Pit

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a N-facing slope. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E1054) by D. Bayley (2005) at Testing Area 3 of Contract 5 of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1223) identified archaeological material that was fully resolved (E003171) by E. Danaher in October 2006 as Chapelbride 2 (excavations.ie 2006:1528). An oval pit (dims 1.34m x 0.86m; D 0.4m) from which a sherd of Neolithic pottery was recovered had a layer of black silty clay with frequent stones and oak charcoal beneath a brown silty clay with less stones and charcoal. A sample of oak charcoal from the basal layer returned a C14 date of 4221-3813 cal. BC (Beta 241162) placing it in the early Neolithic, although the old wood factor could mean a somewhat later date. (Danaher and Ginn 2008)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March 2022

References

Bayley, D. 2005 M3 Navan – North of Kills, Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 3 in Chapelbride, County Meath. Licence: 04E1054. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Danaher, E. and V. Ginn 2008 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 5 Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Chapelbride 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003171. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services