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Two houses and two structures from the Early Neolithic (c. 4000 BC - c. 2800 BC) were recorded. This rectangular house (Structure 3) was on the broad col on the W side of the ridge and at the S edge of the excavation. It is defined by four corner posts and centrally-placed posts on the centre of its long sides (dims c. 9.5m NW-SE; c. 4m NE-SW at NW to c. 5m at SE), but all its posts had been removed when it was abandoned. It had three internal postholes, and the presence of post-pipes shows that the internal posts had been left in situ. Five sherds of Early Neolithic pottery were jammed around one of the posts, indicating they were inserted with it, and a sample of hazelnut charcoal from this context provides the C14 date 3944-3713 cal. BC (UBA 12899). Two of the three small internal pits had some pottery sherds as did a central hearth (dims 0.77m x 0.64m; D 0.25m), some of whose sherds match those from one of the pits. (Walsh 2011, 21-8)
Externally, there was a working area (dims 3.3m x 2.2m) represented by 12 charcoal-rich layers attached outside the S end of the SW wall from which 50 sherds of pottery representing at least five vessels, and a flint core were also recovered. The base of this platform showed signs of in situ burning. A few small pits in the vicinity usually had some pottery and some sherds could be matched with sherds directly associated with the structure. Six pits, five postholes and two spreads dispersed 6-18m N of the house produced Neolithic material and are undoubtedly contemporary with it. The largest pit (dims 4.5m x 3m; D 0.5m) with four fills produced over 350 sherds from at least 24 early Neolithic carrinated bowls from one of its layers, as well as a few flint and chert pieces and also an amount of quartz. A sherd of Beaker was in a shallow deposit at the top of the pit but this is related to Beaker activity in the area. A small pit (dam. 0.36-0.38m; D 0.15m) just outside the NW wall of the structure produced two sherds of Grooved ware as well as three sherds likely to be Early Bronze Age in date. (Walsh 2011, vol. 1, 28-34, 48-9)
True location: ITM (675583, 774066)
See the attached plans adapted from Walsh (2011, vol. 2, figs 6-7, 11)
ME017-087_1 site plan;
ME017-087_2 contour plan;
ME017-087_3 location plan;
ME017-087002- house plan;
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 16 March 2022
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