2012:004 - Ballybracken: A8 Dualling, Area I, Antrim

This site was part of the A8 Belfast–Larne Road Dualling Scheme; the scheme was test trenched (below No. 17, AE/12/96) and areas containing possible archaeological features were expanded to discover the extent of the archaeology. A new licence was then granted to excavate these areas of archaeology; Area I was one of those areas.
Though Area I covered some 40m by 90m it proved to contain only ten archaeological features. It is likely that the reason for this relatively small number of features on a ridge with obvious archaeological potential would appear to be due to modern agricultural activities (the numerous plough lines which crossed the site, the removed stones and the pits which contained modern materials) having destroyed earlier archaeological features. Those features that did survive were either substantial or by chance lay in between the plough lines.
The clusters of features found in the north of the area comprised of five pits: C5000, C5002, C5006, C5008 and C5019, a shallow pit, C5004 and a hearth, C5021. Four of the pits (C5000, C5002, C5006 and C5008) formed a north-west to south-east alignment. It is possible that the aligned pits held posts which supported a windbreak for the hearth and that the shallow pit and the pits beside the hearth were related to other activities which occurred behind the windbreak. In absence of further post- or stake-holes it seems unlikely that a permanent structure was present in this area and that this represents a temporary campsite. The presence of the débitage in pit C5008 and within the topsoil in this area (Test Trench I8) suggests that flint knapping was being undertaken at this location.
While C5013 was clearly a hearth, there was no indication of a structure around it which suggests that it was also part of a temporary campsite. Indeed the amount of burning of the subsoil suggests that the fire within this hearth was so large and strongly burning that it was unlikely to have been enclosed within a structure. It is possible that this feature may have been a kiln, but in the absence of any prehistoric pottery in this area this possibility can only be considered speculation.
Of those features recorded, two, C5008 and C5027, contained worked flint. The former had relatively undiagnostic débitage while the latter had a broken blade. These artefacts indicate a prehistoric date for these features. C5025 contained the same type of fill and was of a similar shape and size to C5027 and as such it may have been contemporary with it. Due to their proximity to each other it is likely that the hearth C5013 was contemporary with C5025, while the remaining smaller features to the north were contemporary with C5008.
Post-excavation work is in progress and the full report should be available by the end of August 2013.

Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, Farset Enterprise Park, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY