2002:1351 - LITTLEMILL (1), Louth

The opening of an area measuring 100m by 100m revealed a site rich in prehistoric activity, and, although most of this activity centred on a prehistoric house site, scattered pits were identified throughout the site. An alignment of five stone-lined post-holes, oriented north–south over a distance of 7.5m, was found in the south-west corner of the site. At its northern terminus a narrow stone-lined gully ran east–west at a right angle to the post-hole alignment, forming a T-shape. In all likelihood these features are the remains of a rectangular house built along a central line of support posts. As only a central line of post-holes was identified, and no outer walls, how wide this structure would have been is a matter of speculation, but, given its length of 7.5m, the house is unlikely to have been more than 5m wide. A pit in the vicinity of the house contained flakes of worked flint and sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pottery. 14C dates for this structure are pending.

In the north-east corner of the excavation a semicircular, C-shaped arrangement of shallow pits was discovered, with the open end of the C facing east. The pits were on average 0.2m deep and 0.3m wide, with gently rounded bases and shallow sides. The insubstantial nature of these pits implies that they could not have supported a structure of any great size or strength, especially when compared to the stone-lined pits used in the construction of the nearby house. There was little truncation on this site, owing to the depth of the overlying topsoil (0.4m), and so it is unlikely that pits forming a possible ‘other half’ to this arrangement ever existed. No finds were recovered from this area, and it is unlikely that analysis of samples taken from the fills of these pits will shed any light on their intended function or date, as the fills comprised loose, small, rounded pebbles in a dry clay, with no clear evidence of charcoal or any other foreign organic matter.

Other pits were found scattered throughout the site, some of which contained small amounts of charcoal and nothing else. One feature deserving mention was a single, unlined, free-standing post-hole that was 0.3m wide and 0.62m deep. Although it was obviously intended to support the weight of a remarkably tall but slender post, its exact function remains unclear. There were no other features in the area, and so the post-hole was not part of a structure. Could the post-hole and the nearby semicircle of shallow pits be evidence of some type of ritual activity? All sample analysis results are pending.

29 Grange Park Drive, Raheny, Dublin 5