County: Kerry Site name: DROMTHACKER 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004299
Author: James Hession
Site type: Early medieval isolated hearth
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 485851m, N 616479m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.288112, -9.673213
Excavations at Dromthacker 2 were undertaken on behalf of Kerry County Council as part of Stage (iii) of the Archaeological Services Contract prior to the commencement of construction of the N22 Tralee Bypass/Tralee to Bealagrellagh, which extends from Lissatanvally townland to Flemby townland.
Excavation revealed evidence of a single phase of activity. The feature identified was an isolated hearth. It was oval in plan, measuring 1.1m in length (north-west/south-east), 0.85m in width and 0.13m in depth. The cut of this feature was heavily oxidised around its sides and base, indicating that extensive burning in situ had occurred. The basal fill was composed of reddish-orange clay, which was firmly compacted and contained subangular stones and occasional charcoal inclusions. This deposit may have represented some form of lining within the hearth feature. It was overlain by loosely compacted black silty clay, which contained much charcoal (SUERC-37278; cal. AD 436–643, 2σ) within the soil matrix. The upper fill was a light brown, firmly compacted gritty silty clay containing occasional small stones.
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