PROJECT DETAILS Project M3 Clonee–Kells Motorway Site Name Castletown Tara 1 Ministerial Direction Number A008/025 Registration Number E3078 Senior Archaeological Consultant Donald Murphy Site Director Stuart D. Elder Excavated 04 December 2006 – 31 March 2007 Townland Castletown Tara Parish Tara County Meath National Grid Reference 292003 261818 Chainage 30700–31000 Height OD 63.72m Report Type Final Report Status Submitted Date of Report April 2009 Report by Stuart D. Elder Castletown Tara 1, A008/025 M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report has been prepared by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd on behalf of Meath County Council National Roads Design Office (NRDO) and the National Roads Authority (NRA). The excavation was carried out under Ministerial Directions issued by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DOEHLG) in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). Consulting Engineers - N3 Meath Consult Engineer – Peter Thorne and Thomas Meagher Engineer’s Representative – Gillian Cogan Meath County Council, National Roads Design Office Senior Engineer – John McGrath Project Archaeologist – Mary Deevy Project Liaison Officer – Ambrose Clarke National Monuments, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Archaeologist – Martin Reid Irish Antiquities Division, National Museum of Ireland Keeper – Nessa O’Connor i Castletown Tara 1, A008/025 M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY This site at Castletown Tara 1 was excavated by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd (ACS) as part of the M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme on behalf of Meath County Council NRDO and the NRA. The excavation was carried out between 04 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 under Ministerial Direction Number A008/025 issued by DOEHLG in consultation with the NMI. Excavation commenced in the northeastern corner of the field (Area 1), revealing a complex of ditches, pits and postholes, some extending beyond the excavation area to the south and west. A subsequent geophysical survey carried out by Target Archaeological Geophysics in January 2007 under Ministerial Direction A008/080 located a number of ill-defined linears and other magnetic responses towards the centre of the survey area, west and south of excavation Area 1. Many of these were thought to represent recent agricultural activity or geological anomalies (Nicholls & Shiels 2007). Topsoil stripping of the entire field took place in February 2007 and a large extensive site was identified. The site itself was divided into four separate areas for the purpose of the excavation: Area 1a, Area 1b, Area 2a and Area 2b. The largest and most substantial area contained the entire northeastern extent of the site and was labelled Area 1a. Numerous ditches, gullies, linear features, three kilns, two possible kilns, a possible structure, a possible palisade of posts, and isolated scattered pits and postholes were located here. Three of the ditch features within this section of the site were dated from the fifth–seventh centuries AD and two of the kilns were dated from the sixth–eighth centuries AD which would place activity within this area to the early medieval period. No area of occupation was identified within Area 1a (absence of hearths, domestic finds etc) and the identified structure was quite small (diameter c. 2.5m) and not large enough to have functioned as a house structure. It is possible that it functioned as a temporary feature and may have been associated with the nearby kilns. It is likely that the series of ditches and gullies represented contemporary and successive small enclosures/field systems and drainage features and were associated with agricultural activities. The presence of kilns would also reinforce this: it was not unusual for kilns to be located within an area that was been utilised for farming purposes etc. and away from the actual settlement area. It is, however, quite possible that an associated early medieval settlement site lies – as of yet undiscovered – outside the proposed roadtake. Finds from this section of the site were few but included lithic artefacts (majority of which were redeposited and in fact prehistoric in date (late Mesolithic, early Neolithic and late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age) and not contemporary with the early medieval phase of activity), local medieval pottery (two sherds), local fine ware (two sherds), imported E-ware (two sherds), horseshoe fragment, two small fragments of slag, a possible quernstone fragment, possible wooden peg, and a possible fragment of leather. ii Castletown Tara 1, A008/025 M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme Area 1b was situated southwest of Area 1a and was dominated by agricultural activity in the form of land drains and plough furrows. The only notable feature within this area was a single pit that contained charcoal burnt bone and a piece of flint. The date of this feature is not known. Area 2a was located to the south and southwest of Area 1. Two features of archaeological significance were identified and consisted of the remains of a possible hearth and a single pit. Charcoal flecks and burnt clay were recovered from both features. The date of these features is also unknown. The final area, Area 2b, was located upslope and to the south of Area 1 and Area 2a and was located adjacent to the southern boundary of the site, approximately 60m south of Area 1 and contained the remains of 18 cremation pits, one possible cremation pit, three postholes, a pit, and a possible cut. The cremation pits were located in two small clusters: 15 were located along the western boundary and four were located at a short distance to the ESE. A significant quantity of charcoal, charred remains and lithic artefacts were recovered from the cremation pits. The cremated bone from a single pit could be identified as possibly human and bone from a second could be identified as animal. It would appear that these features represent the remains of a prehistoric cemetery site. A single cremation pit was radiocarbon dated to the late Neolithic period and it is possible that the entire cemetery dates to this period. Castletown Tara 1 therefore is a site that displays evidence of usage at various intervals throughout the prehistoric and historic period. The analysis of the lithic artefacts (although not from secure contexts) would suggest a presence in this area from the late Mesolithic, through to the early Neolithic and early Neolithic/Late Bronze Age. This late Neolithic presence is reconfirmed by the radiocarbon date obtained from a crab apple recovered from one of the cremation pits. The site was subsequently abandoned and was seemingly not utilised until the early medieval period. Radiocarbon dating would suggest that this site was then used from the fifth–eighth centuries AD. The recovery of local medieval pottery and local fine wares would suggest a presence within the area from the 13th–14th centuries (pottery recovered from hillwash and not secure stratigraphic contexts). iii Castletown Tara 1, A008/025 M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Development 1 2 EXCAVATION 2 2.1 Results 3 2.1.1 Area 1a 3 2.1.2 Area 1b 12 2.1.3 Area 2a 13 2.1.4 Area 2b 13 2.2 Finds 18 3 DISCUSSION 21 3.1 Form and function 21 3.1.1 Area 1a 21 3.1.2 Area 2b 25 3.1.3 Conclusion 27 3.1.4 Surrounding Environment 28 3.2 Date and sequence 30 4 CONCLUSIONS 32 5 REFERENCES 32 APPENDIX 1 Context Details APPENDIX 2 Finds List APPENDIX 3 Sample List APPENDIX 4 Topsoil Assessment: Maria Lear & Stuart Rathbone APPENDIX 5 Radiocarbon Dates APPENDIX 6 Animal Bone Report: Charlotte Coles APPENDIX 7 Environmental Report: Archaeological Services University of Durham APPENDIX 8 Medieval Pottery: Niamh Doyle APPENDIX 9 Imported Pottery: Ian Doyle APPENDIX 10 Leather Report: John Nicholl APPENDIX 11 Archaeometallurgical Report: Angela Wallace APPENDIX 12 Wood Remains: Ellen O’Carroll APPENDIX 13 Lithics and Worked Stone Report: Graeme Warren APPENDIX 14 Cereal drying and Metallurgy at Lismullin Co Meath: A preliminary analysis: Jonathan Kinsella FIGURE LIST Figure 1: Location of Castletown Tara 1 Figure 2: Location of Castletown Tara 1 on current OS background iv Castletown Tara 1, A008/025 M3 Clonee–North of Kells Motorway Scheme Figure 3: Castletown Tara 1, extract from 1st edition OS, Meath sheets 31 & 32 Figure 4: Castletown Tara 1, extract from 2nd edition OS, Meath sheets 31 & 32 Figure 5: Castletown Tara 1, extract from 3rd edition OS, Meath sheets 31 & 32 Figure 6: Detailed location of Castletown Tara 1 Figure 7: Post-excavation plan of site Figure 8: Post-excavation plan of Area 1a Figure 9: Post-excavation plan of Area 2a and b Figure 10: Sections Figure 11: Sections Figure 12: Sections Figure 13: Sections Figure 14: Sections Figure 15: Sections Figure 16: Sections Figure 17: Sections Figure 18: Sections Figure 19: Profiles Figure 20: Profiles Figure 21: Sections PLATE LIST Plate 1: Section through Curvilinear B from east Plate 2: Section through Linear F from east Plate 3: Section through Rectilinear J from south Plate 4: Section through Curvilinear M from south-east Plate 5: Stake-built structure, post-excavation from north-east Plate 6: Post row/fence, post-excavation from north Plate 7: Kiln 1, post-excavation from north Plate 8: Kiln 2, post-excavation from south-west Plate 9: Kiln 2, flue mid-excavation from south-west Plate 10: Kiln 3, post-excavation from east Plate 11: Area 1, post-excavation from west Plate 12: Cremation