10.01.2014 Views

AR01055_EMAP_Gazetteer_of_Sites_4-2_10.pdf - The Heritage ...

AR01055_EMAP_Gazetteer_of_Sites_4-2_10.pdf - The Heritage ...

AR01055_EMAP_Gazetteer_of_Sites_4-2_10.pdf - The Heritage ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Meath<br />

<strong>The</strong> Phase III enclosure consisted <strong>of</strong> a partially surviving ditch that measured 34m by 2.3m<br />

by 1.50m. It would have formed a circular-shaped enclosure in plan but only a small portion<br />

<strong>of</strong> this ditch survived because the remainder was extensively truncated by the Phase IV<br />

enclosure. This ditch contained a large number <strong>of</strong> dumped or naturally accumulated deposits.<br />

Animal bone was retrieved from many contexts and a quantity <strong>of</strong> land snail was also<br />

identified. Other finds included Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware) pottery and fragments <strong>of</strong><br />

iron objects. <strong>The</strong> ditch provided two radiocarbon dates <strong>of</strong> AD 569-671 and AD 559-662.<br />

<strong>The</strong> last group <strong>of</strong> 12 burials may have been roughly contemporary with the Phase III<br />

enclosure. Infants – for the first time – were interred and this was a mixed cemetery that<br />

possibly represented an extended family across a generation. <strong>The</strong> graves were a mix <strong>of</strong> dug-,<br />

stone- and wood-lined examples and they cut through one <strong>of</strong> the Phase II enclosure’s eastern<br />

ditches. <strong>The</strong> burial <strong>of</strong> an adult male was dated to A.D. 687-895 while another was dated to<br />

A.D. 540-654.<br />

<strong>The</strong> final and fourth enclosure phase consisted <strong>of</strong> a re-cut to the Phase III enclosure and an<br />

extension <strong>of</strong> the site southwards in the form <strong>of</strong> a triangular-shaped enclosure.<br />

F25 – This ditch measured 58.5m by 4.50m by 1.30m and replaced and removed much <strong>of</strong> the<br />

eastern side <strong>of</strong> the Phase III enclosure. It contained eight deposits which included animal<br />

bone, burnt bone, snail shell and seashell. Finds included flint debitage, a flint end scraper<br />

and a copper-alloy spiral-headed ring-pin. Late medieval pottery, an iron spur fragment and<br />

post medieval pottery was retrieved from the upper fills which demonstrated that the ditch<br />

was open for a long period.<br />

F360 – This represented the western part <strong>of</strong> the Phase IV enclosure ditch and measured 54m<br />

by 2.35m by 1.10m. It similarly obliterated much <strong>of</strong> the Phase III enclosure on this side and<br />

contained seven deposits <strong>of</strong> mostly washed-in sediment. Charcoal was present as were some<br />

un-charred seeds which were dated to A.D. 402-568. <strong>The</strong> lower deposits contained animal<br />

bone and preserved organic material including wood. Artefacts included a wooden stave<br />

fragment and a fragment <strong>of</strong> Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware).<br />

A number <strong>of</strong> features – other than the burials – were situated within the enclosures. Some<br />

postholes were clustered towards the centre <strong>of</strong> the site but they did not form any coherent<br />

structural plan. <strong>The</strong>y may have supported grave markers such as large wooden crosses. A<br />

square-shaped enclosure – formed by two L-shaped ditches – was located to the immediate<br />

north <strong>of</strong> the Phase I and II enclosures and measured 6m by 6m. <strong>The</strong> entrance to the Phase II<br />

enclosure was directly opposite the square enclosure entrance. Its ditches contained<br />

inclusions <strong>of</strong> burnt and un-burnt animal bone and charcoal. Artefacts included an iron<br />

fragment, possibly from a knife, Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware) and a twisted copper-alloy<br />

fragment. <strong>The</strong> exact function <strong>of</strong> this feature is unclear but it may have marked the site <strong>of</strong> a<br />

shrine or small wooden church. One hearth and a large number <strong>of</strong> pits were also scattered<br />

throughout the interior <strong>of</strong> the site but their relationship to other features was unclear.<br />

527

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!