Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

During the course of excavations in the SW part of Cutting 1 in the inner enclosure of Dún Aonghasa (GA110-039----), very incomplete human skeletal remains were found 2m to the S of Structure 1 (GA110-039021-) and 0.6m to the E of the enclosing wall. Only the right forearm, wrist and hand bones of an adult were found together; part of an associated scapula was found close by. A fragment of an upper jaw recovered 1.25m to the N may be part of the same individual or those of a younger person. No grave-cut was evident. A radiocarbon date of 170 cal. BC-cal. AD 60 for the forearm provided evidence of early Iron Age activity in the fort (Cotter 2012, vol. 1, 339-42; vol. 2, 276-7). (Ó Donnabháin ibid., vol. 2, 191, 196)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 23 June 2020

References

Cotter, C. 2012 The western stone forts project. Excavations at Dún Aonghasa and Dún Eoghanachta. 2 vols. Dublin. Wordwell Ltd.

Ó Donnabháin, B. 2012 Human remains. In C. Cotter, The western stone forts project. Excavations at Dún Aonghasa and Dún Eoghanachta. Vol. 2, 189-96. Dublin. Wordwell Ltd.