2001:1020 - PLATIN 2, Platin, Meath

An archaeological investigation was undertaken 340m south of Platin Fort, Co. Meath, in advance of the construction of the proposed Northern Motorway (Contract 7) on behalf of the National Roads Authority, between April and June 2001. The site, revealed through monitoring of topsoil removal, was 10–20m south of the limestone ridge, Platin 3 (see No. 1021, Excavations 2001). The site was revealed as a series of dark soil and charcoal patches along with one recognisable linear feature representing a possible field drain. Excavation revealed a spread of features over an area 25m north–south by 30m which extends below the site haul-road to the west. The features lay on ground gently sloping away to the south and were bounded on the east side by a modern pond or water-sump.

The excavation identified three main groups of features. At the north end, centrally placed within the corridor, lay eight cut features, seven of which were arranged in a roughly rectangular setting (F1–F5, F10–F11) with an outlier (F34) to the west, close to the haul-road embankment. With the exception of F1, F5 and F34, which were elongated in plan, the remainder were simple shallow pits filled with sterile dark brown clayey silt. Immediately south-west of this arrangement lay an irregular setting of seven pits of varying plan and dimension (F6, 8, 12, 13 39, 45, 51), several of which had been cut by a west–east modern field drain, with a large sump at its west end. Of particular significance within this group is F51, an elongated pit with rounded ends surviving to 5.21m in length (north-west/south-east) and 2.65m in width, filled at the north end by black charcoal and ash-stained clay containing some small fire-cracked stones, and at the shallower east end by a deposit of grey charcoal-flecked clay containing some ash. The third group of features lay 2m south of the second group on the west side of the corridor, and consisted of three circular pits (F9, F16 and F49) arranged in an L-shape plan at the west side of the excavation area. This pit group was delimited on the north side by a substantial field drain, F17, extending west–east across the site with a sharp return southwards at the east. This drain cut through a curving linear metalled surface and a sump or soak-pit, both modern in date.

With the exception of pit F51, none of the other features of archaeological potential displayed packing material or fills reflecting occupation activities and the frequency of finds recovered from the site in general was small and undiagnostic. Though spatial arrangements of features were visible on the ground, no clear structural indications could be elaborated. Further excavation may be required on removal of the haul-road at this location, where more features may be revealed which may in turn throw more light on the nature and extent of the occupation within this site.

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