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EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

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Waterford<br />

Stratified rotary sharpening or polishing stones were recovered from two of the spreads and a<br />

possible posthole and indicate that metal-working, or more specifically finishing activity<br />

occurred in this area, possibly contemporary with occupation in the main enclosure (Russell,<br />

Harrison et. al 2007, 86).<br />

A Viking grave was discovered 22m outside the enclosure entrance at the northern end of the<br />

site. It was accompanied by one sword, a shield boss, a spearhead, a battle axe, a copperalloy<br />

ring pin and a perforated hone-stone and may have originally been covered by a small<br />

cairn of stones.<br />

Considerable on-site manufacturing activity involving iron, copper alloy, silver, glass and<br />

perhaps lead-working, woodworking, ship repair and textile production have been uncovered<br />

at Woodstown. Extensive evidence for ferrous and non ferrous metalworking was uncovered<br />

in both fields and included crucible fragments, sharpening or polishing stones, ingots of iron<br />

copper alloy and silver, stone mould(s), tuyère and furnace fragments and large quantities of<br />

slag. Debris associated with over 140 smithing hearths and possible in situ metal-working<br />

furnaces/hearths were uncovered both inside and outside the main enclosure.<br />

One of the in situ furnaces/hearths was excavated within a sheltered portion of one of the<br />

larger outer ditch terminals at the northern end of the site. A fill of the furnace was<br />

radiocarbon-dated (A.D. 426-600) to between the early-fifth and late-sixth century. <strong>The</strong><br />

furnace was sealed when a deposit containing waste and finished artefacts and radiocarbondated<br />

to the late sixth and seventh century (A.D. 582-694) was dumped into the ditch.<br />

Another furnace was excavated outside the enclosing ditch. Three post-holes around the<br />

circumference would have supported a flue or chimney lined with daub into which a set of<br />

bellows was probably inserted. <strong>The</strong> recovery of a lead weight from the oxidised clay of the<br />

furnace indicates that it may have been used for smelting lead or silver ingots, or possibly the<br />

forging of lead-weights (O’Brien and Russell 2005, 122). .<br />

At least four nodules of silver-melt debris were recovered in the topsoil soil and indicate that<br />

silver was also being worked as well as exchanged at the site. Over 600 possibly<br />

Viking/medieval ship rivets were also revealed in the excavations at the site and it has been<br />

suggested (Bill 2006) that many possibly belonged to ships of a Scandinavian clinker-built<br />

tradition. Bill (2006, 11) has suggested that the quantity of these rivets indicates that ships<br />

could have been repaired or at least broken up at, or, in the vicinity of Woodstown.<br />

Textile production is indicated by a number of stone spindle whorl, including one from a posthole<br />

in the northern field as well as a stone loom weight from the ploughsoil. Also recovered<br />

were eight perforated lead artifacts which may have functioned either as weights or spindle<br />

whorls (Quinney 2005, 52) and three sets of shears or scissors (Quinney 2005, 52).<br />

Food-production from the site is also indicated by a quantity of fish-hooks and a sickle which<br />

it was suggested was of a Norwegian rather than Irish type (Russell et. al. 2007, 48).<br />

A considerable number of rotary sharpening stones for metalwork were uncovered from both<br />

the ploughsoil and stratified contexts, particularly within the ditches. Other domestic artifacts<br />

included a quantity of hone-stones, copper-alloy tweezers, fragments of bone combs and four<br />

weights, possibly used for weighing down thatch (McNamara 2005, 126-27).<br />

<strong>The</strong> trading and mercantile interests of the site is also demonstrated by over two hundred<br />

lead pan weights, 30 pieces of hacked silver ingots, stamped and unstamped silver arm-rings<br />

and a fragment of two probable silver kufic coin from Arabia- all predominantly recovered<br />

from the ploughsoil. Also recovered were a number of glass and amber beads as well as an<br />

ivory bead- possibly walrus from the North Atlantic (McNamara 2005, 128). It was suggested<br />

that one fragment of amber may represent a piece of craft-working debris (Harvey 2005, 6)<br />

indicating that these objects were not only being imported but worked on-site.<br />

633

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