EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Meath
cut twice. The primary deposit contained one fill and included a small quantity of animal
bone. The first re-cut was similarly absent of finds but the final re-cut included fragments of
Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware). The latter fills also contained quantities of charred oats,
barley and assorted grasses. The low number of charred weed seeds and chaff fragments
suggested the grains had been processed prior to their incorporation in the ditch. This could
be interpreted as domestic or agricultural waste on the site but they may potentially relate to
ritual feasting placed in a context of the presence of animal bone (the majority was from food
waste and only a small quantity showed evidence for butchery) and the ritual deposition of
sherds of imported pottery.
F24 – This curvilinear ditch measured 9.5m by 2.13m by 0.44m and was located 4m east of,
and approximately concentric with F63. It was re-cut at least once. Two deposits from the
original cut contained trace amounts of charcoal and animal bone; some of which was again
burnt. The first re-cut had a single fill with inclusions of animal bone, charcoal and burnt
bone. The latter was unidentified but is likely to be animal. Other finds were small fragments
of iron and copper-alloy objects. This ditch could represent an extension of the Phase II
enclosure in an effort to provide more space within an increasingly congested cemetery
possibly for the Group 3 interments (see below).
F196 – This was a short ditch or pit that measured 5.06m by 1.42m by 0.75m and was
located immediately northwest of the western terminal of F195. It is unlikely that F196 and
F195 are contemporary due to their proximity and relative positioning so it may represent an
expansion of the site in the same manner as F24. It contained seven deposits. Animal bone
was found in most contexts along with lesser quantities of burnt animal bone and charcoal.
Artefacts included Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware) and a further fragment of an iron object.
This feature was radiocarbon dated to A.D. 402-568.
A comb sideplate fragment found in a pit less than 2m south of the southern terminal of the
above dates to the sixth or seventh century.
The second group of burials encircled the Group 1 burials but remained within the Phase I
enclosure. The graves contained eight females, five males and one unsexed individual and
they were a mix of dug, stone-lined and wood-lined graves. The positioning of the Group 2
burials indicated initial knowledge of the location of the Group 1 burials. The recovery of Late
Roman Amphorae (Bii ware) from the fill of one of the Group 2 graves suggested this burial
occurred at the time similar pottery was being deposited in the Phase II Enclosure ditches.
Therefore, some of these burials may be contemporary with the second enclosure phase.
Preserved oak lining from one grave was dated to A.D. 427-608 while the earth-cut grave of
an adult female was dated to A.D. 423-594.
The Group 3 burials were the largest group and consisted of 26 interments. They were
formally laid out in rows of approximately five burials each. They were centrally placed within
the Phase II enclosure but did not respect and truncated the Group 1 burials. The graves
were again a mix of dug, stone-lined and wood-lined examples and the cemetery continued
to be utilised exclusively for adults. The high status nature of those within and associated
with the burial ground is inferred by the recovery of E ware, Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware)
and Phocaean Red Slip Ware in the surrounding ditches (during the mid-sixth century AD). A
piece of antler was found next to the left hand of a male and was probably a deliberate
deposit. A sherd of Late Roman Amphorae (Bii ware) was found within the fill of another
grave which also contained a large amount of charcoal although the latter may have been the
result of disturbance of another feature or grave fill. The burial of an adult female was dated
to A.D. 423-594, and the remains of oak lining from a double male burial were dated to A.D.
559-662.
The Phase III enclosure consisted of a partially surviving ditch that measured 34m by 2.3m
by 1.50m. It would have formed a circular-shaped enclosure in plan but only a small portion
of this ditch survived because the remainder was extensively truncated by the Phase IV
467