Analysis of plant remains from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) By Penny Johnston

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1 Technical report Analysis of plant remains from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) By Penny Johnston August 2009 Cite as: Johnston, P. (2009). Analysis of plant remains from Gortnahown 2, Co.Cork (E2426). Technical report. Further information: Kiely, J. and O'Donoghoe, J. (2011). Archaeological Excavation Rport E2426 Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork Prehistoric Activity and Early Medieval Settlement Site with Iron Working Eachtra Journal, 10. Retrieved from Funding information: This work was carried out as part of pre-development mitigation work associated with the construction of the M8 road, Fermoy to Mitchelstown section. Excavation work was carried out by Eachtra Archaeological Projects, commissioned by Cork County Council and funded by the National Roads Authority. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit

2 Appendix 8 Plant Remains By Penny Johnston Introduction This report details the results of analysis of charred plant material from an early medieval settlement and meetalworking site excavated at Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426). Cereals were moderately distributed in the samples from this site, although generally only recovered in small quantities. The cereal types included oats, barley and a small quantity of wheat. Methodology The samples were collected on site as bulk soil. They were processed using a machine assisted flotation method (see Pearsall 2000 for details) and the floated material was collected in a stack of sieve meshes (smallest size 250 microns). After air drying the collected floated material or flots, were stored in sealed plastic bags. The samples were scanned using a low powered binocular microscope (magnification x10 x40). The results of scanning are presented in Table 1 at the end of this report. Samples with plant remains were selected for further analysis and the results of identification are presented in Table 2 at the end of this report. Results A total of 204 samples from Gortnahown 2 were scanned (Table 1). Of these, 35 contained charred seeds (Table 2). In general, the amounts of seeds found were small, including various types of cereal grains and weed seeds (mostly identified as arable weeds). The cereal grains were primarily oats (89% of the entire identifiable cereal assemblage), followed by barley (10%) and wheat (1%).

3 Percentage cereal composition Barley 10% Wheat 1% Oat 89% Only one of the samples from this site contained more than 50 seeds: C.1253 (S.618). As this sample was much richer than all the others in taken from the site, it biased the overall percentage diagram (Fig. 1). This sample appears to be from post medieval features at the site and therefore post dates many of the other samples. The remaining archaeobotanical samples from the site were characterised by very small cereal assemblages, with most samples containing just single grains (Fig. 2).

4 Contexts Oat Barley Wheat Discussion Comparative assemblages from early medieval sites such as ringforts and cashels frequently indicate that oat was a very common cereal type. For example, oat comprised 57% of the cereal assemblage at Mackney and 60% of the cereal assemblage at Loughbown 1, both in Co. Galway (Dillon et al. 2007, 28 29). It also made up a significant portion of ringforts and cashels analysed from Lisleagh I and II and Lisnagun in Co. Cork and at Ballyegan and Loher, Co. Kerry (Monk et al. 1998, 69 70). While oat was overwhelmingly dominant in the entire assemblage (Fig. 1), this was strongly biased by the rich assemblage from a post medieval feature (C.1253). The remaining samples contain very small quantities of cereal grains and amongst these, oat and barley both make up a large proportion of the assemblage (53% oat grains, 44% barley grains and the remaining 3% identified as wheat). Both oat and barley were common in samples from ringforts and cashels in the south west of Ireland (Monk et al. 1998, 69 70). Assemblages from similar sites in Galway have produced assemblages that had more wheat and oat than barley (Dillon et al. 2007, 28 29). The differences in the retrieval patterns from the southwest and the west may indicate regional variations and preferences in the crops grown in these areas, although there is also a possibility that much of the wheat from the eastern ringforts was from later samples.

5 There is one assemblage from the N8 Fermoy to Mitchelstown route that may be partly contemporary with the material from Gortnahown 2; that is the material from Ballynacarriga 2, which is interpreted as an early medieval enclosure. The assemlbage from Ballynacarriga 2 included 70% oat, 25% wheat, 5% barley and a tiny quantity of rye. The assemblages from Gortnahown 2 and Ballynacarriga 2 are therefore not particularly similar in terms of cereal composition. References Dillon, M., Johnston, P. and Tierney, M Reading the ashes; charred plant material from two ringforts in County Galway, Seanda 2, Johnston, P., O Donnell, L. and Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd Appendix V Analysis of the charred plant remains and charcoal, pp in Stout, G. and Stout, M. Excavation of an Early Medieval Secular Cemetery ay Knowth Site M, County Meath. Dublin, Wordwell. Monk, M Seeds and soils of discontent; an environmental archaeolgoical contribution to the nature of the Early Neolithic, pp in Desmond, A., Johnson, G., McCarthy, M., Sheehan, J. and Shee Twohig, E. New Agendas in Irish Prehistory: Papers in commemoration of Liz Anderson. Bray, Wordwell. Monk, M.A., Tierney, J. and Hannon, M Archaeobotanical studies and early medieval Munster, pp in Monk, M.A. and Sheehan, J. (eds) Early Medieval Munster. Archaeology, history and society. Cork, Cork University Press. Pearsall, D Paleoethnobotany: a Handbook of Procedures. New York, Academic Press. Stace, C.A (2 nd edition) New Flora in the British Isles. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

6 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned 36 3 H Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent M Absent H L L Absent H Absent L L L Absent L Absent M L L Absent L L H Absent H Absent H M L Absent M L H Absent M Absent H Absent ? M Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L L M Absent 100

7 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned H L L Absent L Absent M L H Absent M Absent L Absent L Absent L L ? H Absent M Absent H Absent L Absent M L L L L Absent L Absent L Absent L L L Absent L Absent L Absent M Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent ? H Absent L Absent L Absent H Absent L Absent M L L Absent L Absent 100

8 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned L Absent L Absent L L L Absent M Absent L Absent ? M L H Absent H Absent ? L Absent L Absent ? L Absent M Absent L Absent L Absent H L M Absent L Absent ? H L ? H Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent H Absent 100

9 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned L L L Absent ? L Absent L L L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent H Absent L Absent H Absent L Absent H Absent H Absent L Absent M Absent L Absent H L Absent Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent H Absent M Absent L Absent 100

10 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned H Absent H Absent H Absent H L H Absent H Absent L L H Absent M Absent ? L Absent M Absent H Absent M L H Absent H Absent L Absent H L L Absent H Absent L Absent L Absent M Absent M Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent 100

11 Table 1: Scanned samples from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Sample Context Charcoal Seeds % scanned H L L Absent L Absent L Absent M Absent M L H Absent L Absent M L H H ? L Absent L Absent L Absent L Absent L L L Absent ? L Absent L Absent L Absent ? L Absent Absent L L L L L L Absent ? L Absent L Absent L L ? L L L Absent ? L Absent L Absent 100

12 Table 2: Identified plant remains from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) Context Sample Indeterminate seeds from the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) Hazelnut shell fragments (Corylus avellana L.) Indeterminate seeds from the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis L.) Balck bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus L. Á Löve) Probable Sheep's sorrel (Rumex cf acetosella L.) Indeterminate seeds from the Knotgrass family (Polygonaceae) 1 1 Indeterminate seeds from the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) Indeterminate seeds from the Legume family (Fabaceae) Plantain (Plantago L. species) Probable Corn Marigold (Chrysanthem um cf segetum L.) Nipplewort (Lapsana communiz) Indeterminate seeds from the daisy family (Asteraceae) Indeterminate seeds from the sedge family (Cyperaceae) Oat grains (Avena L. species) Possible oat grains (cf Avena species) Barley grains (Hordeum vulgare L.) Possible barley grains (cf Hordeum vulgare) Oat/Barley grains (Avena/Hordeum) Free threshing wheat (Triticum aestivum L./turgidum Desf./durum L.) Wheat grains (Triticum L. species) Indeterminate cereal grains Indeterminate grass seeds (Poaceae) Indeterminate weed seeds Straw culm nodes Wheat/Barley grains (Triticum/Hordeum)

13 Table 2: Identified plant remains from Gortnahown 2, Co. Cork (E2426) continued Context Sample Indeterminate seeds from the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) 3 1 Hazelnut shell fragments (Corylus avellana L.) Indeterminate seeds from the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) 1 Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis L.) Balck bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus L. Á Löve) Probable Sheep's sorrel (Rumex cf acetosella L.) Indeterminate seeds from the Knotgrass family (Polygonaceae) Indeterminate seeds from the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) 1 Indeterminate seeds from the Legume family (Fabaceae) 1 1 Plantain (Plantago L. species) Probable Corn Marigold (Chrysanthem um cf segetum L.) Nipplewort (Lapsana communiz) 1 Indeterminate seeds from the daisy family (Asteraceae) 1 Indeterminate seeds from the sedge family (Cyperaceae) 2 Oat grains (Avena L. species) Possible oat grains (cf Avena species) Barley grains (Hordeum vulgare L.) Possible barley grains (cf Hordeum vulgare) Oat/Barley grains (Avena/Hordeum) Free threshing wheat (Triticum aestivum L./turgidum Desf./durum L.) Wheat grains (Triticum L. species) Indeterminate cereal grains Indeterminate grass seeds (Poaceae) 20 Indeterminate weed seeds 8 Straw culm nodes 2 Wheat/Barley grains (Triticum/Hordeum)