2007:1254 - Athlumney, Meath

This site was located on a greenfield area upslope and to the east of the River Boyne. It lay at 45m OD. A series of archaeological features were identified during monitoring of topsoil-stripping along the route of a local access road joining the IDA business park to the Athlumney Road. It was subsequently agreed that an area measuring 84m by 18m should be excavated in advance of road construction.
Three main periods of activity were identified on site. Period 1 was dated to the Final Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. Period 2 was probably Bronze Age, although a precise date was not determined. The third period of occupation was early medieval.
Period 1 was characterised by three cooking pits, a deposit of fire debris and a large pit/ditch. The cooking pits were scattered across the site and ranged from 0.6m by 0.38m to 1.05m by 0.86m. They all had charcoal-rich fills which contained fire-heated stone. A date of 2851–2463 cal bc was obtained on charcoal from one of the pits. A large pit or ditch was partially exposed at the western edge of excavation. The exposed portion measured 2m long, 1.84m wide and 0.38m deep. It had a U-shaped profile and was filled with silty clay.
The second period of occupation was characterised by a large subrectangular ditched enclosure which was partially exposed within the area of excavation. The remains of Structure 3 were uncovered within the enclosure and a circular enclosure joined the northern end of the subrectangular enclosure.
The eastern side of the subrectangular enclosure was represented by a substantial L-shaped ditch, F23, and a linear ditch, F63, which enclosed an area of at least 27.5m by 15m. The ditch F23 measured 2.1m wide and 0.64m deep. Five different fills were identified within it.
Structure 3 was defined by three closely set slot-trenches within the north-eastern part of the subrectangular enclosure. These foundation trenches represent the northern (2.2m) and western wall (9m) of a windbreak or some similar type of open-ended structure.
The remains of the circular enclosure were represented by a curvilinear ditch, F59, which was immediately north of the subrectangular enclosure. The northern end of the curvilinear ditch had been truncated by modern disturbance but the remaining section was 15m long, 1.5m wide and 0.54m deep.
There was evidence for two phases of activity during Period 3. Phase 1 was represented by Structure 2 and two linear ditches (probable plot boundaries) to the south of the building. The ditches were cut through the ditch (F23) of the Period 2 subrectangular enclosure. During Phase 2, Structure 2 was truncated by a linear ditch which may mark a revised plot boundary and Structure 1 was built. There was also an unused figure-of-eight-shaped kiln on the south of the site. Structure 1 has been dated by radiocarbon analysis to the early medieval period (cal ad 551–643) and it is likely that the other Period 3 features date to in and around the same time.
Structure 2 was defined by a curvilinear slot-trench which represents its eastern wall. The curvature of the slot-trench indicates that Structure 2 had a diameter of 5m. An entranceway at the south of the structure is suggested by a 2.2m-wide gap between the terminal of the slot-trench and the western limit of excavation and it is likely that further remains of Structure 2 lie beyond that edge of the excavation area. There was no evidence for a hearth or for any form of floor surface within Structure 2.
The two linear ditches (F17 and F25) were set 8.5m apart and were almost parallel to each other. Both of the ditches were orientated north-east/south-west and extended beyond the limits of excavation. The northern ditch was 0.95m wide and 0.4m deep and the southern ditch was 0.64m wide and 0.38m deep.
The revised plot boundary, F45, was 4.8m to the north of the boundary ditch F17 and was similar in size.
The foundation remains of Structure 1 were located 6m to the south of the boundary ditch F45. The structure was characterised by three adjoining slot-trenches, F15, F31 and F29, and its remains extended beyond the western limit of excavation. It was similar in size to Structure 2 (6m diameter) and there was a porched entrance (2.5m long) at the east. The entrance feature was represented by the linear slot-trench F31 at the east of the structure.
There was a figure-of-eight-shaped pit on the south of the site. It was 2.44m long, between 0.35m and 0.98m wide and up to 0.2m deep. If this was a kiln there was no indication that it had ever been fired.
Finds from the excavation included several worked flints and a piece of a stone spindle-whorl.