Midden in Tievebane

The midden is located in lowlying ground at the base of a high, steep hill. According to local reports this may have formed part of the eastern shoreline of Lough Swilly prior to extensive land reclamation. A small portion of the top of this midden had previously been identified by P. Woodman and B. MacNaught during field-walking exercises in the Tievebane area. During the course of their work they also apparently discovered quantities of Mesolithic and Neolithic flints etc. in the vicinity of the midden. Large quantities of individual oyster shells are visible in the fields in proximity of the monument. Portion of the eastern side of the midden has been destroyed as a consequence of the construction of an access roadway which winds its way up the hill to where a housing development is to be located. A section through the midden is identifiable at the WSW side of the access roadway (total L NNW-SSE; H above 'new' ground level c. 0.2m - 0.35m; D below pre-existing ground level c. 0.55m). Centrally located within this is layer of tightly packed oyster and other shells, burnt stones and some tiny fragments of bone within a matrix of burnt, black soil (L c. 3.3m). The portions of the layer on either side of the burnt area are not as tightly packed with shell but are also differentiated by a very distinct difference in colour and composition from the ground on either side of them. There are two small areas of tightly-packed shells visible on the 'new' ground level on the site of the levelled portion of the midden. The first (dims. c. 2.4m E-W; 2.2m N-S) adjoins the N extent of the exposed section and extends beyond it. The second (c.2.4m NW-SE; c. 1.6m NE-SW) is c. 2.8m SW of the centre of the burnt area of the layer. Described in 2001 as 'The remnants of a shell midden were noted by fieldwalkers. These were confined to a field boundary defined by scrub and mature trees with a slight down lynchet on the northern side. The only surviving portion of this shell midden was a strip running down slope for 3 metres and extending for no more than 1 metre in width. Even this remnant would appear to have been disturbed by roots and may have been no more than 15cms in thickness. This surviving portion is dominated by oyster shells. There is no indication as to how extensive this shell midden might have been originally. The surviving portion lies on a compartatively steep part of the slope and was situated about 15 metres from the gate. A sample of shells collected in 2001 was submitted to Beta Analytic. Beta 155376 measured age 3930 +-50 b.p. The field to the south had produced an early Mesolithic assemblage from an area further uplsope, on a flat terrace overlooking reclaimed lands and Lough Swilly. To the north in a similar type of location a later prehistoric assemblage was recovered. At present both fields are covered by grass' (Woodman & Milner 2001, 4-5; Milner & Woodman 2007, 104-5, No. 1). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 August 2010.