County: Antrim Site name: ANTRIM: Steeple Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/05/124
Author: Lisa Doyle, Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Barrow - ring-barrow, Enclosure and Cremation pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 715986m, N 888213m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.728578, -6.199251
The development site consisted of several fields, some on sloping or low-lying ground. However, upon stripping the large field to the east, archaeological material began to appear. This field was relatively flat, with a sheltered hollow in the centre, and fell off to lower ground to the north and south. The subsoil was light and friable and gravel-rich. The archaeology uncovered was spread across the entire field of some 60,000m2 in hundreds of individual locations. It consisted of several ring-barrows, large unidentified circular features, curving ditches, individual cremation pit burials with associated pottery and at least one very large elliptical ditched feature up to 60m across with a ditch up to 5m wide. This may be associated with an entrance approaching from the east and two internal circular features up to 10m across could be the remains of structures. As well as this there were several hundred other pits and post-holes, with associated coarse pottery and cremated bone.
Excavation has been ongoing for some ten months to date. The archaeological site was subdivided to help structure the excavation.
A persistent problem posed by this site is the extensive post-Anglo-Norman disturbance by generations of burrowing rabbits. Where appropriate, the level of security for each context, and its relevant finds and samples, have been distinguished and detailed. Modern field features and traces of ploughing also scarred the site. In some instances, the lower portions of the archaeological features they cut survived intact.
The record so far is predominantly prehistoric. The artefact assemblage is dominated by Neolithic and Bronze Age material. Probable cremated human remains were also recovered. The majority of features excavated to date were pits, post-holes, stake-holes and wall slot gullies associated with palisade trenches. Also found were three artefact deposition concentrations, four cremation deposits with pottery, three ring-ditches and a drystone-built structure which may be a souterrain, though work is ongoing at this feature.
Excavation is continuing.
638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY
