County: Derry Site name: Clooney Road - RM1 Lands, Ballyonan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/2021/035
Author: Katy McMonagle
Site type: Various
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 646705m, N 918402m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.010995, -7.269830
The excavation was carried out between 8 April 2021 and 1 April 2022. Eight areas of archaeology were identified, known as Areas A to H. Features uncovered across the site include:
Three large burnt mound spreads with associated features including troughs and structures.
Numerous pits, many of which produced prehistoric artefacts, such as coarse pottery, stone and lithic elements. Several of the pits contained prehistoric vessels that will be able to be refitted, including a highly decorated Early Bronze Age Beaker vessel.
A large curving ditch of Iron Age date.
Three structures demarcated by a gullies, stake-holes, post-holes and hearths, all Bronze Age in date.
Four stake-hole structures, Early Medieval in date.
Two large rectangular Early Neolithic houses.
Around 2120 artefacts were recovered from the site. These include:
18 flint artefacts, including convex end scrapers and a possible plano-convex knife;
12 stone artefacts, consisting of hammer stones, rubbing stones and a saddle querns.
29 struck quartz elements and
2036 sherds of prehistoric pottery.
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