Hilltop enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

An aerial photograph shows a group of circular and sub-circular cropmarks of enclosures covering an area of c. 8 acres (CUCAP, BDS 37). Located on a N facing hillside E of Balrothery village. Pre-development testing in 1998 identified a complex of concentric ditches associated with occupation layers which follow the contours in the field (Baker & Swan 1998, 51-2). Further excavations in the S quadrant revealed a hilltop enclosure comprising a large number of ditches, burnt features, structures and souterrains (DU005-013003-). There was human burial at the top of the hill. The finds- E Ware, bronze pins, iron knives, bone comb, a spindle whorl and glass beads - and radiocarbon dates suggest the site was occupied throughout the first millennium AD. The hilltop enclosure was defended by ditched fortifications from the 3rd century to the 7th/8th century. An open settlement evolved but had fallen out of use by the 9th century (Carroll 2008, 21). The remainder of the ditched enclosures and cropmarks are preserved within the open space of the housing estate.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 15 November 2014

References

Carroll, J. 2008, Archaeological Excavations at Rosepark, Balrothery, Co. Dublin. Volume 1 Balrothery Excavations.Environmental Publications.Dublin.

Swan, R. 2000a Corr Castle, Howth Road, Howth. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1998: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 60-61. Bray. Wordwell.

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com