Excavation

Situated on a slight E-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0919) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 8 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified archaeological material (excavations.ie 2004:1309) that was excavated (E003136) by P. Lynch (2010) as Nugentstown 1 from late September 2006 to mid-January 2007 (excavations.ie 2007:1360). Two large adjacent open areas amounting to 7641 square metres were opened enabling isolated features to be recorded in the western Area A. This included a spread (dims 1.2m x 0.8m; T 0.15m) with six sherds of vase Food Vessel dated stylistically 2020-1920 BC and some burnt bone. A small hearth (dims 0.85m x 0.6m; T 0.18m) with two postholes or pits impinging on it were also isolated in this area, but a sample of alder charcoal from one of the pits provided a Middle Bronze Age date of 1657-1506 cal. BC (UBA 12061). There were some other postholes and pits in the vicinity including one (dims 1.55m x 0.93m; D 0.18m) that may have been a rubbish pit and a deposit that may have been rake-out from the hearth, but no artefacts were recovered. (Lynch 2010, 5-7) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 23 March 2022