Burnt mound in Nugentstown

Situated on a level landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0920) by S. Delaney (2005) at Testing Area 7 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified a burnt mound spread (excavations.ie 2004:1171) that was fully excavated (E003135) by P. Lynch (2010) as Nugentstown 2 in January and February 2007 (excavations.ie 2007:1361). An area of just over 1500 square metres was opened and two spreads of broken and burnt stone and a charcoal spread were excavated. The largest spread (dims 8.32m E-W; 4m N-S; D 0.05m) filled a natural hollow in the subsoil. A fragment of alder charcoal from this yielded a C14 date of 2575-2475 cal. BC (UBA 11133), placing it at the Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age transition. The second spread (dims 2.5m E-W; 1.3m N-S; D 0.08m) c. 10m to the N was also lodged in a hollow on the surface of the subsoil. A small spread (dims 1.5m x 1.3m; T 0.02m) of charcoal was c. 17m NW of the larger spread of heat-affected stone. Al the material is probably dislodged from its original location. (Lynch 2010, 5-6) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 23 March 2022

Burnt mound in Nugentstown is a Bronze Age ritual or industrial site, characterized by a heap of heat-shattered stones. Its significance lies in providing evidence of prehistoric activity, possibly related to cooking, metalworking, or ceremonial practices.