Jennings, RP and Coughlan, T (2011) Archaeological excavation report, E3894 Blanchvillespark 1, County Kilkenny. Project Report. Digital Repository of Ireland.

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Abstract

Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd (IAC), funded by the National Roads Authority (NRA) through Kilkenny County Council, undertook an excavation at the site of AR107, Blanchvillespark 1 along the proposed N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme, Phase 4 – Knocktopher to Powerstown (Figure 1). The following report describes the results of archaeological excavation at that site. The area was fully excavated by Richard Jennings under Ministerial Direction A032 and Excavation Registration Number E3894 issued by the DOEHLG in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland for IAC. The fieldwork took place between the 2 and 6 May 2007. The site represented the possible remains of a small prehistoric campsite. A fire pit/hearth with an upper deposit of ash, charcoal and burnt bone and a lower deposit of oxidised sandy silts and heated stones was located in the centre of site. Three pits and posthole appear to form the outline of a possible structure while three rubbish pits are located to the north-east of this. The lithic finds from the archaeological excavation at Blanchvillespark 1 are a bipolar flint flake and four pieces of flint debitage. The assemblage is technologically diagnostic and dates to the Neolithic period. It represents a waste which is possibly related to domestic activities. A small sample (0.1g) of charred hazelnut was sent for AMS radiocarbon dating and returned a 2 sigma calibrated date of 3660–3380BC, placing it in the middle Neolithic. The site is of importance at a local level as it represents the first archaeological evidence in the immediate vicinity. Other sites to the north-east represent burnt mound activity and similar activity is located to the south-west in addition to a small Iron Age settlement and metalworking activity. This is the first evidence of Neolithic domestic settlement in the immediate area, albeit transient and temporary.

Item Type:	Monograph (Project Report)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Archaeology; Ireland; Excavation; Kilkenny
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Divisions:	Biological & Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Digital Repository of Ireland
Date Deposited:	20 May 2021 10:46
Last Modified:	26 Jan 2022 16:09
DOI or ID number:	10.7486/DRI.q8120382r
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14912

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