Barrow - ring-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

This monument was discovered during stripping of topsoil on a flat ridge in 1998. It comprises a circular ditch (D 0.6m) with an internal diameter of c. 8.5m which encloses a mound. There were no surviving traces of an external bank. Within the mound was a supine juvenile inhumation in poor condition, and there was no indication of a formal grave-cut. A pit cut into the mound containing five cattle teeth. The central mound was capped with a layer of clay that contained a pit cremation and a number of small spreads of charcoal. There was a small amount of fragmentary burnt human bone in the cremation, suggesting token deposition. Within the ring-ditch the primary fill contained a large number of fragments of burnt bone. The quantity of this material suggests that it may represent pyre debris. Burnt human and animal bone and disarticulated animal bone was distributed irregularly but appeared in various densities throughout the ring-ditch. The faunal remains included cattle teeth and shed antler. Pieces of struck flint were found (mainly at the four cardinal points), including two thumbnail scrapers, which suggest a possible Bronze Age date (0'Neill 2000, 40-42, ).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Date of upload: 29 April 2009

References

O'Neill, J. 2000 Carrickmines- Bray Gas Pipeline, Carrickmines Great/ Laughanstown/Ticknick/ Rathmichael/ Shankill/ Ballyman. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1998: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 37-9. Bray. Wordwell.