2006:1493 - Ardsallagh 2, Meath

This site was located within Contract 2 (Dunshaughlin to Navan) of the proposed M3 Clonee to north of Kells motorway and was identified during a geophysical survey (GSB Prospection, 2001) and tested by Steve Linnane in April 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1162, 04E0420). Full resolution took place between January and March 2006 and revealed the remains of an almost-circular ring-ditch (c. 21m diameter) with an entrance to the north-west. It would appear that the ditch silted up and was then re-excavated to form a segmented enclosure. Tiny cremated bone fragments and animal teeth were recovered from the ditch fill. One small area of cremated bone may represent a cremation deposit, while the remainder of the cremated bone was scattered throughout the fill. A radiocarbon date of ad 650–770 has been obtained for the ring-ditch.
The two circular house structures were located immediately outside the ring-ditch. Structure 1 (10.6m diameter) was formed by a slot-trench containing the remnants of timber plank. It was located 2.4m west-north-west of the ring-ditch and had its entranceway directly opposite that of the ring-ditch. A single feature, a cremation pit, was identified within this structure. No artefacts were recovered. Structure 2 was located 1.8m north of Structure 1 and 8.7m north-west of the ring-ditch. It consisted of a continuous slot-trench with a diameter of c. 8.2m. Like Structure 1, a cremation pit was located within this structure and no associated finds were recovered.
A further four cremation pits were identified a significant distance from the ring-ditch. Two additional cremations were identified, contained within small inverted pots: the first a food vessel vase urn (of which only the rim survives) and the second a cordoned urn (of which only the upper part survives). Some sherds of pottery recovered from around the first of these two cremations were from a food vessel vase. They were located c. 15m south-west of and 30m north-west of the ring-ditch respectively. Radiocarbon dates from the cremated bone contained within these pits (2030–1750 bc, 1940–1740 bc and 1940–1740 bc) confirm the Early Bronze Age dates already indicated by the pottery.
Other features included scattered isolated pits containing animal bone/tiny fragments of cremated bone. Aside from the pots mentioned above, the only artefacts recovered consisted of a few fragments of collared urn pottery, found within a small pit, and a blue glass bead recovered during general site clearance and not from a stratified context.