Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gently undulating landscape. An area of sub-surface archaeological features was identified by Ian Russell in centre-line testing (02E0108) for the M4 Dublin to Galway motorway and set aside as Rossan 3. It was completely excavated (02E1065) when three pits were recorded with charcoal or burnt clay in their fills. One rectangular pit (dims 1m x 0.6m; D 0.15m) produced a C 14 date of Cal AD 1030-1280, while a second (diam. 0.7m; D 0.2m) had sherds of prehistoric pottery decorated with incised lines and finger-nail impressions. A charcoal sample from the pit with the pottery produced a C14 date of Cal BC 1760-1440. The third oval pit (dims 0.4m x 0.27m; D 0.1m) was cut into the circular pit. Some linear features (L 0.2-0.6m) in the area were filled with metal slag and there were some post-medieval drains. (Murphy 2003, 3-7)
Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 13 August 2019

References

Murphy, D. 2003 Rossan 3 in Carlin, N., Clarke, L., and Fintan Walsh (eds) 2008 The Archaeology of Life and Death in the Boyne Floodplain: the linear landscape of the M4, Kinegad – Enfield - Kilcock motorway. NRA Scheme Monographs 2, vol. 2.