What is recorded here

Two burial pits emerged in County Louth before a road consumed the hill, one circular and one linear beneath the future carriage way. They held burnt bone, charcoal, stone and sherds of a single cordoned urn, suggesting someone placed a loved one inside a decorated vessel before firing it into memory. The road builders took only what they needed, leaving the linear pit unfinished beneath the surface. What remains is a broken jar and scorched flesh, preserved not in a museum case but in the compressed soil under a passing wheel.

Discovered prior to road construction (Excavation Licence No. 00E0535; Area A). Two pits (LH024-042002- and LH024-042003-) were uncovered, one circular in shape and one linear (full extent of the latter was not excavated as it ran under the road-take). Both contained burnt stone, charcoal, burnt bone and fragments of cordoned urn. The circular pit contained five sherds of cordoned urn while the linear pit contained three sherds, all of which appeared to be from the one vessel. The linear pit also contained some fragments of flint. (Duffy 2002, 231) Compiled by: Claire Breen Date of upload: 21 June 2013

Pit-burial in Hill of Rath is a prehistoric burial feature, likely dating to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. Its discovery provides insight into early funerary practices and settlement patterns in the region.

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