2008:1156 - Rathnaveoge Lower 4, Tipperary

Rathnaveoge Lower 4 was identified as a greenfield site during Phase 1 testing for the N7 Castletown to Nenagh road improvement scheme. Tori McMorran began the excavation in September 2007, it was transferred to Sinéad Marshall shortly afterwards (Excavations 2007, No. 1717) and site work was completed in January 2008.
Rathnaveoge townland sits in the foothills at the north-east end of the Devil’s Bit Mountains, overlooking the Offaly border. The site lay on a hillside knoll at over 160m OD with extensive views to the north, west and south. To the east Rathnaveoge Hill continues rising to just above 230m OD. The local subsoil is very stony, tan boulder clay of irregular depth, overlying natural gravels and outcropping bedrock.
Late Bronze Age activity
A series of overlapping structures were built on a small, flat part of the hillside. It is thought this area was deliberately flattened/levelled during the first stage of development and the resulting spoil was stored in the vicinity.
The earliest archaeological features were a series of pits, followed by structural elements such as post- and stake-holes with associated pits. Many pits contained lumps of charcoal, scraps of burnt bone, coarse, often worn, pottery sherds and occasional pieces of struck flint and chert. One contained a cache of 220 sherds of freshly broken, coarse pottery from a number of vessels.
This activity was mostly sealed by a layer of redeposited natural subsoil. The ‘sealing layer’ was irregular but measured up to 0.1m deep. It was almost identical to the natural soil in colour and compaction, except for the presence of occasional flecks of charcoal, scraps of flint and chert and a few tiny crumbs of burnt clay. It appears this soil is of local origin and it may have come from the early flattening of the knoll.
The general pattern was then repeated above this layer with a set of similar pits cut by another group of post-built structures and stake-holes. A total of 68 post-holes, 104 stake-holes, 56 pits and 11 spreads of material were excavated on-site.
One definite cremation burial and a second possible one were also identified. The formal cremation burial lay under the sealing layer. It was a simple pit containing two fills: black, charcoal-rich soil full of cremated bone and a capping of boulder clay. The boulder clay capping was distinct from the general sealing layer above it and appears deliberate. Parallels for this burial type are known from other Bronze Age sites, including a flat cemetery at Killoran 10, also in County Tipperary (Gowen et al.).
No clear patterns to many of the features emerged during excavation. It is not known at present how many buildings existed here over time. Partial arcs of posts and short lines of stakes indicate a number of structures were built. The outcropping bedrock and large boulders may have hampered construction efforts and led to some irregular structures being built on the site. No evidence was found to indicate that any of this stone was used for building.
Post-excavation work has been completed so far to a preliminary stage. In-depth analysis of the site along with specialist results and research are expected to identify more complete structures and associated features. Finds including coarse pottery, a fragment of gold foil and small amounts of struck flint and chert indicate a late Bronze Age date.
More modern activity
Some evidence for stone quarrying was present within the site on the slope of the hill, just below the Bronze Age activity. Regular blocks of stone had been removed and the quarry filled up with hill-wash. No finds were recovered here but it is possible the quarrying is connected to the building of Rathnaveoge House across the road. A dump of 20th-century rubbish, such as nailed boots and old whiskey bottles, was also found on-site in a hollow to the north of the main archaeological area.
These archaeological works were funded by Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority.
Reference
Gowen, M. et al. 2005 The Lisheen Mine archaeological project 1996–8. Bray.