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The archaeological excavation of alluvial and estuarine landscapes in response to large infrastructural development programmes is a relatively new ...
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The archaeological excavation of alluvial and estuarine landscapes in response to large infrastructural development programmes is a relatively new direction for Irish archaeology, albeit one of increasing importance. Site 34, in the townland of Newrath, Co. Kilkenny, was excavated on behalf of Waterford City Council prior to the construction of the N25 Waterford Bypass. The archaeological deposits were located on a probable shelving terrace, now covered by an unbroken sequence of deep Holocene sediment, in an area where these deposits were no more than 2-3 m deep. They can be grouped into four main phases of activity: later Mesolithic flint scatters on a dry land surface predating the accumulation of organic peat deposits; Early Bronze Age trackways accessing the main river channel from the dryland margin; Bronze Age fulacht fiadh on what would have been the eastern shore of the contemporary wetland area; Iron Age brushwood hurdles constructed across tidal creeks for salt marsh grazing; and Medieval brushwood platforms. Far from marginal or peripheral, the results indicate that the wetland area was a highly important resource of cultural, social and economic significance over many different periods.
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