House — Neolithic in Kilmainham (kells Upper By., Teltown Par.)

Situated at the N end of a slight S-N ridge (max. H 4m), with slightly lower ground around it W-N-E and a low circular rise (H 0.5-2m) c. 50m W of the ridge. Archaeological testing (04E0917) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 10 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified (excavations.ie 2004:1270) archaeological material that was fully excavated (E003140) between September 2006 and March 2007 by F. Walsh (2011) as Kilmainham 1C when almost all the available area was opened, amounting to 21,300 square metres. Human activity dating from the Early Neolithic to the High medieval and post-medieval was recorded in ten phases (excavations.ie 2007:1336), but as few stratigraphic connections could be made between features radiocarbon dating is used extensively to identify the phases. However, not all features can be related to particular phases or structures, and both Arabic and Roman numerals are applied to the structures. The prehistoric pottery is of great interest, but relatively little lithic material was recovered. The Early Neolithic is represented by two houses and two structures, while two possible houses and related features date to the late Neolithic. During the Early Bronze Age three circular hut-sites, the fulacht fia described as Burnt mound 2, a stone platform or cairn and some pit burials were in use. Some flimsy fencing is likely to belong to this era also. During the Middle and Late Bronze Age a field system began to be established although it might not have been completed until the Iron Age, but the only structures were a small four-post structure and a section of a wooden path as well as a fulacht fia. During the later part of the Iron Age cereal-drying kilns came into use and a rectangular enclosure was built, probably to establish a burial ground, although only two inhumations might be associated with it. Some large pits in the high Middle Ages were probably for the extraction of gravel, and many of these features from all periods that were so close to the surface were damaged by E-W post-medieval furrows. Two houses and two structures from the Early Neolithic (c. 4000 BC - c. 2800 BC) were recorded. This rectangular house (Structure 1) was located in a sheltered hollow towards the bottom of the NE-facing slope of the ridge. It is defined by corner posts and nearly central posts on its long and short sides (dims 8m NE-SW; 4m NW-SE), and sometimes the posts are doubled. The posts were burnt or decayed in situ but there were no slot-trenches for walls and an entrance is not identified. However, it had a central heath (dim 1.45m x 1.15m; D 0.22m) with stakeholes on its NE side, and early Neolithic carinated pottery and charred grain were recovered from some of the postholes. A sample of emmer wheat from the posthole at the W angle yielded a C14 date of 3773-3657 cal. BC (UBA 12896). About 2.5m NW of the structure a NE-SW line of postholes (L 6m) running more or less parallel with its NW wall is interpreted as an annexe but might just as well be a property boundary, and five light postholes 0.5-2.5m SE of the structure and aligned E-W (L c. 10m) may have had a similar function. (Walsh 2011, 6-14) A large hearth (dims 3m x 1.5m; D 0.2m) 3.5m SW of the structure sealed some pits and postholes, and produced a sherd of Early Neolithic ware. A sample of blackthorn charcoal from the hearth provided a radiocarbon date of 4045-3811 cal. BC (UBA 12897). A large pit (diam. 2-2.15m; D 0.52m) 8m S of the structure had seven fills derived from waste and produced 80 sherds from six carinated bowls and some flints. Four postholes 0.5-5m S of the pit form a rough NW-SE line but it is thought no structure was involved while a large, shallow pit (diam. 1.24-1.38; D 0.2m) c. 9m S of the structure and c. 6m E of the ceramic pit produced no artefacts although it is probably contemporary. Other scattered shallow pits S and E of the structure that produced a few Neolithic sherds would also have been part of the milieu. A cluster of ten stakeholes c. 6m to the NW formed a rough circle (diam. c. 1.5m) that may have served as a small animal pen. A fragment of hazel charcoal from one of the stakeholes provided a C14 date of 3765-3651 cal. BC (UBA 12903). (Walsh 2011, vol. 1, 14-21, 45) See the attached images adapted from Walsh (2011, vol. 2, figs 6-10) ME017-087_1 Site plan; ME017-087_2 Contour plan; ME017-087_3 Location; ME017-087001-_1 location; ME017-087001-_2 plan; ME017-087001-_3 plan; Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 16 March 2020