Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise in a fairly level landscape. The penannular ring-ditch identified by GBS Prospection (2001, 9) was confirmed in archaeological testing (04E0417) by J. Dempsey when testing Testing Area 3, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie: 2004:1184). The remaining area within the road corridor was completely excavated (E003062) by S. Rathbone as Berrilstown 1 in November 2006 (excavations.ie 2006:1510). Twenty six pits and a corn-drying kiln were excavated around the E edge of the ring-ditch, the pits being more dispersed with distance from the ring-ditch.

Apart from two linear examples (dims 1.36m x 0.8m; D 0.19m: 1.5m x 0.42m; D 0.18m) the pits were circular and small (max. diam. 1m; max. D 0.36m). Fourteen of the pits had inclusions of charcoal or burnt bone, but cereal grains dominated by barley were recovered in only one pit. A fragment of metal slag was found in another, and the only artefact was a fragment of a lignite bracelet. Samples from three of the pits produced C14 determinations of 338 cal. BC to 2 cal. AD (BETA 246982), 386-183 cal. BC (BETA 246983), and 565-666 cal. AD (BETA 246984). (Rathbone 2009, 6)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 April, 2022

References

Dempsey, J. 2004 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Report on the Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 3, Berrilstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E0417. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Rathbone, S. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Berrilstown 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003062. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

GBS Prospection 2001 N3 Navan to Dunshaughlin Road, County Meath: Geophysical Survey. Licence: 00R0064. Unpublished report, No. 2000/104. GBS Prospection