House — Bronze Age in Ballybrowney Lower

A single house structure, located within the centre of a Bronze Age enclosure (CO044-073001-), was excavated in 2003 in advance of the construction of the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy Bypass. This house structure (6m E-W; 4m N-S) was oval in plan and was represented by a slot-trench and several post-holes. The full extent of the enclosing slot-trench was not identified along the W portion of the house as this area had been disturbed by post-medieval field boundary ditches and extensive rabbit burrowing. According to the excavator, two substantial post-holes at the centre of the structure indicated substantial posts supporting the roof (Cotter 2006a, 34). The S-facing entrance was formed by two substantial post-holes, one of whose packing-stones was a fragment of a saddle quern. Approximately 33 sherds of Bronze Age pottery, belonging mainly to two vessels, were recovered from in and around this house. The excavator also noted that this house employed a different mode of construction to the other houses and structures (CO044-073004-, CO044-073005-, CO044-073009-, CO044-073010-, CO044-073011-, CO044-073012-) excavated in the area and may have functioned as a communal building, used perhaps for religious/ritual purposes (Cotter 2006c, 29). One of the central post-holes within the house was radiocarbon dated to 1750-1520 cal. BC (ibid., 24). A possible corn-drying kiln (CO044-096----) was situated to the SE of the house. (Cotter 2006a, 34-5; 2006c) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009