Burnt mound

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a level landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0920) by S. Delaney (2005) at Testing Area 7 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified a burnt mound spread (excavations.ie 2004:1171) that was fully excavated (E003135) by P. Lynch (2010) as Nugentstown 2 in January and February 2007 (excavations.ie 2007:1361). An area of just over 1500 square metres was opened and two spreads of broken and burnt stone and a charcoal spread were excavated. The largest spread (dims 8.32m E-W; 4m N-S; D 0.05m) filled a natural hollow in the subsoil. A fragment of alder charcoal from this yielded a C14 date of 2575-2475 cal. BC (UBA 11133), placing it at the Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age transition. The second spread (dims 2.5m E-W; 1.3m N-S; D 0.08m) c. 10m to the N was also lodged in a hollow on the surface of the subsoil. A small spread (dims 1.5m x 1.3m; T 0.02m) of charcoal was c. 17m NW of the larger spread of heat-affected stone. Al the material is probably dislodged from its original location. (Lynch 2010, 5-6)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 23 March 2022

References

Lynch, P. 2010 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Nugentstown 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003135. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Delaney, S. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 4, Navan - Kells and Kells Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 7 in Athgaine Little and Nugentstown, County Meath. Licence: 04E0920. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy