Total number of assets (1)
By ticking "I agree" below you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of use as outlined above. These are also available on the End User Agreement page. For more information see our Privacy Policy.
This browser does not support viewing this file type. Please download the asset to view.
This is a final report of an archaeological excavation at Oldbridge 4 (01E0267) which was located on the route of the M1 Northern Motorway Gormanston – Monasterboice (Drogheda Bypass), Platin to Oldbridge, Chainage 21600–24800, Contract 7, County Meath. The excavation was carried out by Dermot Nelis of Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd on behalf of Meath County Council. The work was carried out under licence No. 01E0267 which was received from the DoEHLG in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland. The fieldwork took place between 4 April and 6 June 2001. Oldbridge 4 was identified during monitoring of topsoil stripping as two ditches and three pits/postholes. An area measuring c. 70m x 12m (840m²) was cleaned back by hand and further ditches and pits were identified. One phase of archaeological activity at the site was dated to the Iron Age (740–390 BC) and comprised the western portion of a possible enclosure ditch with an estimated diameter of 21m. The remainder of the possible enclosure ditch extended beyond the limit of excavation to the east. It is possible that further ditches and pits excavated at the site may also belong to this phase but they remain undated. A small quantity of burnt bone was recovered from one of the fills in the ditch, however the only fragments identifiable to species were pig. There was no evidence of any burials within the excavated area. A stone dress pin recovered from a modern ditch on the site is thought to date to the late Neolithic and could be an indication of earlier activity in the vicinity of the site. The excavated remains from this site and the other sites in the immediate vicinity indicate that this area was the focus of activity over a prolonged period from the early Neolithic to the early medieval period and it is probable that the proximity of the River Boyne may have been a big attraction of this location which resulted in it being revisited repeatedly through time.