2014:362 - Lisnasoo (Site 1) A26 Road Scheme, Antrim

The site was located to the west of the A26 Frosses Road 60m south of the Lisnasoo Road Junction 70m west of Lisnasoo (Site 2). The features were on a slightly raised piece of dry ground immediately above a boggy area to the west. The site was located at IGR D 05654 16417, 91m above sea level. The subsoil in the immediate area was glacial till with peat overlying glacial clay at the eastern end of the excavation area.

This site contained the remains of a Late Mesolithic campsite, a Bronze Age burnt mound and trough and a Middle Bronze Age campsite.

The small Late Mesolithic camp site contained six features which included a gully (C746), a pit (C715), a hearth (C743) and three stake-holes (C725, C727 and C729). Although there was no physical relationship between the features there did seem to be a spatial relationship. The gully appeared to be a windbreak to the east of a small hearth, it measured 2.5m long, 0.15-0.25m wide and 0.07m deep, orientated north-south. A radiocarbon date from the gully, obtained from charred wood, returned an early Late Mesolithic date of 6222–6076 BC (Beta-385658). The gully was cut at the southern end by a Middle Bronze Age gully (C720). The hearth (C743) consisted of a large stone surrounded by smaller stones pushed into an orange pink clay; the stones were then covered by a charcoal-rich soil. The large stone measured 0.5m long, 0.4m wide and 0.22m deep, orientated north-south. To the west of the hearth the subsoil was burnt indicating that the hearth was raked out in this direction. At the southern end of the hearth were three stake-holes which may have been used to form a tripod over the southern half of the hearth for the purposes of cooking. To the north-west of the hearth was a small pit (C715) which appeared to contain the remains of the fire once it had been raked out.

The burnt mound measured 7.8m long, 7.1m wide and 0.02-0.09m deep orientated north-east/south-west, the spread contained three layers two of which (F702 and F711) were also the fills of the trough. The lowest of the burnt mound layers was F702, it also filled the base of the trough. Charred wood returned a radiocarbon date of 2568–2346 BC (Beta-385657). The other two overlying layers did not interact, on the eastern side of the area was F701, a thin spread which contained five flint flakes. On the western side was F711 which was not only one of the upper layers of the burnt mound, it was also the main fill of the trough. F711 contained four flint flakes. The sub-rectangular trough (C724) which contained two of the burnt mound spreads measured 1.45m long, 1m wide and 0.66m deep, orientated north-west/south-east. The trough was dug in the area of a spring which continually filled it up to just over half full; because of this it is difficult to assess but it appeared that the base and sides of the trough were stone lined.
To the north-east of the burnt mound was a large pit (C705) which measured 4.5m long, 4.05m wide and 0.35m deep, orientated north-east/south-west. The basal fill (F719) was a grey silty clay which contained an Early Bronze Age plano-convex knife and a piece of Bronze Age pottery. The middle fill (F713) was a stony layer which contained a piece of Bronze Age Collared Urn and a flint flake. This may have been a store for stones to be used in the burnt mound which was then abandoned with the rest of the site. Just to the north of the pit was a short gully (C733) which may have been used to manage water away from the pit.

To the east of the large Early Bronze Age pit (C705) was a series of Middle Bronze Age features, this included a large gully (C720) which, although it had no physical relationship, appeared to be associated with two pits (C717 and C731). The gully measured 4.34m long, 0.48-0.68m wide and 0.14m deep, orientated north-south. Charred wood returned a Middle Bronze Age radiocarbon date of 1514–1412 BC (Beta-390101). This gully appeared to be a windbreak for activity occurring within two pits to the west. The closest pit to the gully (C731) measured 1.4m long, 1m wide and 0.3m deep, orientated north-west/south-east. It appeared to be a hearth for the heating of stones as the subsoil was burnt and the fill was mostly of burnt stone. To the south of this pit was a second pit of equal size which was originally thought to be a possible small trough for the heated stones to be placed in.
Finally there were three features which appeared to be Bronze Age but which could not be associated directly with either of the Bronze Age phases. To the north of the site was an isolated pit (C739) which, although closer to the Mesolithic activity, contained two pieces of undecorated Bronze Age pottery. On the north-east edge of the site was a small isolated shallow post-hole (C703) and finally to the north-west of large pit (C705) was a post-hole (C736).

The site's location was clearly suited to short-term occupation associated with the use of water on the edge of marshy ground. Both the Mesolithic occupation and the Middle Bronze Age occupation consist of a wind break or water gully which is protecting the activity within two pits, the only difference between the two periods is that the Bronze Age activity is on a slightly larger scale.

NAC, Farset Enterprise Park, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY