Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

In October 1979 Ryan (NMI) investigated a grave near the decorated stone at Aghacarrible (KE054-021----). It was discovered accidentally at a point 15m NE of the stone. The burial is best described as a narrow rectangular slab-lined pit rather than a long stone cist. Its long axis is orientated SSW-NNE. The grave measures 2.1m in length at the top of the lining slabs and 1.7m at the bottom. The lining slabs were markedly inclined. They rested against the sides of the pit and were not firmly bedded. The ground plan at the bottom of the pit was irregular. Five capstones were in situ at the time of discovery and two had collapsed into the grave. The floor of the pit was unpaved.
The grave was almost filled to the top with mud, to an average depth of .3m, following the heavy rains at the time of finding. In the mid-section of the grave on its subsoil floor was a portion of a human cranium (age and sex not determined). The bone is registered in the National Museum as 1979:102.
At the SW end of the structure, some distance from the grave, 2 elongated stones, apparently bedded in the ground, appeared.
This grave may be one of the number of cists, containing fragments of human bone, discovered in a field adjoining the decorated stone (O'Sullivan 1931, 128).

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 193. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 4 August 2013

References

Cahill, M. and Sikora, M. (eds) 2011 Breaking ground, finding graves - reports on the excavations of burials by the National Museum of Ireland, 1927-2006, 2 vols. Dublin. Wordwell Ltd. in association with the National Museum of Ireland.