2004:1324 - RATOATH, Meath

Excavation work continued in 2004 on a large multi-phase site located in Ratoath, Co. Meath. An enclosure and many other archaeological areas were exposed along a high east-west ridge during monitoring in advance of development (Excavations 2003, No. 1452, 03E1300). Excavation of archaeological features in Fields 6 and 7 of this development commenced on 24 October 2003. Features excavated included two ring-ditches, pits, kilns and a large number of field ditches and gullies.

Excavations in 2004 were focused on several large field ditches, kilns and pits in Field 7 and also on an early medieval enclosure in the western portion of Field 7. Excavation within the enclosure was stopped in July 2004, as the developer decided to redesign and avoid further excavation in this area.

In February 2004 preliminary work began on cleaning the enclosure area. The silage pit overlying the western portion of the enclosure was demolished. Once the concrete was removed there was surprisingly good preservation of finds and deposits beneath. A substantial north-south foundation trench (1) had cut through the western portion of the enclosure ditch. The trench measured 20m in length and 2m in width. It was cleaned out and the west-facing section cleaned and drawn; several fills of the enclosing ditch were visible in this section. Animal bone and two bone pin fragments were recovered while cleaning off this section. The enclosure was also damaged by field boundaries cutting through the northern and central area.

Several small features were identified immediately to the west of the enclosing ditch, but they were truncated by another north-south foundation trench (2) for one of the farm sheds. These features were fully excavated and there is a strong possibility that they were associated with a metalworking area, as a lead ingot and crucible sherd were found. The previous disturbance in this area hampered interpretation.

Several linear and curvilinear gullies and slot-trenches, along with pits and spreads, were examined within the western area of the enclosure. This was the most fully excavated area and in some cases stratigraphic relationships were established. The majority of finds associated with the enclosure were recovered in this area. Many of the finds were concentrated along the surface fill of the enclosing ditch (515); several finds were recovered in sealed contexts within cut features in this area. There were also several unstratified finds from the lower topsoil horizon (2). Finds included complete and fragmented bone tools, many associated with weaving, a spindle whorl, fragments of lignite bracelets, a blue glass bead, a fragment of an amber bead, two bone comb fragments, rubbing stones, a penannular brooch and many miscellaneous scraps of metal.

Burials
In total, 56 burials were excavated in the south-east quadrant of the enclosure; the skeletal remains were in various states of preservation. The burials were mainly confined to the south-east quadrant. In general most of the burials were orientated on a roughly east-west axis with the head to the west. There were no clearly defined grave-cuts and no evidence for slab-lined graves or coffin nails.

There were 46 burials excavated from the surface layer, nine from a second layer and one burial excavated from a third layer. There were no actual clearly defined layers; it was simply the case in certain areas where one burial was overlying another.

Some unusual burial rites were noted. Burial 12, an adult crouched inhumation, lay on its left side. Burial 34 was of an adult in the supine position with the legs tightly flexed on top of the stomach area; a piece of slag was found in the sacrum area. Burial 35 was an extended supine adult inhumation with grave goods of a small rectangular metal bar and a small rectangular copper-alloy fragment. Burial 46 was an extended adult supine inhumation with evidence of ante-mortem injuries to the skull and grave goods of a metal knife blade and a small sub-spherical metal fragment. Burial 48 was an extended supine inhumation of a juvenile with associated grave finds of a metal needle and two pieces of slag. Burial 38 was an extended supine inhumation with a copper-alloy neck-ring; this burial cut across an earlier skeleton, Burial 41. Burial 38 has been dated (AMS Beta Analytic, Florida) to within the range of AD 580–680 (2 sigma calibration, 95% probability).

Areas in the immediate vicinity of the enclosure
A large east-west ditch, F204, extended out from the enclosure ditch on the south-east side; a substantial amount of 'smithing' slag and a portion of a lignite bracelet were recovered from the fill. South of F204 and the enclosing ditch (Grid 37) there was an annexe or enclosed area; within this area a large charcoal spread, a small keyhole-shaped kiln and an internal ditch were excavated. A large volume of slag was also recovered from this area.

The three grids in Field 8 (i.e. grids 40, 45 and 50), immediately north of the enclosure and laneway, were excavated under an extension to the licence. Several curvilinear features had been highlighted in this area in the original geophysical survey (03R148). A large volume of 'smithing' slag was recovered from the fills of two L-shaped ditches in this area.

Excavation within this development to date has shown that the entire area of the east-west ridge parallel to the Dunshaughlin road is heavily concentrated with archaeological features from prehistoric to medieval times. The enclosure is part of a wider archaeological complex spanning an area of over 2.5ha. The unusual burials with grave goods suggest that pre-Christian burial customs were practised on the site. The neck-ring associated with Burial 38 is a unique artefact in an Irish early medieval context. There are some similarities to arm-rings and neck-rings in Anglo-Saxon burial contexts in England, but none with the ring-and-dot motif and simple interlocking clasp. The closest parallels for this artefact may lie in northern Europe. The large amount of smithing slag, the unusual burial positions and the presence of grave goods suggest that this community may have consisted of a group of foreign metal craftworkers, or perhaps a 7th-century pre-Christian Irish community with extensive trading contacts.

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