Fulacht fia in Fahee South

Excavated in 1981 and 1982 the following account is taken from the preliminary report of the investigations (O Drisceoil 1981): ‘The site was excavated between June 21st and July 24th, 1981. The fulacht fiadh lies on the eastern side of the Carran Depression in an area that is subject to flooding frequently in winter and occasionally in summer. Prior to excavation the site consisted of a horse-shoe shaped mound with a maximum diameter of c. I7m, with its opening to the south. At its maximum point the mound rose to a height of c. 1m above the surrounding ground level. Surface indications suggested that there had been little or no interference with the site since it had been last used. In the interior of the site, within the enclosing mound, large protruding stones suggested the presence of walls or other stone-built structures. The interior of the site was fully excavated to the underlying sub-soil. While the mound was not fully excavated, a number of trenches were run from the interior through the mound. In addition a 3m square was excavated in the level ground to the east of the site. Mound: This feature enclosed the working area of the site where the trough was located. It was made up of burnt and broken limestone, burnt soil and ash. In its basal layers samples of charcoal were recovered. Apart from a thin turf-line and stratum of weathered burnt limestone in its upper levels, the material of the mound was unstratified. The mound preserved the fossilised old ground level beneath it. On the southern side of the mound a low revetment of stones was revealed, mostly collapsed. This feature was not observed elsewhere on the perimeter of the mound. Trough: This lay in the interior of the site in the depression enclosed by the mound of burnt material. The trough was dug in the grey/yellow sub-soil that underlay all features of the site. It was rectangular in plan, measuring 2.1m by 1m. Nowhere did its depth exceed 20cm. The remains of timber planks were recovered from the floor of the trough, which indicated that it had originally been timber lined. Slots cut in the sub-soil at the four corners of the trough showed that side planks had been fitted. These had not survived. Enclosing walls: The interior of the site was enclosed on the western and eastern sides by stone-built walls. These enclosed an area of c. 6m diameter. The trough was located roughly mid-way between these walls. The walls, which had an average width of 1.30m and rose to an average height of 1m were mostly built of parallel runs of large stones with smaller stones filling the middle. The enclosing mound had built up outside the walls and mostly covered them. On the eastern side of the site a narrower stone-built wall lay c. lm outside the enclosing wall described above. This wall had been completely covered with mound material. There was no evidence of a hearth on either side of the trough within the walls. It was in a position such as this that the hearth at Drombeg, Co Cork had been found. Hearth/roasting oven: To the north east of the trough and c. 5m distant from it lay a structure, roughly circular in plan built of large stones. These stones had been greatly affected by heat. Around the perimeter of the structure large slabs had been set on edge, while inside the structure was floored with large tightly packed stones. The fact that the structure had been greatly affected by heat suggested that it had been used as a hearth but its distance from the trough would seem to cast some doubt- on this interpretation. It is possible that it may have been a roasting oven. Between this and the trough to the south west the ground sloped gently downwards. In this area many small "stake-holes" and some larger post-holes were revealed. Pit: To the south of the site in the area of the opening of the mound a large pit was uncovered. It was dug in the sub-soil and remained constantly water-logged despite pumping. The fill of the pit consisted of large amounts of burnt stone and included pieces of bone and deer antler, it was not possible to establish the full dimensions of the feature due to the problem of flooding. This pit may have been an earlier trough used before the main trough was dug. The presence of burnt stone beneath the walls enclosing the site may support this suggestion. Finds: During the course of the excavation the following finds were made: 2 barbed and tanged arrowheads, 1 chert scraper, several pieces of (possibly) worked chert and flint, fragments of an amber bead/ring, small pieces of iron slag, several animal teeth, 2 large pieces of deer antler, several fragments of burnt and unburnt bone. The stratigraphic location and significance of these finds will be fully discussed in the full report. Sampling: Throughout the excavation many samples were taken for environmental analysis. These samples were taken from all features of the site - trough-fill, pit-fill, mound material etc. Analysis of these samples for micro and macro plant and other remains is now being undertaken. Columns or blocks of peat and soil were also taken to facilitate pollen analysis. Samples of timber from the trough and charcoal from different parts of the site are being prepared for C14 dating.’ O Drisceoil concluded on the basis of radiocarbon dating that the Fahee South burnt mound was used around 1400 – 1200 BC (Waddell 1991, 68). CL010-024----_01.jpg and CL010-024----_02.jpg. Views of the excavation in progress (July 1981). Compiled by: Paul Walsh Date of upload: 17 October 2014