County: Antrim Site name: ANTRIM: Antrim Civic Offices
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/03/76
Author: Ciara MacManus, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 715426m, N 887993m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.726731, -6.208026
Excavation of the remains of an Early Christian ditched enclosure/rath identified during monitoring of topsoil-stripping commenced on 17 November 2003 and is ongoing at the time of writing. The site was divided into four quadrants, three of which (the north-west, south-west and south-east quadrants) have been undergoing excavation, confirming the existence of a large, oval, ditched enclosure, c. 35m by 45m in diameter, with an entrance both to the south-west and north-east.
Within the south-east quadrant of the site there is clear evidence for two enclosing ditches. The outer ditch is the more substantial, being c. 3m wide and 1.8m deep, with steep sides and a V-shaped profile. The ditch appeared to be backfilled with probable bank material that contained numerous large stones. The inner ditch is located c. 3m from the inner edge of the outer ditch and is smaller in size, being 2m wide but only 0.9–1m deep. Again this ditch is V-shaped in profile, although in this case it appears to have been partially backfilled with occupation waste which contained a large quantity of Early Christian souterrain ware and burnt animal bone.
The north-west quadrant has produced a more complex range of material, suggesting that several phases of activity occurred within this area of the site. The remains of the enclosure ditch uncovered within the south-east quadrant have been identified within the southern portion of this north-west quadrant, with a terminal to the ditch being located to the north. Three smaller, earlier, curving ditches have also been uncovered in this northern portion of the site, having been cut through by the main enclosure ditch. A number of struck flint flakes and the recovery of a porcellanite axe from this area suggests that these features may be indicative of prehistoric activity on the site.
As yet, little has been uncovered within the main enclosure area. A small number of scattered post-holes were uncovered within the south-east quadrant of the site, while the partial remains of a structure, in the form of three sets of double post-holes, were recovered within the north-west quadrant. Further evidence of internal activity may yet be uncovered during the remainder of excavation.
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