forms a focal point for the ritualistic pottery deposition within the features surrounding it.

Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, Belfast BT12 5BJ