Hearth

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a fairly level landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0418) by J. Dempsey of Testing Area 4, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified a spread of charcoal (Dempsey 2004, 19). The area was fully excavated (E003066) by M. Mossop as Clowanstown 3 (excavations.ie 2006:1535) in August 2006 when it proved to be two hearths placed c. 50m apart.

The W hearth (max. dims 2.2m E-W; 1m N-S; D 0.2m) incorporated a tree-bole at its W end and had no edging stones. It consisted of three fills, the lowest of which was a red/brown clayey silt with occasional burnt stones that was covered by a thin layer of charcoal-stained silt. The topmost fill was a brown silty clay with occasional flecks of charcoal and decayed stone. Charred grains including oats, barley and wheat were in the secondary fills, and a sample of barley provided a C14 date of 996-1166 cal. BC (BETA 241294), placing it in the Late Bronze Age. (Mossop and Ruddle 2008, 3)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 April 2022

References

Mossop, M. & Ruddle, E. 2008 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Clowanstown 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003066. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Dempsey, J. 2004 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Report on the Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 4, Clowanstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E0418. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services