EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Kerry
House C was a rectangular building (4m by 3.35m) situated in the north-eastern side of the
enclosure and utilizing the enclosure wall as one of its side walls. Its walls were 0.83m thick
and remained to a height of nearly 0.60m with no evidence of battering, and the corners
were rounded externally. House D was situated between the south-eastern corner of House B
and the enclosure wall. Its entrance was 0.60m from the enclosure wall and 0.91m. This
building post-dated the construction of the central House B structure as its walls had to be
narrowed from 1.2m to 0.3m thick beside House B to leave a passage between both
buildings. House D and House C because of their similarity to each other were evidently the
latest structures on the site.
A souterrain was exposed running from under the western enclosure wall to an aperture in
the interior of House A. Evidence for an intermural chamber within the enclosure wall was
also revealed immediately outside House C entrance. This had an opening (0.45m by 0.38m)
which lead into a flagged chamber (3.05m by 1.2m and 0.7m high) with a lintelled roof. Both
the souterrain and wall chamber were evidently built when the enclosure was constructed as
the stonework showed no indication that these structures had been incorporated as
secondary structures.
A plough sock found in a habitation deposit in House A, a sickle inserted into the wall of
House D, and five fragments of rotary quernstones were uncovered and indicate a community
engaged in cereal cultivation. A spindle whorl and loom weight also suggests evidence for
spinning on the site. Iron slag was also recovered indicating the practice of ironworking.
Domestic finds include three iron knives, two iron nails, seven whetstones, flint and quartz
fragments, a stone disc, a stone mortar, four bone combs, an iron pin, a bronze ring-headed
pin. Cattle bone constituted almost 90% of the bulk of the bones recovered on the site. A
relatively large quantity of sheep (or goat) bones were identified, as well as those belonging
to pig, red deer, grey seal, horse, dog, badger, and various different birds. Periwinkle (75%),
limpet (20%) and oyster limpet (5%) comprised the remains of marine molluscs on the site.
314