County: Derry Site name: Clooney Road - RM2 Lands, Ballyoan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/2023/034
Author: Katy McMonagle
Site type: Various
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 646536m, N 918080m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.008118, -7.272524
Test trenching was undertaken between 9 May and 12 June 2023. Two-hundred and sixty-seven trenches were excavated, and archaeology was uncovered within 22 trenches. Upon completion of the topsoil strip, four areas of archaeology were identified, recorded as Areas A to D. Features uncovered across the site include:
• Numerous pits and post-holes, forming possible structures. One of which contained Early Bronze Age decorated pottery.
• A burnt mound with three troughs, one gully, 15 pits and 252 stake-holes. Artefacts included pottery and flint.
• Another burnt mound with an expansive charcoal spread, once removed to reveal three troughs, 22 pits/post-holes, 6 gullies and 457 stake-holes.
• Multiple isolated irregular pits of prehistoric date.
Around 115 artefacts were recovered from the site. These include:
• 41 flint artefacts, including convex end scrapers;
• 2 coarse stone artefacts, including a mortar;
• 12 quartz artefacts;
• 47 sherds of prehistoric pottery, including an Early Bronze Age food vessel;
• 3 pieces of metal;
• 3 pieces of glass;
• 3 fragments of clay pipes;
• 1 coin;
• 2 pieces of wood from stake-holes within the base of a trough.
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