2007:1471 - Tober, Offaly

Testing was carried out as part of an archaeological mitigation programme associated with the N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone dual carriageway. The site was identified during testing undertaken by the writer in August 2005 (A019/029). The site was excavated between November 2005 and February 2006. An excavation area measuring 40m north–south by 15m was opened.
The prehistoric settlement site at Tober, Co. Offaly, was located in a low-lying sheltered spot, immediately adjacent to a country road and surrounded by undulating farmland approximately 3.5km south-east of Moate.
Central to the archaeological remains was a distinctive 7m-diameter ring of large well-defined post-holes. Evidence from the packing arrangement and post-pipe diameters within the post-holes suggests that they would have contained posts of c. 0.2m thick. An outer 10m-diameter ring of smaller post-holes enclosed these. In addition to this there was an arrangement of two larger post-holes at the south-east and external to the outer circle of posts. Central to both rings of post-holes was a large hearth (c. 3m diameter) with associated stake-holes. A number of small refuse pits were also located within the main ring of post-holes.
The arrangement of these archaeological features can best be interpreted as a circular building with internal roof supports. The roof supports are defined by the inner ring of large post-holes, with the wall defined by the outer ring of smaller post-holes. It is likely that this wall would have been in the form of wattle and daub with the roof thatched. The large posts at the south-east of the building may have defined a porch entrance. The internal hearth was defined by distinctive layers of burnt clay and charcoal with associated stake-holes which may have been the basis for a series of spits over the fire. There was also a suggestion of internal divisions within the building in the form of lines of stake-holes.
There was an enclosing element to the site that was defined by a series of stake-holes to the north and south of the building. This suggests the presence of a surrounding wattle fence that would have delimited the immediate area of the settlement. The fence also enclosed a number of isolated pits and two ‘four-poster’ structures that were defined by a roughly square arrangement of large post-holes to the south of the main building.
A small assemblage of Late Bronze Age pottery sherds was recovered from a structural post-hole of the circular building, and a sandstone spindle-whorl was found in an associated pit.
This work was funded by Westmeath County Council and the National Roads Authority.

Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.