2017:156 - Faughan Hill, Meath

A research excavation was undertaken by The Discovery Programme at Faughan Hill, near the village of Bohermeen, Co. Meath, in September 2017. The investigations were conducted as part of the Discovery Programme’s ‘Tara Research Project' and were supported by a grant from the Royal Irish Academy. Additional support was provided by Meath County Council and the Office of Public Works. The excavation was prompted by the recent discovery through geophysical survey of a major archaeological complex comprising two concentric hilltop enclosures (c.400m and 270m in diameter), as well as a series of smaller enclosures, structures and burial sites (see Dowling 2015).

Two test trenches were excavated on the north-east slope of hill with the aim of defining the nature, extent and dating of the large hilltop enclosures. Trench 1 (2m x 15m) was excavated across the line of the inner ditched enclosure [Enclosure 2] and possible palisaded enclosure [Enclosure 3], while Trench 2 (2m x 24m) was positioned to investigate the outer, double-ditched hilltop enclosure [Enclosure 1] and putative palisade trench. A metal detector was also used under license (17R0096) to enhance the recovery of metal artefacts.

The excavated features include three rock-cut enclosure ditches and a stone-packed palisade trench. These were sealed by soils that contained a large number of lithics, the presence of which suggests modern disturbance to an early prehistoric horizon, possibly focused on the summit of the hill. Sections excavated across the hilltop enclosures demonstrated that both the outer [Enclosure 1] and inner [Enclosure 2] boundaries are defined by partially rock-cut ditches which appear originally to have been accompanied by internal earthen banks. The ditches were defined by broad, U-shaped cuts that average about 3.5m in width (at the top) and reach a maximum depth of some 2m below the present ground surface. A diffuse band of charcoal-flecked sediment inside the inner ditch of Enclosure 1 provided the only hint of the possible internal palisade recorded by geophysical survey. Traces of another large enclosure [Enclosure 3] were revealed just inside the ditch of Enclosure 2 in the form of a stone-packed palisade trench.

Overall, the excavations have yielded valuable information on the character and development of hilltop enclosures and revealed evidence of a number of phases of activity extending from early prehistoric to modern times. The results are set to contribute to a better understanding of the history and role of the site and will be published as part of a monograph on The Discovery Programme’s ‘Tara Research Project' following the completion of post-excavation analysis.

Reference:

Dowling, G. 2015. Exploring the hidden depth’s of Tara’s hinterland: geophysical survey and landscape investigations in the Meath–north Dublin region, eastern Ireland. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 81, 61–86.

The Discovery Programme, 6 Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2