What is recorded here

When the lake retreated during the Late Bronze Age, a narrow ridge emerged in Brittas, inviting people to build platforms above the water and scatter life across the mud. They left behind spearheads, bracelets, pottery, and querns, proving the site was more than a passing camp. The absence of a visible hut suggests the true home lay nearby on dry land, while the ridge served as a bold extension into the shrinking lake.

During the Late Bronze Age the lake level seems to have dropped considerably and an E-W ridge (dims c. 36m x c. 20m) became available but activity extended beyond this in every direction. During a second phase four large platforms (dims 3m x 2m to 7m x 4m) were established over the smaller ones of the earlier phase. The platforms were covered in a peat with habitation debris including animal bones, two leaf-shaped socketed spearheads, six pins, a tweezers and a small bronze disc, three lignite and two shale bracelets. There were also fragments of lignite and amber bracelets and portion of a glass bead. There were over 200 sherds or pottery representing at least five coil-built, bucket-shaped vessels. Three stone and one bone spindle whorls were recovered, together with at least five hone stones and fragments of 22 saddle querns. A charcoal sample produced a C14 date of 2650 +-80 BP (c. 700 bc) (Bradley 1991, 12), but there is no hut or structure on the ridge associated with the material. However, its quantity and quality suggests that there was a significant settlement on the mainland nearby. (Bradley 1984, 86-7; 1991, 12-3; 1997, 52-8; 1999, 13-15; O’Sullivan 1998, 81-3) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 6 September

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