County: Cork Site name: Kilnagurteen 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004973
Author: John O'Connor, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd
Site type: Burnt mound and associated features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 533699m, N 574380m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.917607, -8.963798
Excavation by Rubicon Heritage Ltd at Kilnagurteen 2 was undertaken as part of the N22 Baile Bhuirne–Macroom Road Scheme (Lot 3) Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract. The excavation was carried out on behalf of Cork County Council and funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
The excavated features consisted of a small spread of Middle to Late Bronze Age burnt mound material, and possible associated pit and post-holes, under a Late Bronze Age/early Iron Age burnt mound with associated trough, stake holes, pits, a metalled surface and several spreads/ deposits (Figure 3). Radiocarbon dating indicated that the earliest pyrolytic activity was in the Middle to Late Bronze Age but that the main focus of activity occurred in the Late Bronze Age to early Iron Age period.
A trough (039) was found in the western half of the site, directly under mound material. This northwest-southeast orientated, sub-rectangular feature was cut into natural subsoil. It had rounded corners a sharp break of slope on top with vertical sides, a sharp break of slope at the bottom and a flat base. The trough measured 2.68 m long, 2.1 m wide and was 0.55 m deep.
Thirty-two stake-holes and four post-holes were found within or around trough (039). Of these one stake-hole was located in the northwest corner, seven stake-holes and one post-hole were located at, or near, both the northeast and southwest corners and the remaining seventeen stake-holes and one post-hole were located in the southeast corner of the trough.
The mound consisted of five distinct deposits. It measured approximately 14 m NW-SE by 16 m NE-SW and was 0.41 m deep. It was probably original taller and more compact but has been levelled over time by both human and natural processes.
Analysis of 443 charcoal fragments mainly from the burnt mound and related features including the clay lining and fills of a stone trough, stake-holes, pits and post-holes revealed an assemblage of wood types dominated by oak, with smaller quantities of hazel, alder birch, holly and willow. Ring curvature analysis indicates a fuel resource strategy of felling whole trees coupled with the selective removal of branches from smaller trees. Comparison of the identified taxa to the nearby semi-natural Gearagh and Prohus ancient oak woodlands reveals that both of these woodland types could have been resourced for burnt mound fuel, with these woodlands likely to have been more extensive during prehistory.
A total of five radiocarbon dates were obtained from young oak, prunus and alder charcoal for the burnt mound, trough and one of the pits excavated at Kilnagurteen 2. These indicated that the burnt mound activity occurred, most likely, between the Middle Bronze Age 1406-1266 cal BC (SUERC-87571) to early Iron Age 772-537 cal BC (SUERC-87505). Mesolithic charcoal from a pit feature (possibly redeposited) has been dated to 5468-5319 cal BC (SUERC-87510), suggesting earlier activity took place at Kilnagurteen 2, although the date, retrieved from pit (048), is interpreted as intrusive.
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