County: Wicklow Site name: INCHANAPPA SOUTH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1717
Author: Gill Mc Loughlin, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 727067m, N 698052m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.018061, -6.106123
Excavation of three burnt mounds and one spread of burnt-mound material was carried out on the site of a proposed warehouse development at Inchanappa South, Ashford, Co. Wicklow, on behalf of Universal Innovations. The sites were uncovered during monitored topsoil removal, which was required as a condition of planning. Excavation of the sites took place between 17 January and 14 February 2005. Three burnt mounds and one small spread of burnt-mound material (Sites A–D) were excavated. The proposed development site is situated in a small river valley c. 1km north of Ashford village.
Site A was a roughly circular burnt-mound deposit measuring 13m by 15m by 0.3m. Two pits interpreted as troughs were sealed by the mound.
Site B was a small spread of charcoal-rich soil and heat-shattered stone; the main concentration measured 4.4m by 5.6m.
Site C consisted of a roughly circular burnt mound measuring 19.5m by 13.5m by 0.4m, which sealed three troughs and one shallow rectangular feature.
Site D was located adjacent to the river that formed the eastern boundary to the site. This was the largest of the three burnt mounds, measuring 30m north-west/south-east by 14m by 0.66m. One circular trough and three small pits were sealed under the mound.
Charcoal identification from the troughs showed that alder was present in all three troughs, and ash and hazel were present in two of the troughs in smaller quantities. Three charcoal samples were selected from the troughs at Sites A, C and D for radiocarbon dating. The results place all of the sites in the Early Bronze Age and indicate activity at this site possibly spanning 1000 years. Site A yielded a date of 3830673BP (2480–2120 BC), Site C yielded a date of 3382654BP (1780–1520 BC) and Site D yielded a date of 3672640BP (2150–1940 BC).
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