Flat cemetery

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on an E-W esker ridge. The inhumation of an adult male aged between 50 and 60 accompanied by decorated Neolithic pottery was discovered in 1949 towards the W summit of the ridge (Hartnett 1951). In the following years further discoveries were made. Grave 1 is an oblong pit (dims 0.8m x 0.5m; D ) cut in the subsoil and contained the crouched inhumation of an adult male accompanied by a Food Vessel sherd and a stone pebble. Grave 2 was a pit that had collapsed before being properly investigated, but some bone representing an adult male, a juvenile and an infant were recovered. Grave 3 had also collapsed before investigation but had contained inhumed remains of an adult male, an adult female and an adolescent. A bowl Food Vessel was recovered. Grave 4 was in an intact pit (D 0.6m) and contained the inhumation of an adult male accompanied by an upright bowl Food Vessel of tripartite type with a stone over its mouth. Grave 5 was 8m W of Grave 4 and was also in an intact pit. It contained the crouched inhumation of a juvenile with an upright Bowl Food Vessel. (Cahill & Sikora 2011, vol. 1, 359-371)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Revised date of upload: 21 August 2019

References

Hartnett, P. J. 1951 A Neolithic burial from Martinstown, Kiltale, Co.Meath. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 81, 19-23.

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.