2006:479 - BALLYVARLEY (3), Down

This is a somewhat enigmatic site, with at least two phases of activity. The earliest phase consisted of a group of six pits. The largest of the group, which had been truncated by a curvilinear gully, was a subcircular pit at the north end of the complex that measured 1m north–south by 1.06m by 0.36m deep. The rest of the group formed a loose cluster situated 1.3m to the south-west. Three of the pits were aligned on the same north–south axis, with the largest, which was 0.5m in diameter and 0.18m deep, at the north end. The central pit was the smallest, measuring 2m north–south by 1.8m by 0.33m deep, while the third, at the south end, measured 0.38m north–south by 0.12m by 0.34m deep. A shallow subcircular pit, which measured 1.8m south-west/north-east by 0.8m by 0.12m deep, was situated immediately to the south-east of the northernmost pit and had been cut on its east side by another small pit that measured 0.38m north–south by 0.24m by 0.14m deep. A large pit, which had surviving dimensions of 3.64m north-west/south-east by 1.2m by 0.27m deep, may have been associated with this group of pits. It had been truncated on its west side by a second large pit, which measured 3.4m by 2.8m by 0.3m deep. The pit, which also cut three post-holes and was itself cut by a post-hole at its south-west corner, was associated with a series of curvilinear gullies.

A 9m-long gully ran out of the south-west edge of the pit, curved gently to the south and ran downslope to a very shallow terminal on the south. To the west of this gully a short section of linear gully, with excavated dimensions of 3.5m north-west/south-east by 0.36m, emerged from the western limit of the stripped area and a 1.6m-long gully with a clearly defined terminal at its north-east end lay on the east. The relationships of these three gullies were not clear, as they had all been truncated by a linear cut that was 2.86m north–south by 1.14m by 0.3m deep and contained a setting of large stones. The largest of the gullies lay to the north-east of the pit and emerged from the western limit of the stripped area. It had a gentle sinuous curve from north to south before turning abruptly to the south-west, with a clearly defined terminal and post-hole at the south-west. This gully had been cut through the largest pit and the upper fill of the intercutting pair of small pits at the north-east limit of archaeological activity.

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