2020:682 - KNOCKADROMIN (1), Tipperary

Excavation by Rubicon Heritage Ltd at Knockadromin 1 was undertaken as part of the Killaloe Bypass, Shannon Crossing and R494 Improvements Scheme, Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract (Phase 2). The excavation was carried out on behalf of, and funded by, Clare County Council.

Early Bronze activity consisted of a burnt mound at the base of alluvial silt layers, with trough, pits, hearth, stake-holes and burnt mound deposits. Charcoal analysis from the Early Bronze Age reveal a range of trees were resourced for fuelwood with the main taxa utilised being hazel, with significant values of elm and oak, while trees such as ash, holly, wild cherry, blackthorn, and fruit tree also contributed. Ring curvature information indicates that the woodfuel procurement strategy involved the felling of trees but that most of the hazel fragments were from medium-sized timbers, such as branches and rods.

Activity during the Late Iron Age–early medieval crossover consisted of a furnace pit and charcoal- production pit.

The metal-working pit (C009) was oval in plan, cut into silt deposit C003. It measured 0.7m in length (east-west), 0.54m in width, and had a maximum depth of 0.13m. Pit C009 contained slag with flow structure which was likely vertically solidified (376g), amorphous slag—much of which was porous (250g)—, three pieces of possible iron ore (21g) and ten pieces of heat-affected clay, likely furnace wall fragments (13g). The metalworking waste recovered from pit C009 suggests it was the base of a slag-pit furnace. This type of iron smelting furnace consisted of a clay shaft constructed above a pit which was filled with organic material. The shaft was filled with iron and charcoal and during firing a bloom of forgeable iron would have formed just above ground level.

Charcoal production pit C005 was sub-rectangular in plan with rounded corners and cut into silt deposit C003. It measured 2m in length (north-south), 1.7m in width, and had a maximum depth of 0.1m. Pit C005 had a gradual break of slope at the top with sloping sides and a gradual break of slope to base. The base was flat and fire-reddened. It contained two fills C006 and C002. The basal fill C006 was a soft, dark greyish black charcoal-rich clayey silt with occasional small pebbles and occasional charcoal chunk inclusions. A silt deposit C002 overlay C006.

Analysis of charcoal from the metalworking and charcoal production pits, from the Late Iron Age–early medieval period, revealed a more limited assemblage comprising solely of oak and hazel. Large-sized timber fragments representative of trunk wood are present for both taxa suggesting the felling of these trees in the production of charcoal for metalworking activity. The presence of a number of roundwood elements of hazel in these features may indicate fuelwood being resourced from a managed woodland.

Dating
Three radiocarbon dates were obtained from charcoal samples of elm, hazel and willow. These reveal that the first phase took place during the Early Bronze Age between 1952–1771 cal BC (SUERC-111372; 3542±24 BP) and 1921–1766 cal BC (SUERC-111373; 3517±20 BP) representative of burnt mound activity, and a second phase of activity in the Late Iron Age–early medieval period between cal AD 262–526 (SUERC-111374; 1662±21 BP) and cal AD 435–597 (SUERC-111375; 1539±24 BP) associated with industrial activity.