County: Meath Site name: KILSHARVAN 3, Kilsharvan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0178
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 669879m, N 810793m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.673397, -6.350355
The site was exposed at chainage 20078, in the eastern portion of the motorway in the townland of Kilsharvan during monitoring of topsoil-stripping carried out during groundworks associated with the construction of Contract 7 of the Northern Motorway Project. The site was identified as an area of burnt soil and charcoal flanked by a large stone.
A single pit was exposed near the eastern edge of the proposed motorway corridor. It is likely that the pit represents an outlying refuse-pit associated with the nearby kiln site at Kilsharvan 2 (No. 987, Excavations 2001, 01E0177) and possibly the kiln site at Kilsharvan 1 (No. 986, Excavations 2001, 01E0176). It measured 1.15m in length, 0.69m in width and 0.3m in depth, and had been filled with a light grey sandy clay that contained inclusions of charcoal and small subrounded stones. A number of small fragments of animal bone were also recovered from the fill. A radiocarbon determination of 4120 ± 80 BP (2900–2470 cal. BC) was recovered from the fill, which dates the pit to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age. No further features or deposits were exposed and no finds were recovered.
21 Boyne Business Park, Drogheda, Co. Louth
