County: Meath Site name: PLATIN: Site 20, Duleek Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0161
Author: Rob Lynch, IAC Ltd.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 707309m, N 771708m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.684070, -6.375503
Excavation of this site was required following its identification during pre-construction test-trenching along the route of the Northern Motorway, Gormanston–Monasterboice, Contract 7, by V.J. Keeley and Co. Ltd. An area measuring 30m by 30m was cleaned back by hand. This work was carried out from 19 February to 1 March 2001. Three pits with archaeological material were investigated.
The excavation produced evidence for three phases of activity. The earliest was in the form of two central pits with another located to the west. The northernmost pit was ovoid, with maximum dimensions of 2.8m east–west by 1.6m and a maximum depth of 0.21m. Although there were no finds, a number of small fragments of burnt bone were retrieved. This fill appears to have been dumped in a single action and on the west side appeared mounded.
The second pit was 1.4m to the south. This cut was roughly ovoid in plan with maximum dimensions of 1.4m north–south by 1.2m. The fill was a homogeneous dark brown silty clay with some light brown mottling throughout the deposit, which appears to have been dumped in one action. It contained occasional heat-fractured sandstone (maximum dimensions 0.07m by 0.02m by 0.05m).
Another pit was located approximately 3.8m to the west of the central pits. Its maximum dimensions were 0.4m by 0.6m by 0.16m. This circular pit had a gradual break of slope at the top, and concave sides with a sharp break of slope near the bottom leading to a flat base. It was filled with a loose dark grey-brown silty clay with moderate charcoal flecking containing both burnt bone and unburnt pig/sheep jaw bone. The pit was truncated to the west by a later cut. This recut was circular in plan, with maximum dimensions of 1m (north–south) by 0.45m by 0.15m in depth. It had a sharp break of slope at the top with concave sides and a gradual break of slope leading to a concave base. It was filled with a loose dark grey-brown silty clay with moderate charcoal flecks and a moderate stone content. It also contained carbonised bone and a lump possibly of copper alloy.
Agricultural disturbance represented the third phase of activity and two furrows truncated the central pits. The ploughsoil produced a number of prehistoric struck lithic materials.
The three pits excavated appeared to represent dumped material.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
