2007:901 - AR082, Danesfort, Kilkenny

This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4, Knocktopher to Powerstown in rolling agricultural lands on an undulating plain sloping slightly uphill to the west. A burnt mound was noted in a boggy hollow in a recently ploughed field adjacent to the site on its south-west side. A geophysical survey was undertaken in advance of excavation due to the proximity of the road-take to KK019–060; a ridge and furrow, located in the field directly east of the site. The geophysical survey indicated a curving anomaly, a possible post-constructed structure and several pits scattered about in the vicinity; subsequent testing confirmed this and an area 175m by 80m was stripped of topsoil for excavation. The area was later extended westwards a further 30m to provide a 10m buffer from the archaeological features uncovered. Excavations took place between 25 April and 18 June 2007.
Two post-built circular structures with porches were identified within the constraints of the site; the porches on both structures faced south-east. Structure 1 measured 7m north–south by 9m and was located centrally within the site. It contained an internal hearth; the hearth had been positioned slightly off-centre towards the back of the structure to facilitate egress of the smoke from the fire by creating a draught with the doorway opposite. A number of stake-holes located in clusters east and west of the hearth represented the remains of a roasting spit that would have been suspended above the fire. A double ring of fourteen post-pits would have contained posts that supported a conical thatch roof; the exterior wall, probably of wattle and daub construction, would have been woven around the external ring of seven posts. The entranceway/porch, 1.4m wide, comprised nine post-pits divided into two parallel lines; the outer two projected 1.6m south-east from the main body of the structure. All the posts had been driven deep and were obviously supporting considerable weight, a number of the posts had additional supporting stakes and one had been re-set at least twice. The two outermost post-pits were the most substantial of all, measuring 0.4m by 0.4m by 0.5m deep and 0.5m by 0.5m by 0.32m deep. No finds or definitive dating evidence were recovered from this structure. The structure corresponded to that detected during geophysical survey. A patch of fire-reddened subsoil with a random scatter of post-/stake-holes in no discernible pattern was located immediately north of Structure 1 and may represent the remains of an earlier structure or shelter perhaps pre-dating Structure 1.
Structure 2 measured 6.8m north–south by 6m. It was located 70m west of Structure 1, and also had an internal hearth slightly off-centre with stake-hole clusters on either side representing the remains of a roasting spit. A small sherd of ceramic was retrieved from a secure context in the hearth area and is probably Middle Bronze Age in date (E. Grogan, pers. comm.). An external single ring of eleven posts would probably have provided a frame to weave daub and wattle walls; there was a gap to the south-west that was more than likely due to agricultural activity removing the evidence. An inner ring beam of five deep post-holes supported a thatched conical roof. The entrance way/porch, 1.2m wide, projected 1.8m south-east from the main body of the structure; a set of four posts defined this area, the outer ones measuring 0.6m by 0.56m by 0.34m deep and 0.58m by 0.57m by 0.33m deep. A large, deep subrectangular pit, 1.65m by 0.95m by 0.75m deep, was located inside the structure immediately east of the entrance. It is currently interpreted as a storage pit. A number of seemingly unconnected post-pits were identified in the vicinity of Structure 2; one of these was particularly interesting due to its dimensions and content. It was circular in plan with straight sides and measured 0.6m by 0.56m by 0.83m deep. It is the largest post-pit on the entire site and was located 3.4m north of the structure. It appears that the post was perhaps removed as part of abandoning the site, and two hammerstones were placed at the base of the pit; the pit was subsequently filled with a dumped deposit containing animal bone, slag and some charcoal, possibly a votive deposit.
The structure was enclosed by a penannular circular ditch on its north-eastern, eastern and south-eastern aspects. A 3m-wide gap in the ditch at its south-eastern point lay directly opposite the entrance porch of the structure; this alignment suggests contemporaneity. The ditch was V-shaped in profile and was therefore probably defensive in nature; it measured 56.4m by 2m (maximum) by 0.7m deep and no bank remains, either internal or external, were noted. The ditch corresponded to the curving anomaly identified during geophysical survey. A slot-trench, 18.7m by 0.3m by 0.31m deep, completed the subcircular enclosure on its eastern side and would have contained a wooden fence or palisade. The enclosure measured 39m east–west by 32m.
A waterhole, 6.3m by 5.62m by 1.1m deep, was located in a gap between the ditch and slot-trench and contained a series of silted deposits. It appeared to have been lined with impermeable clay to aid water retention. A number of pieces of flint debitage and a chert scraper were recovered from one of the later silting layers; none were diagnostic of date.
Directly adjacent to the waterhole three pits were located; all contained large quantities of charcoal and heat-cracked stone, predominately sandstone. A sizeable deposit of this material also sealed the ditch at its north-eastern end. A lump of copper alloy was recovered from one of the pits and all contained roughly circular-shaped stone discs, average diameter 0.1m; a single disc was also retrieved from the ditch terminal adjacent. The discs are currently being interpreted as crucible stands (E. Grogan, pers. comm.). These pits represent an industrial metalworking area.
At the eastern end of the site, 44m from Structure 1, a keyhole-shaped cereal-drying kiln was noted measuring 2.45m by 1.2m by 0.4m deep. Given the morphology of the kiln it is likely to be early medieval in date, but further dating will be required to confirm this.
A very deep bowl furnace which had been reused several times was also located in this southern portion of the site; it measured 0.45m by 0.49m by 0.67m deep. A number of pits of varying shapes and sizes were located nearby; all contained metalworking slag. These features may relate to the later medieval activity recorded across the road on an adjacent site in Danesfort (see No. 898 above).
An isolated pit on the north-west edge of the site measured 0.36m by 0.3m by 0.16m deep; it was unremarkable save for the fact it contained a single sherd of Neolithic pottery (E. Grogan, pers. comm.). Further analysis of the contents of this pit will be necessary to decide if the sherd was residual or not.