2006:107 - MOYADAM (1), Antrim

This site was excavated as part of the recently completed BGE (Northern Ireland) gas pipeline. This site consisted of the remains of two cremations enclosed by the ring-ditch of a barrow and a number of post-holes and pits and a modern field drain spread over some 50m south-west to north-east along the pipeline corridor, with the vast majority of the archaeology located at the south-west end. The U-shaped ring-ditch had an external diameter of 4.3m and internal diameter of 2.2m and was 0.8–1.2m wide with a maximum depth of 0.75m. The primary fill of the ditch was a very thin layer of brown clayey silt containing frequent gravel and occasional charcoal flecking. Overlying this was soft mid-brown clayey silt, varying between 0.15m and 0.3m in depth and containing infrequent amounts of small sub-angular stones, and charcoal flecks and larger fragments. This was in turn overlain by a layer of frequent sub-rounded stones, ranging from 0.1m by 0.1m by 0.1m to some as large as 0.6m by 0.5m by 0.4m, spread unevenly around the ditch fill and sealed by brown clayey silt.

Two cremations had been inserted into the approximate centre of the area enclosed by the ring-ditch. The earlier cremation pit, which had been heavily truncated, was subcircular with surviving dimensions of 0.32m diameter by 0.13m deep and filled with brown clayey silt containing many bone fragments. This had been cut by a second cremation pit, with a diameter of 0.4m and 0.23m deep and filled with dark-brown clayey silt containing many bone fragments. The earlier cremation had also been cut on its north-east by a circular post-hole 0.3m in diameter by 0.26m deep and filled with brown clayey silt with some charcoal flecking and on its south by a second post-hole 0.4m in diameter by 0.4m deep filled with brown silty clay over stone packing.

Approximately 0.4m to the south-east of these features was an oval pit that measured 0.7m by 0.4m to a depth of 0.2m and was filled with greyish-brown silty clay containing moderate charcoal flecks. The ring-ditch had been cut in the north by a large post-hole, which measured 0.4m by 0.45m by 0.5m and was filled with dark-brown clayey silt containing a number of stones.

Immediately outside the north-east quadrant of the ditch cut were several other pits and post-holes. Approximately 0.5m to the north of the large post-hole was a shallow pit that measured 0.9m by 0.6m by 0.07m deep and was filled with light-brown silty clay with frequent small stones. Immediately 0.3m north-east of the ring-ditch was a subcircular post-hole with a diameter of 0.45m and a depth of 0.57m filled with compact greyish-brown silty clay with small sub-angular stones. Another post-hole, which measured 0.37m in diameter by 0.32m deep and was filled with brown clayey silt with moderate amounts of gravel throughout, was situated 0.3m east of the ring-ditch. Approximately 0.5m further to the north-east was a smaller post-hole with a diameter of 0.43m and 0.3m deep filled with yellowish-brown sandy silt surrounding sub-angular stones of varying sizes, especially to the south-west side of the fill. A small post-hole, that measured 0.3m in diameter by 0.13m deep and was filled with dark-brown silty clay, lay c. 0.7m to the south. Further to the south-east of this post-hole were three others, apparently on the same axis. The most western post-hole was 0.45m in diameter by 0.1m and was filled with brown silty sand with occasional small sub-angular stones. The centre post-hole was an irregular oval, 0.75m by 0.25m by 0.14m deep, filled with mid-brown clayey silt with occasional small stones. The eastern post-hole was also oval, 0.52m by 0.26m by 0.12m deep, filled with brown silty clay with occasional small stones. An oval post-hole, which measured 0.3m by 0.26m by 0.13m deep and was filled with greyish-brown silty clay with moderate amounts of sub-angular stones, lay c. 3m north-west of the previous post-hole.

Two metres to the north of the previous post-hole was an oval pit that measured 0.98m by 0.7m by 0.1m deep and was filled with bright orangey-red burnt sand clay with occasional small burnt stones. Some 5.5m east was a second oval pit, 0.53m by 0.44m by 0.21m deep, filled with mid-greyish-brown sandy silt containing occasional small sub-angular stones and two flint fragments. A further 5m north was a subcircular pit, 0.62m by 0.56m and 0.15m deep, filled with brownish-black silty clay with burnt orange clay inclusions and occasional small stones. Eight metres to the north-west was a subcircular pit, 0.5m in diameter and 0.14m deep, filled with yellowish-brown silty sand with occasional small stones containing a number of fragments of very friable pottery. Approximately 2.2m to the north was another oval pit that measured 0.47m by 0.4m by 0.14m deep and was filled with light-brown silty sand with occasional small stones and one sherd of pottery. The final post-hole identified on site was c. 13.5m east of the previous two features. It was subcircular, with a diameter of 0.6m by 0.15m deep, and was filled with brownish-black silty clay with inclusions of orange, possibly burnt, clay and occasional small stones.

The final feature identified on site was a well-constructed, stone-lined post-medieval field drain running north-west to south-east across the working width and extending in either direction beyond. The drain cut, which measured 0.8m wide by 0.3m deep, had steep almost vertical sides with a sharp break to a flat base. The stone-lined sides were formed of three courses of drystone walling capped with rough basalt boulders.

Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast, BT12 5BJ