House - Neolithic

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight S-facing slope. Archaeological testing (04E0915) by S. Delaney (2005) at Testing Area 12 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified (excavations.ie 2004:1355) archaeological material that was completely excavated (E003151) in November 2006 by Y. Whitty (2010) as Town Parks 5 when an area of 4782 square metres was opened to record a Neolithic house and structure (excavations.ie 2007:1399).

The house is rectangular (int. dims c. 8m E-W; c. 6.2m N-S) defined by slot-trenches (Wth 0.3-0.5m; D 01-0.3m) that are more truncated at the S edge but which have some postholes within them at the NW and SE angles. There is an entrance (Wth 0.7m) towards the S end of the E side, with a shallow pit (diam. 0.92m; D 0.08m) and a posthole just inside it. The trenches have packing stones, and burnt bone, sherds of a carinated bowl and chert debitage were recovered from them as well as a laurel leaf javelin head of chert that was retrieved from the W trench. Oak with low levels of ash, hazel and other trees were identified in the fills of the trenches as well as carbonized grains of emmer wheat. Samples from the slot-trenches returned C14 dates of 3709-3639 cal. BC (UBA 1249) from the N trench and 3768-3652 cal. BC (UBA 1250) from the E trench.

At the centre of the floor was a large central hollow (diam. 1-1.08m; D 0.16m) that was lined with stones at the base to act as a post-pad, and Neolithic pottery together with the tip of an arrowhead and fragments of burnt bone, hazelnut shells and cereal grains were recovered from it. A hearth (dims 0.96m x 0.9m; D 0.27m) was just to the N and produced sherds of a carinated bowl as well as charred grains and flint debitage. A sample of hazelnut shell from the hearth yielded a C14 date of 3705-3539 cal. BC (UBA 12051). There were two postholes in the interior but the one just S of the pad-stone pit would have provided most support for the roof, and a short N-S channel (L 0.82m; Wth 0.14m) just E of the hearth is the only indication of an internal division. An occupation layer covering the interior produced two sherds of pottery, and seven stakeholes and two postholes were revealed beneath it, but no artefacts or structures can be associated with them. There were two pits (dims 1.12m x 0.86m; E 0.22m; 3m x 1.4m; D 0.23m) and five postholes just W of the house. No artefacts were recovered from them, but a cereal grain from the smaller pit provided a radiocarbon date of 3768-3647 cal. BC (UBA 12047). (Whitty 2010 5-11)

See the attached site plan and monument plan from Whitty (2010, figs 6, 7)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 11 March 2022

References

Delaney, S. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 4, Navan - Kells and Kells Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 12 in Rockfield and Town Parks, County Meath. Licence: 04E0915. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Whitty, Y. 2010 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Town Parks 5, Co. Meath. Licence: E003151. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy