2002:0235 - BARNAGORE 3, Cork

Excavation of deposits during the initial stages of the monitoring programme for the N22 Ballincollig Bypass Scheme revealed a possible Neolithic house and three Bronze Age pits. The site was in an area of relatively flat land c. 2km south of the River Lee. The Lee valley and two ridges, both aligned east–west, are the dominating features of the landscape in this region. These ridges were situated to the north and south of the site. The site measured 23m east–west by 9m; no trace of it was visible before excavation. Two pits unearthed during monitoring (No. 234, Excavations 2002, 02E0383, and No. 236, Excavations 2002, 02E0400) that contained prehistoric pottery (Bronze Age) were situated less than 100m north-west and south-west of the site, while a possible Bronze Age circular structure (Greenfield 2) excavated by Donald Murphy in July 2001 (Excavations 2001, No. 179, 01E0731) lay c. 1km east of the site.

This site was revealed during topsoil-stripping, and at first all that was present were patches of charcoal and oxidised clay caused by burning. The house appeared to have been burnt in antiquity. The full extent and nature of the site were not realised until after the initial clean-back, which revealed a rectangular enclosure (its western wall was slightly curved) and three pits to the west of it. The footprint of the structure measured 6.4m by 5.4m, its long axis oriented east–west.

The remains of the house consisted of slot-trenches excavated into the sandy subsoil, with the burnt remains of timber planking and stakes present in the south, east and west walls. The slot-trenches were 0.3–0.5m wide and 0.1–0.27m deep. This variation in depth may have been caused by later agricultural activity, as ploughing has resulted in the truncation of the structure. This activity may also account for the absence of either an internal floor surface or a hearth.

The remains of in situ burnt planks and stakes were revealed within the slot-trenches. Calibrated dates of 3940–3640 BC and 3790–3620 BC were obtained, giving an Early Neolithic date for the structure. As the timbers used in radiocarbon analysis were of oak, the ‘old wood effect’ has to be taken into account when looking at these dates. These slot-trenches would have originally housed split timber planks, as well as timber posts and stakes, which would have formed the walls of the structure, and the two internal posts may have accommodated upright posts to support the roof of the structure or acted as part of an internal partition. It appears that the post and stake uprights within the slot-trenches of the structure supported a lighter wall cladding; a similar building style is known from other sites around Ireland.

The structural timbers of this house were of oak, the preferred wood used in the construction of Irish Neolithic houses. This is very durable and is much easier to split than other types of wood. Post-pits with stone packing were present at all four corners and within the south, east and west walls. A break in the east wall toward its northern extent suggests a possible entrance: an eastern entrance is present in many of the excavated rectangular structures.

Apart from the house, a number of other features were found in the site. Three pits, containing charcoal and fragments of heat-shattered stone, were situated less than 5m west of the structure. The largest pit contained fragments of hazelnut shells. These external features post-dated the house, being Bronze Age (1415–1055 BC).

It is assumed that these structures had a domestic function; very few of those excavated had surviving floors, and therefore the precise activities that took place within them can only be speculated. The finds that are usually associated with these structures, Early Neolithic pottery, lithics, stone axes and small quantities of animal bone, are those that might be expected from a domestic context. Unfortunately no artefacts or animal bones were recovered from this site. Other material that has been retrieved from such sites includes cultivated cereal pollen and wild plant foods, which may have been used to supplement the diet of these early farmers. Small quantities of hazelnut shells and some seeds were retrieved from this site, which are currently undergoing analysis.

It could be assumed that this site represents a single farmstead that may have had associated tillage plots and grazing land. Other isolated houses are known from around the country. However, it could also be argued that further exploration in the area around these sites may reveal more occupational evidence. Various sites have produced two or more houses, and it has been suggested that clustered settlement was a feature of the Neolithic. Therefore, if we take this evidence into account, it is quite possible that more extensive occupational evidence lies outside the road-take at Barnagore.

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