2012:630 - MERSHEEN, Wexford

A single cremation pit was discovered and excavated during monitoring on an access road into a forestry plantation at Mersheen, Hook head, county Wexford. The pit was an oval shape and measured 0.33m x 0.28m x 0.1m deep. In total 905 fragments of human bone were recovered and these fragments weighed 48.1g. However these only represent a small fraction of the bones in the human body which clearly suggest that the burial is a secondary cremation and does not represent the site of the cremation pyre. A cremated bone was AMS radiocarbon dated to the Early Bronze Age, 1940-1770 cal. BC (Beta 330306).

The discovery of a cremation pit at Mersheen is of significance considering the limited evidence for prehistoric activity on the Hook peninsula. The location of the burial on a ridge overlooking Waterford Harbour is also of interest as it may suggest that this burial site was chosen due to its prominence in the landscape.