County: Cork Site name: Kilnagurteen 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004972
Author: John O'Connor, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd
Site type: Cremation burial
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 532998m, N 574195m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.915861, -8.973946
Excavation by Rubicon Heritage Ltd at Kilnagurteen 1 was undertaken as part of the N22 Baile Bhuirne–Macroom Road Scheme (Lot 3) Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract. The preliminary findings from Kilnagurteen 1 would seem to indicate that it is the site of at least one cremation burial, dating from the Middle Bronze Age. There is also evidence of field clearance during some unknown period.
Two pits were found 4.7 m apart . The first consisted of an oval cut with a sharp break of slope at the top and steep sides breaking gradually to a bowl-shaped base (003). It contained a single fill of loose, oak charcoal with very occasional gravel inclusions (004). It measured 0.40 m long, 0.35 m wide and 0.18 m deep . Radiocarbon dating of holly charcoal form the fill returned a date range of 1500–1418 cal BC (SUERC-87501).
The second pit (005) was located 4.7 m to the east. It consisted of a sub-oval pit with sharp break of slope at the top and steep sides, almost vertical to the north, breaking gradually to an undulating bowl-shaped base. It contained a single fill (006), which consisted of firm dark black charcoal rich sandy silt with occasional small stone inclusions and cremated human bone. The charcoal assemblage consisted solely of oak. It measured 0.40 m long, 0.38 m wide and 0.19 m deep . Radiocarbon dating of the cremated human bone returned a date range of 1603–1434 cal BC (SUERC-87503) confirming a Middle Bronze Age date for the burial activity. The third returned date from the upper spit of cremation pit fill (006) indicated a Late Bronze Age date (902–812 cal BC,SUERC-87502) but is most likely intrusive given the date of the cremated bone.
Specialist analysis
Analysis of 50 charcoal fragments from across both, pit (003) and cremation pit (005) show an assemblage consisting solely of oak with ring curvature indicating the felling of whole trees for the provision of funeral pyre timber. A later phase of agricultural activity associated with possible fire-cracking of a boulder for field clearances is suggested to have used fuel wood resourced from nearby hedgerow communities with an assemblage of mainly blackthorn with willow and probable hawthorn identified in the charcoal analysis of 30 fragments .
Analysis of cremated human bone
The cremated human skeletal remains from the charcoal rich fill (006) of pit (005) at Kilnagurteen 1 represented a single individual; identifiable bone fragments were small in size but did not include any immature remains and age is us suggested subadult/adult (>12 years). Fragments of long bones and occasional cranial fragments were present. However, it is unlikely that this assemblage contains the complete cremated remains of this individual.
Dating
A total of three radiocarbon dates were obtained from(cremated human bone, holly, and oak charcoal) two pits excavated at Kilnagurteen 1. These indicated that the burial activity recorded at the site was undertaken during the Middle Bronze Age. Two of the returned dates (from cremated human bone and holly charcoal) indicate a Middle Bronze Age date for both pits. The third returned date from the upper 5 cm/Spit 1 of cremation (006), indicated a Late Bronze Age date but is most likely intrusive given the date of the cremated bone.
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