County: Antrim Site name: LISSUE AND KNOCKMORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/06/199
Author: Sarah Nicol, Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Ring-ditch, Linear earthwork, Pit and Structure
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 723183m, N 863907m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.508601, -6.097803
Several areas of archaeological interest were identified and excavated at this site, consisting of five ring-ditches, several other ditches, two possible structures and numerous small pits and post-holes.
Area 3 contained two large ditches that delineated but did not fully enclose an area c. 20m square. These ditches contained large deposits of pottery, some flint and some slag. Preliminary results suggest that this is an Early Christian enclosure of some sort. There were a few shallow features in the area partially enclosed by the ditches, but nothing substantial.
Area 4 consisted of a pit containing burnt stones and charcoal and a possible trough, which would be consistent with a burnt mound.
Area 5 was a ring-ditch, c. 10m in diameter, with a number of large and small post-holes in the centre, which may have been the remains of a building. However, large deposits of pottery in the terminals of the ditch suggest deposition, which would point to burial or other ritual activity. To the north of the ring-ditch a second curving ditch was uncovered, but it was very shallow. This may have been a second ring-ditch that has been badly eroded. It was situated on slightly higher ground.
Area 6 was badly truncated by the developer. It appeared to contain part of a ring-ditch that would have been c. 8m in diameter. This was cut by an enclosure ditch. It was possible only to excavate 9m of the ring-ditch and c. 20m of the enclosure ditch. There were also a whole series of stake-holes and a pit in the area. Post-excavation analysis of the finds and carbon dating will hopefully help clarify the date of the features here.
Area 7 contained a number of pits, one of which contained a large amount of burnt stone. One of the most unusual features was a rectangular cut, 2m long by 1m wide, lined with wood. This contained a broken green-glazed red ware drinking vessel. Its function is unknown. This area also contained a very large, deep curvilinear ditch some 15–20m long and 5–7m wide which ran from Area 8 into Area 7. This contained a large quantity of pottery, apparently of differing periods (from preliminary analysis); it also contained a blue-and-yellow glass bead (Early Christian) and a polished porcellanite axe (Neolithic). The varying dates of the recovered artefacts could indicate that the ditch cut through earlier features, but this needs to be examined in detail. The whole area was crossed by modern ceramic pipes.
Area 8 was a large area which contained a number of isolated features. These included a field boundary, a number of pits and a large ditch, described above in Area 7. One of the pits contained a barbed and tanged arrowhead; another contained a large amount of pottery (probably Bronze Age).
Area 9 contained one ring-ditch, 13m in diameter, a partially surviving ring-ditch and a number of possible working pits. There were no other features associated with the ring-ditches. One of them contained a large variety of finds, ranging from a possible flint arrowhead to half a glass bead.
Area 10 contained a series of stake-holes, pits and ditches. This appeared to be a smelting pit with an ephemeral structure around it, represented by stake-holes with a possible drip gully to the north. The structure would be 6–8m in diameter, but, again, post-excavation analysis is needed to fully understand this area. The ditch was 10–15m long and was situated to the south-east of the possible smelting area. Unfortunately the northern end of it had been destroyed by earlier agricultural activity.
Area 11 consisted of two ditches that ran for a total of 20m, one of which cut through a series of earlier features. These earlier features included a large pit, several small pits and a spread. The spread appeared to be Bronze Age. There were also a series of stake-holes in this area.
Area 12 was a spread of slag that covered an area c. 10m2; this was cut by a ditch, of which 12m was excavated. The rest was preserved in situ under more than 5m of redeposited material.
Artefacts recovered during excavation include Bronze Age and Early Christian pottery, lithic material, two glass beads, iron and other metal slag.
Post-excavation work is ongoing.
638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY
