County: Galway Site name: TREANBAUN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A024/3.23
Author: Marta Muñiz Pérez, for CRDS Ltd, Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14.
Site type: Prehistoric pits and structures
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 568341m, N 726228m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.285427, -8.474770
This excavation was undertaken as part of testing for the proposed N6 Galway–Ballinasloe road scheme, Contract 3, which consisted of the excavation of test-trenches with mechanical diggers over a distance of c. 15km. Work was commissioned by the Galway County Council National Roads Design Office and sponsored by the National Roads Authority. Testing was carried out between 1 and 3 November 2005. The site was situated in a low-lying field dominated by the junction of two small watercourses. The surrounding land was characterised by the presence of numerous hillocks, amongst which marshland had developed.
A substantial group of potential archaeological features was identified, but all the remains appeared to have been heavily truncated due to modern agricultural practices.
An area of 630m2 was excavated in trenches along the centre-line of the road and in perpendicular offsets. Three areas of archaeological activity were identified. To the westernmost area of the site, a series of post- and stake-holes contained within a 2.5m-wide arc extending from north-west to south-east for 15m in length appeared to be the remains of a possible dwelling (Structure A). The fills of these features contained varying amounts of charcoal. Three fragments of prehistoric pottery were recovered from this area.
Structure B consisted of the exposed remains of a curvilinear feature, 0.3m wide, oriented east–west and curving towards the south. This may be the remains of a slot-trench for a prehistoric dwelling. It was heavily truncated by later cultivation remains running north–south.
To the easternmost area of the site, a series of circular pits and an accumulation of gravels may be the remains of a lithics-working area, as is suggested by the substantial amount of flint and chert recovered. One convex chert scraper and one retouched flint blade were notable finds. Debitage remains were plentiful.
There were no known monuments in the immediate vicinity, apart from two earthworks, SMR 86:214 (Rathglass) 450m to the west and 86:233 (Treanbaun) 650m to the east.
