County: Derry Site name: WATTSTOWN: Soldiers' Hill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/04/114
Author: Tim Stevens, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 686380m, N 930680m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.115973, -6.645989
Eight areas of possible archaeological remains were identified at this site at Soldiers' Hill, Wattstown, Coleraine, during a previous investigation by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd. Excavation of these areas was undertaken before housing development, only three of which contained significant archaeology.
In Area 1 were pits, a ditch, gullies and a large shallow feature, some containing burnt bone and Early Christian souterrain ware. One pit seems to have been a cooking pit or similar and may be a variation of a small fulacht fiadh. Radiocarbon dating suggests a transitional terminal Iron Age/Early Christian date for the activity in this area: cal AD 320–420 (1680±60 BP). It is not known what types of activities were carried out in this area, although an economic or domestic function is likely. A series of parallel gullies were identified in Area 3 that may also date from this period, along with a single undated pit and post-hole in Area 8. All other features excavated proved to be either modern or natural in origin.
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