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An Early Bronze Age pit excavated by Rose Cleary (04E1306) and described as 'a subcircular pit with some bone fragments in the basal fill. A large flat stone occupied part of the base on the north end. The pit fill was charcoal-enriched brown/black soil with some burnt bone, seashell and a burnt hazelnut shell fragment. The bone was concentrated in the south-west side. The bone fragments were too minute to identify as either animal or human. Five pieces of flint debitage were found at the base of the fill and Beaker pottery sherds were found throughout. The flint debitage may have been placed in the pit prior to infilling. A rounded water-rolled stone of old red sandstone was recovered from this fill. Some evidence of pocking/pitting on one end suggests use as a hammer stone. The pit appears to contain random deposits of pottery sherds, burnt bone and flint debitage. The pottery is from the Beaker period and includes 43 sherds representing at least five vessels. The pottery includes one sherd of Bell Beaker with zoned decoration including comb-impressed lines and short strokes. A second vessel can be categorised as Domestic Beaker and has impressed pits below the rim, both internally and externally. Two fragments of a third vessel are also decorated with impressed comb motifs and they may belong to the Bell Beaker classification. These fragments are from a small, thin-walled vessel (max. thickness 5.5mm). The remaining sherds are undecorated but on fabric type belong to two other vessels. The pottery was broken in antiquity and may have been deposited in the pit as some type of ritualistic gesture.' This description is posted on the web at the following internet address (accessed 2 August 2012): http://www.excavations.ie/ Compiled by: Denis Power Date of Upload: 3 August 2012

Early Bronze Age funerary pit; potentially associated with local burial practices and the use of stone in funerary contexts.