Archaeologists still working on new site

Archaeologists still working on new site

13 December 2017

A PREHISTORIC settlement uncovered on the edge of Downpatrick is proving difficult to analyse, archaeologists have confirmed.

Experts have spent several weeks excavating the five acre site at Saul Road as part of a planning condition linked to the development of a new housing estate.

The arrival of archaeologists on site, following the removal of top soil, sparked local excitement and led to speculation that a Neolithic settlement had been found.

The specialist team has this week confirmed they have uncovered evidence of prehistoric occupation, dating up to 4,000 years-old, but have also revealed that poor preservation of the site means their findings are not obvious.

A spokeswoman for archaeological consultants, Farrimond MacManus Ltd, said the age of the site and the disruption of land due to ploughing meant it was not in great condition.

As a result, she said items excavated from the site were being recorded for later analysis, including soil samples that would be radio-carbon dated to confirm the age of the settlement.

“We have found evidence of prehistoric occupation at the site, but it is not obvious and we are not going to be able to interpret fully that until we do post excavation work,” she said.

“It is not one of the best sites in terms of the level of preservation but another part of the site might be less disturbed.

“We know it is prehistoric because we are not getting any metal. It is at least three or four thousand years old and we are still going through the process of excavating as we move across the site.

“At the moment it is not a site that is obvious in its function. We do not see house foundations and there is nothing screaming at us to tell us exactly the nature of the site.

“We are still working away on it and we will be there until Christmas at least.”

The spokeswoman, who was involved in similar exploratory work before the development of Down Business Park in Downpatrick in the 1990s when interesting discoveries were made, said it was not surprising to uncover evidence of prehistoric settlement in the locality.

“People want to live in places near water, where they can easily build houses and have farms so South Down, due to the nature of the soil and the natural landscape, was probably well populated in the past,” she said.