What is recorded here

Thirty-eight hectares of flat Meath soil hid twenty-eight shallow pits where charcoal, burnt stone and cremated bone waited beneath ordinary grass. Some holes held waste flint and tiny scrapers, suggesting people lived, chipped tools and buried dead before the land was stripped for development. What remains is a scatter of small losses: a thumb-sized scraper, a post hole, a child’s marrow jar reduced to flecks. The excitement is in the absence, in the shape of what the soil swallowed and never gave back whole.

Situated on a fairly level landscape. Archaeological monitoring (98E0352) of topsoil stripping over an area of about 38 hectares (c. 95 acres) by C. Ó Drisceoil identified six areas of potential archaeological importance consisting largely of pits filled with charcoal and burnt stones (excavations.ie 1998:526). In Area 5 28 pits were originally identified, some of which were excavated at the time. When the area was re-examined (12E0311) by P. D. Sweetman (2012, 14-22) fewer features remained (excavations. ie 2012:660). A pit (diam. c. 1m; D 0.15m) was filled with hard-packed soil that had stones and some charcoal flecks and cremated bone. Two thumb-nail scrapers were also recovered from it. A second pit (dims 0.65m x 0.5m; D 0.1m) was c. 16m to the SE and had a dark grey fill that produced 14 pieces of waste flint. A third pit (dims 0.6m x 0.4m; D ) with a post-pit (diam. 0.15-0.2m; D 0.25m) was 2.6m to the N of the second pit and produced 42 pieces of mostly waste flint and one piece of chert. A fourth pit (diam. 0.6m; D 0.24m) just 0.7m to the W of the third had a fill with flecks of charcoal and cremated bone and 43 pieces of mostly waste flint. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 30 March 2023 Ó Drisceoil, C. 1998 Archaeological Test-excavations at Simonstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 98E0352. Unpublished Interim Report, Archaeological Consultancy Services Sweetman, P. D. 2012 Report on Archaeological Assessment, Monitoring and Excavation at Simonstown, County Meath, August-September 2012. Licence: 12E0311. Unpublished report, Author

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