Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

This monument was discovered during ploughing in 1946. A large stone, c.015m beneath ground level was removed revealing the cist below. The stone was subsequently replaced. Members of the Sligo Archaeological Society visited the monument and noted bones on the capstone and in its vicinity. They subsequently emptied the contents of the cist. The monument was investigated by Prendergast on behalf of the National Museum of Ireland in the same year. Subrectangular short cist (dims. 0.51m NE-SW; 0.31m NW-SE; D 0.25m) whose sides were defined principally by four slabs set on edge. The floor was paved with a single slab. According to the landowner a flat slab had been placed between the SW side slab and the capstone. The large capstone (dims. 0.71m x 0.48m; T 0.1m) was subrectangular in plan. The pit dug to house the cist measured 0.75m x 0.71m. The cist itself and the area immediately surrounding it yielded cremated bone, which when analysed, were shown to be those of an adult male (1946:93:2). More cremated bone lay beneath the floor slab. Ten sherds of pottery were also uncovered from the cist. In the area outside of the grave was a miniature vessel (1946:93:1), two sherds of pottery and a tiny piece of charcoal. (Cahill and Sikora 2011, Vol. 1, 459-465). (Waddell 1998, 118-119).

Compiled by: Patrick F. O'Donovan

Date of upload: 29 February 2013

References

Waddell, J. 1998 The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. Galway University Press.

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.