County: Louth Site name: SITE 137, CARN MORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A010/002
Author: Avril Hayes, Aegis Archaeology Ltd, 16 Avondale Court, Corbally, Limerick.
Site type: Cist
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 704812m, N 810879m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.036438, -6.399905
The north side of a cist burial was cut during drainage works associated with the M1/Dundalk western bypass. The cist formed part of a larger cist cemetery excavated by David Bayley for IAC in 2003 (Excavations 2003, No. 1275, 03E0873). The resolution of the site included the recording and partial excavation of the grave. The contents of the grave were excavated by hand and the cist itself was filled in and preserved in situ.
The grave was a short rectangular cist containing the remains of a crouched skeleton and a bowl. The cut was only visible in section, as the cist was preserved in situ. It appeared that a rectangular cut was made for the grave, with two flat slabs set on edge lining the sides of the cut. Packing stones were filled along the sides of the cut to keep the side stones in place. The base of the cut was lined with flat paving slabs. The burial and pot were placed onto this paved base. A single capstone was then placed over the burial on top of the side stones. The entire grave was covered with a layer of small rounded stones. A layer of sand filled the grave naturally over time and this material had filtered in through gaps in the stone-lined grave.
The burial within the cist was lying on its right side, in a crouched position with the head at the south. A pot was placed at the south-east side of the grave adjacent to the skull, which faced the pot.
