County: Louth Site name: LITTLEMILL (4 and 5)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1833
Author: Brian O’Donnchadha
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 702297m, N 805455m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.988213, -6.440115
This site was in a field with shallow topsoil (0.25m) that had been heavily farmed to within months of this excavation taking place. It appeared to be a very truncated, possibly domestic site, although no secure evidence of buildings or structures was found (possibly owing to plough truncation). However, the contents of the pits appeared to indicate a domestic function, and the finds indicated a Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date.
The main features were eighteen pits. The most interesting were two large subcircular pits that had been deliberately backfilled with small subangular stones. At the base of one were some small fragments of burnt animal bones, including teeth, and at the base of the other were twelve sherds of pottery. A small pit was also found to contain 62 pieces of flint, both worked and unworked, placed at the base. Specialist reports are pending.
29 Grange Park Drive, Raheny, Dublin 5
