Excavation

This pit was discovered in 2001 during an archaeological testing programme in advance of the N22 Ballincollig Bypass. Subsequent excavation in 2002 revealed an isolated subcircular pit (1m N-S x 0.9m; D 0.17m) with two separate fills. The primary fill was a loose, charcoal-stained, clayey silt containing a high quantity of heat-shattered stone. The secondary fill at the E of the pit consisted of a small pocket of redeposited subsoil. According to the excavator (Danaher 2004h, 79), though the primary fill contained a charcoal-enriched and heat-shattered stone fill, there was no evidence to indicate that this pit may have functioned as a hearth. (Danaher 2002a; 2004h, 79) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009