Ballon Hill Archaeology Project Archaeology Project
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Ballon Hill Ballon Hill Archaeology Project Archaeology Project Phase 1 Report Phase 2013 1- 2014Report 2014 0 Project coordinators: Nial O’Neill, Deirdre Kearney & Pat O’Neill Report authors: Nial O’Neill & Deirdre Kearney Copyright: The authors Cover Picture: Courtesy of Dr. Gillian Barrett Lidar data: Courtesy of and copyright with the OPW Fuair an tionscnamh seo fóir-dheontas ó Chomhpháirtíocht Forbartha Chontae Cheatharlach Teo, Clár Forbartha Tuaithe atá maoinithe ag Rialtas na hÉireann faoi Chlár Forbartha Tuaithe Éireann 2007-2013 agus ag Ciste Talamhaíochta na hEorpa d’Fhorbairt Tuaithe: infheistiú na hEorpa i Limistéir Tuaithe. This project received grant aid from Carlow County Development Partnership Ltd under the Rural Development Programme Ireland 2007-2013 which is financed by the Irish Government and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in Rural Areas. 1 Acknowledgements The project coordinators would like to thank the Carlow County Development Partnership and Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society for providing funding for Phase 1 of this project. We would also like to thank Carlow County Museum and Carlow County Library for support, encouragement and access to resources and the OPW for providing Lidar data. Many individuals also provided knowledge, insight and encouragement along the way including Dr. Steve Davis, Eimhear O’Brien, Professor John Waddell, Professor William O’Brien, Dr. Peter Northover, Judith Finlay, Damian Maguire, T.J. O’Connell, Dermot Mulligan, Maeve Sikora, Mary Cahill and Conor McDermott. Particular thanks also to the specialist report authors Dr. Eoin Grogan and Helen Roche, Laureen Buckley and Caoimhe Ní Thóibín and to Dr. Gillian Barrett for providing aerial photographs. Grateful thanks to landowners PJ Blanche and John Smith of Ballon Hill. 2 Figure 1 Location of Ballon Hill 3 Contents Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 9 2. Background ..................................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 The project ................................................................................................................................ 11 2.2 Antiquarian writing ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 A general introduction to the Irish Bronze Age and Bronze Age burial ..................................... 14 2.4 The general Bronze Age of County Carlow ................................................................................ 17 2.5 Bronze Age burial in County Carlow .......................................................................................... 20 3. Cartography and aerial photography .............................................................................................. 24 3.1. Down Survey ............................................................................................................................ 24 3.2 The 1st edition Ordnance Survey map ....................................................................................... 26 3.3 The 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map ....................................................................................... 27 3.4 Google Earth and Bing maps ..................................................................................................... 28 4. Lidar data ........................................................................................................................................ 29 5. The monuments .............................................................................................................................. 31 5.1 The ‘old rath’ ............................................................................................................................. 31 5.2 Burial monument on the eastern slope of the hill .................................................................... 32 5.3 The ‘new’ enclosure on the top of the hill ................................................................................ 32 5.4 The large enclosure ................................................................................................................... 35 6. Pottery ............................................................................................................................................ 37 6.1 Overview of the pottery assemblage ........................................................................................ 37 6.2 The surviving pottery from Ballon Hill ....................................................................................... 39 6.3 The pottery in the 19th century publications ............................................................................. 44 7. Metal artefacts................................................................................................................................ 47 8. Unburnt human bone ..................................................................................................................... 50 9. Burnt human bone .......................................................................................................................... 53 10. Other grave goods ........................................................................................................................ 55 11. Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 56 11.1 Early Bronze Age ..................................................................................................................... 56 11.1.1 Pottery ............................................................................................................................. 56 11.1.2 Old-Rath or burial mound ................................................................................................ 60 4 11.1.3 Barrows ............................................................................................................................ 61 11.1.4 Other locations................................................................................................................. 61 11.1.5 Cist and pit burials ............................................................................................................ 62 11.2 Middle Bronze Age .................................................................................................................. 62 11.3 Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age............................................................................................... 63 11.4 Medieval period ...................................................................................................................... 63 11.5 17th century AD ....................................................................................................................... 64 11.6 Minimum number of pottery vessels and burials ................................................................... 64 11.6.1 Minimum number of pottery vessels. .............................................................................. 65 11.6.2 Minimum number of burials unaccompanied by pottery vessels .................................... 66 11.6.3 Overall minimum number of burials ................................................................................ 67 11.7 Ballon Hill and its place in the Irish Bronze Age ...................................................................... 68 12. Conclusions and further work ....................................................................................................... 71 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 72 Appendix 1- The Pottery report Appendix 2- The metal artefact report Appendix 3- The unburnt human bone report Appendix 4- The burnt human bone report 5 Figures Figure 1 Location of Ballon Hill ............................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2 Photo of Razor-knife (CMM07 85B) and 2 of 3 pebbles (CMM07 85C & D) in bespoke display case found in a cist on Ballon Hill: Photo courtesy of Carlow County Museum .................................. 10 Figure 3 Barrow typology (after Ashbee 1960; Howarth 2009) .......................................................... 15 Figure 4 View from Ballinkillen hillfort to Knockscur hillfort ............................................................... 19 Figure 5 Illustration of Ballybit Bowl SA 1928:628 (Waddell & Ó'Ríordáin 1993)................................ 20 Figure 6 Wells Tripartite Bowl CCM 02-177: Carlow County Museum ................................................ 21 Figure 7 Illustration of Baunogenasraid Necked bipartite bowl NMI 1969:727 (Waddell & Ó'Ríordáin 1993, 174) ..........................................................................................................................................