2001:1019 - PLATIN FORT, Platin, Meath

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Meath Site name: PLATIN FORT, Platin

Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 20:14 Licence number: 01E0044

Author: Malachy Conway, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd,

Site type: Promontory fort - inland, Burial, Burnt spread, Quarry and Kiln - corn-drying

Period/Dating: Multi-period

ITM: E 706062m, N 771728m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.684500, -6.394362

An excavation of the western half of Platin Fort, Co. Meath, was carried out in advance of the construction of the proposed Northern Motorway (Contract 7) on behalf of the National Roads Authority between 15 January and 16 April 2001. The fort consists of a substantial west–east-aligned rock outcrop covering an area approximately two acres (c. 0.8ha) in extent and standing up to 10m above the surrounding undulating pasture. A second limestone ridge (Platin 3) south of the fort displays extensive evidence for quarrying. Excavation of the western summit of the fort (46m west–east by 34m) revealed shallow topsoil which for the most part overlay the natural limestone surface, though it was entirely absent from sections of the south-east and west end of the excavation area, where natural rock protruded through the surface.

Topsoil comprised mid-brown clayey silt of 0.1m average depth, containing small fragments of shattered rock and stone as well as numerous finds principally of lithic material. Several limited deposits of sterile character survived between topsoil and the natural rock mainly through the central area of the western summit: yellow to light brown clayey silt at most 0.15m deep (3002) over a similar but more gravelly deposit (3003) containing numerous inclusions, mainly in the form of shattered bedrock fragments and other broken stone, possibly representing residual material from quarrying activities. Several isolated and limited deposits of a similar nature to both 3002 and 3003 were located across a small limestone ridge west of the main fort. These deposits survived to no more than 0.2m in depth and extended over the natural limestone below deposits 3002 and 3003.

The excavation revealed a complete absence of enclosing earthworks around this section of the fort, which correlates exactly with the extent of later medieval and post-medieval quarrying of the limestone ridge along both the north and south sides in particular. Here the western portion of the fort had been reduced by as much as 10m along the north side and 12m along the south, and the summit was characterised by natural sink-holes, rock fissures and quarry holes.

Two features survived on the summit, of which the first, an unprotected child burial, was located centrally on the west side of the fort. The burial was badly fragmented and lay on its right side in a crouched position within a small, unprotected rock-cut grave. A bone sample returned a radiocarbon date from the late 1st to late 3rd century, cal. AD 90–260 at 2 sigma (Beta 159656, 1800 ± 40 BP). Analysis of the remains by Laureen Buckley revealed the child to be around three years of age, and as there were no chronic pathologies noted on the skeleton, death probably occurred as a result of an acute infection that left no trace on the bones.

The second feature, a shallow circular spread of black charcoal-rich clay in the south-west corner of the summit, possibly represents the remains of a truncated pit or post-hole. Charcoal from this feature returned an early Neolithic radiocarbon date (Beta 159658, 4910 ± 70 BP). The presence of the burial and the possible pit, separated by some 3500 years, suggests a long-lived use or occupation of this ridge, first occupied during the Neolithic and utilised in one form or another through to the medieval period.

In the absence of more diverse features such as stone walls, pits or occupation deposits from across the western portion of the site, it is virtually impossible to draw many conclusions as to the nature or function of this part of the site, and the level of apparent quarrying and weathering suggests that the west of the fort may have served a purpose other than for habitation. Indeed, it is impossible to determine when or even if the western part of the ridge was enclosed by earthworks. There was an absence of surface features of any definition from this area, contrasting sharply with the earthwork-enclosed east section of the ridge, where low banks and walls suggest occupation. For this reason it may be suggested that the western side of the ridge was an area apart from the habitation of the fort, and may even have had a ritual function.

Finds from the summit, recovered almost exclusively from the topsoil horizon, consisted mainly of lithic remains, though several small sherds of late prehistoric coarseware were recovered along with fragments of two lignite bracelets, several perforated slate discs, a stone bead and a polished flake from a possible porcellanite axe. Excavation of the steep north, west and south sides of the fort revealed a series of quarry dump deposits underlying topsoil and sod, below which lay the quarried rock surface. Finds from these areas were limited; however, from the north side a plain ring-pin of 8th–10th-century date was recovered from a fissure in the rock, and from the south side a rim sherd of local medieval pottery of 14th–15th-century date was recovered from a sandy clay deposit between the quarry waste and the natural rock surface.

Extensive test-trenching was undertaken north and south of the fort to determine the extent of archaeological survival. This revealed an absence of archaeological stratigraphy south of the fort, but the remains of at least two corn-drying kilns were revealed 41m north and 59m north-west of the fort, the latter dating from the 11th–12th century, cal. AD 1010–1180 at 2 sigma (Beta 159657, 980 ± 40 BP).

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