House — Bronze Age in Tober

A Bronze Age house with associated settlement features was excavated under licence No. E2677 in the townland of Tober, by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd (I.A.C.) as part of an archaeological mitigation programme associated with the N6 phase 2: Kilbeggan to Athlone dual carriageway scheme. The excavation took place on the W edge of a thin way-leave of a side road connected to the motorway between 7 December 2005 and 2 February 2006. The site was first identified in 2005 by I.A.C. Ltd when archaeological testing was undertaken in this field. The site is located 1.1km N of the village of Tober on gently undulating land with good views in all directions. Ballynahinch crannog (OF001-001----) is located 1.6km to the NNE. The site at Tober 1 consisted of a house (diam. c. 10m) defined by two concentric rings of posts with associated ancillary structures, all of which was enclosed by a fence. The inner circle (diam. 7m) consisted of large postholes (diam. 0.65m x D 0.7m) representing the remains of internal roof support oak posts (avg. diam. 0.15m). Radiocarbon dates obtained from this inner ring of postholes ranged from 1112-918 B. C., 1006-845 B. C. & 840-780 B.C.. The outer ring (diam. c. 10m) of small shallow postholes (D 0.1-0.2m) supported an external wall of posts and wattle which was located 1.5m outside the inner ring. Dates obtained from these postholes ranged from 1006-845 B.C. and 972-837 B.C.. A possible entrance porch (Wth c. 1.2m) was identified on the SE side of the house. In the centre of the house were the remains of a central post which was c. 3.5m equidistant from the postholes supporting the roof structure. This central post was c. 5m equidistant from the outer circle of postholes which supported the external wall of the house. This central post was located beside the large central hearth (Wth c. 2m) of the house which was defined by in situ burning and charcoal deposits spread over a large area. Dates obtained from this hearth ranged from 1123-938B.C. and 1120-910 B.C. The remains of possible partition walls were identified in the N half of the interior of the house. A distinctive pit with fire-reddened charcoal-rich fills to the S of the hearth may be the remains of a roasting/cooking pit (oven). A second large circular pit to the W of the hearth may have been used as a cooking/boiling pit and contained a large deposit of stone some of which had been subjected to heat. Two lobes on the edge of the pit may have supported a stick which extended across the pit, perhaps for suspending objects (food for cooking?) it the pit was filled with boiling water. To the N of the house was uncovered a curving line of postholes (1006-832 B.C.) which may be the remains of a stake and wattle fence (OF002-053002-) enclosing the Bronze Age house. This feature was not fully excavated as part of the enclosing feature ran into the unexcavated area to the W of the house. To the S of the house a series of postholes were excavated and identified as structure D which appears to have been the remains of straight fence orientated in a WNW-ESE alignment. Other postholes identified to the S of the house consisted of two four-post structures (dims. 2.5m E-W x 2.5m N-S) identified as structures E (1192-1011 B.C.) and F (1306-1060 B.C. and 1120-910 B.C.) . Bronze Age pottery was found in two postholes defining the N side of Structure E. The unexcavated field to the W of the Bronze Age house (OF002-053001-) probably contains the remains of the enclosing fence (OF002-053002-) along with other settlement features associated with the excavated house. A geophysical survey was carried out in the field under licence No. 08R142 but the results were inconclusive (Walsh 2011, 9-31). See attached Bing Maps aerial photograph showing location of excavated house (http://binged.it/1BEKYEx). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 21 January 2015