2001:1037 - RATHMULLAN: Site 13, Meath

The site is one of a series of potential prehistoric sites identified during pre-development testing along the route of the proposed Northern Motorway, Contract 7. Site 13 was on a gentle south-facing slope approximately 250m north of the Dublin to Belfast railway line; it was less than 100m from Sites 15/16 to the south and less than 50m from Site 12 to the north. The area of excavation measured approximately 60m north–south (maximum) by 30m (maximum). Most of the archaeological material identified at the site was located in the northern half of the excavation area, with the southern half of the site characterised by post-medieval drainage and cultivation features.

The most significant feature was a large rounded pit, C27, which measured 1.64m by 1.6m with a depth of 0.58m. It had very steep sides which sloped down to a flat bottom, and there appeared to have been five periods of usage. The primary fill (C61) contained occasional charcoal flecks and patches of burnt clay towards the edges, as well as a large amount of burnt bone and a moderate amount of flint, including six burnt pieces. It was sealed by the secondary fill, which was also rich in charcoal and again had a high percentage of burnt bone. This context produced a much greater quantity of struck flint (c. 86 pieces), about a third of which appear to have been burnt. A small amount of possible late Neolithic pottery was also recovered.

The tertiary fill, C29, probably represents the most important period of activity. Again it was a charcoal-rich deposit with a large quantity of worked flint, approximately half of which showed indications of burning. Two possible struck stones and one possible rubbing stone from a saddle quern were also identified. Alongside the struck stone there was a large quantity of cremated bone. C29 produced a small number of sherds of late Neolithic pottery, including two decorated rim sherds. The most important find, however, was an intact pottery vessel towards the southern edge of the pit (approximately halfway down the pit). The vessel appears to have been a circular, flat-bottomed bowl, with an original diameter of c. 0.2m. Its sides were c. 0.15m high. The bowl had been inserted into the pit on its side, with its base pushed firmly against the side of the pit. As it had suffered a number of stress fractures owing to the pressure of the soil acting on it, it cannot, at present, be categorically stated that it was undamaged at the time of deposition. However, its general condition at the time of discovery does suggest that this is a strong possibility. There were no indications that the vessel had contained or otherwise protected any material at the time of deposition. The decoration on the bowl was quite simple, with an incised line round the inside of the vessel about 5mm below the rim and a short raised rib on the exterior. The fabric of the bowl was very similar to that of many sherds of pottery recovered elsewhere within the pit. The form and decoration of the vessel show a strong affinity with Grooved Ware pottery, but this has yet to be confirmed by specialist analysis.

The fourth fill again produced a large quantity of struck flint, a high proportion of which appeared to have been burnt. A quantity of late Neolithic pottery was also recovered (c. 24 sherds), including the possible fragmentary remains of a further bowl. The fabric and decoration of this possible bowl were strikingly similar to that of the intact example from C29.The final fill was charcoal-rich with frequent patches of burnt clay. A small amount of burnt bone and a moderate amount of flint were recovered from this context, as well as one piece of struck quartz and further sherds of late Neolithic pottery.

The remaining activity at the site was represented by a disparate series of post-holes, stake-holes and pits located generally to the north of pit C27. Many of the features identified appear to have been heavily truncated prior to any excavation. Though the site had been used to pasture animals before its acquisition for development, the depth of topsoil (c. 0.5m) suggests that it had been ploughed at some point. Repeated ploughing of the field over time could have resulted in the kind of truncation noted at the site. As a result, no structures could be identified from the arrangement of the post-holes and stake-holes. It is possible that some of them may be associated with C27 in some way, but this cannot be ascertained at this time.

Aside from the collection of post-holes and stake-holes identified across the site, a quantity of struck flint and flint cores was recovered from the surface of the natural geology of the site as it was trowelled back. This scatter of flint was mainly concentrated in the north of the site, and roughly corresponded with the spread of the post-holes across the site. Though it is possible that the present distribution of the flint scatter could be the result of natural formation processes, it could also represent evidence for flint-working. It is also possible that the spread of post-holes may relate in some way to this activity.

Though the archaeological remains recorded at Site 13 were not particularly complex, they were quite enigmatic. The exact function of the site remains elusive, though the material from C27 could suggest a funerary or ritual function. Certainly, the provisional identification of the finds from this pit suggests a late Neolithic date for the site. However, as work on the material recovered from the site is ongoing, this has yet to be confirmed.

The two nearest sites to the north (Sites 12 and 10, see Nos 1035 and 1036, Excavations 2001) appear to date from the early Bronze Age, so it is unlikely that they represent contemporary activity. However, Site 15/16 to the south produced a range of material dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, so it is possible that one or more phases of activity at this site may be broadly contemporary with the activity at Site 13. Of particular significance in this regard is the identification of a possible timber circle similar to those associated with Grooved Ware pottery at Knowth and Newgrange (Emmet Stafford, pers. comm.).

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