Pit

The National Monuments Service's description

This site was exposed during the monitoring of topsoil-stripping along the route of a Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West and excavated by Emer Dennehy (02E0492) who found a 'shallow curvilinear pit measured 1.28m north-west/south-east by 0.7m and had a maximum depth of 0.08m. The break of slope at the top and bottom was gentle, and all sides were concave. The base was uneven and stony. The pit was filled by a deposit composed of 15% burnt limestone and sandstone in a dark grey, clayey silt matrix with a small amount of charcoal and some unburnt bone. The presence of burnt stone and charcoal and the absence of water may indicate that it functioned as a pot-boiler or a roasting pit, but, as the pit appeared to be dry, it is more likely to be a roasting pit.' The above description is posted on the web at the following internet address: http://www.excavations.ie/ (accessed 22 August 2012).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of upload: 22 August 2012