County: Meath Site name: SHALLON 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0195
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Furnace and Pit
Period/Dating: Iron Age (800 BC-AD 339)
ITM: E 670072m, N 809419m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.673884, -6.347573
The site, identified as an area of burnt soil, stone and charcoal, was exposed between chainages 18700 and 18600, in the eastern portion of the proposed motorway in the townland of Shallon, during monitoring of topsoil-stripping during groundworks associated with the construction of Contract 7 of the Northern Motorway Project, carried out by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Four pottery sherds were recovered from the topsoil, two post-medieval earthenware sherds and two of late medieval date. Two features were exposed, a furnace and a pit. The oval furnace was 0.84m long, 0.81m wide and 0.2m deep, and had been filled with a dark brown clay (F003) and oxidised clay. A small piece of worked flint, possibly a small thumbnail scraper, was recovered from the fill. The pit was oval and measured 1.02m in length, 0.7m in width and 0.18m in depth; it had been filled with a grey–brown clay. A radiocarbon date of 1660 ± 60 BP (cal. AD 240–540) was recovered from F003, which dates the furnace to the Iron Age–Early Christian period.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
