County: Kilkenny Site name: Site 15-1 Knocktopherabbey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 13E0077
Author: Patrick Walsh
Site type: Middle-Late Bronze Age pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 653146m, N 636196m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.474610, -7.217700
Knocktopherabbey was discovered during monitoring of topsoil stripping for the Bord Gáis Networks Gas to Great Island scheme (12E0356).
Five pits, a stake-hole and an area of burning were excavated within an excavation area of 140m2. Four of the pits were similar in character, 0.56-0.72m long, 0.52-0.66m wide and 0.12-0.32m deep with silty fills that contained various quantities of burnt material consisting of charcoal and oxidised clay. Holly charcoal from one of the pits was radiocarbon dated to 1206-924 cal. BC (2875±45 BP; UBA-24964; 2 sigma), placing the activity in the Middle-Late Bronze Age.
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