County: Roscommon Site name: Peak 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E005235
Author: Siobhan McNamara and Kevin Kearney
Site type: Burnt spread and trough
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 576814m, N 788092m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.841794, -8.352306
Peak 1 was excavated in advance of construction of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project in County Roscommon by Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) for Roscommon County Council (RCC) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The site consisted of a burnt spread and trough located in boggy terrain adjacent to a palaeochannel. It was identified during Stage (i)c Standard Test Excavations, carried out by AMS under Ministerial Direction (Direction No. A077, Registration No. E5070; Hardy 2021).
The palaeochannel meandered roughly east–west on the southern side of the burnt spread. The trough was cut into the upper edge of the palaeochannel, where it was presumably easy to fill and empty. It was sub-rectangular in plan, 1.49m long, 1.42m wide, 0.25m deep, had steeply sloping sides that broke gradually to an irregular flattish base and contained four fills. The basal fill consisted of loosely compacted light brownish-yellow clayey sand, containing frequent large charcoal chunks and occasional sub-angular burnt stone, 0.1m deep. A sample of hazel charcoal was dated to the Chalcolithic period, 2465–2208 cal. BC (UBA-48073; 3877±35BP).
Above this was a layer of loosely compacted dark-greyish black silty clay with frequent charcoal and medium-sized sub-angular burnt red, yellow and grey sandstone inclusions, 0.12m deep. Seventeen fragments of animal bone were recovered from this fill, two of which were from a large mammal. The next fill was confined to the south-west side of the trough; it consisted of loosely compacted light greyish-yellow mottled clay, containing moderate charcoal flecks, 0.17m deep. The uppermost fill consisted of a loosely compacted mid-grey clayey silt containing frequent charcoal flecks and occasional small burnt stones, 0.13m deep. This fill likely accumulated naturally after the trough went out of use and likely consists of material deposited by the palaeochannel combined with material washed in from the burnt spread.
The trough was overlain and sealed by the burnt spread, some of which likely became displaced from its original position. The burnt spread comprised an irregularly shaped charcoal-rich spread of loosely compacted mid-brownish black silty clay containing frequent small sub-angular burnt stones, 4.56m by 3m in plan and a maximum of 0.1m deep. A rib from a large animal, such as cow or horse, was recovered from within the burnt spread material.
No artefacts were found during the investigation. Charcoal from the burnt spread and basal and secondary fills of the trough consisted of alder, ash, elm, and hazel.
This report summary was submitted on behalf of its authors.
References
Hardy, C. 2021. N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project Stage (i)a, (i)b, (i)c Test Excavation, Stage (i)m Testing in Felled Forestry and Stage (i)f Townland Boundary Survey. Ministerial Direction No. A077, Registration No. E5070. Unpublished AMS report for TII and RCC.
Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS), Fahy’s Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare
