County: Dublin Site name: Area 2, Horizon Site N, Silloge, Swords
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 21E0502
Author: David Bayley & Joe Moran
Site type: Rectangular enclosure
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714260m, N 742065m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.416321, -6.281153
An archaeological excavation was carried out at Archaeological Area 2, Horizon Site N, Silloge, County Dublin.
The site comprised three separate cuttings, labelled Areas 2A, Area 2B and Area 2C. The largest area, Area 2B, contained a sub-rectangular enclosure and associated slot trenches and pits. Initial diagnostic evidence suggests a medieval date for this enclosure. The western side of the enclosure was later recut by a field boundary that formed part of a field system with ditches recorded in Areas 2A and 2C. A shallow recut of the southern and eastern part of the enclosure ditch has been interpreted as being contemporary with the overall field system and may have formed a small outfield.
The northern part of Area 2B was utilised as an area of gravel extraction with a number of extraction pits noted. The shallow nature of the surviving part of the enclosure ditch in this area may indicate a general reduction of the land as part of this quarrying process. Finds associated with this phase of activity indicate a post-medieval/modern date.
Overall, the activity recorded in Area 2 appears to be later than most of the other activities identified and excavated as part of the general development in Horizon Business Park (Areas 1, 3 and 5), whilst building foundations recorded in Area 4 would be more recent than the activity in Area 2.
The preliminary site interpretation has been based on stratigraphic relationships and typological similarities between features that were identified during the excavation works. Further post-excavation works and AMS dates will add to the understanding and interpretation of the site.
c/o IAC Archaeology Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
