Rath just outside Castledawson on the road to Magherafelt (H920933)
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Ancient human remains which date back more than 2,000 years have been recovered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The discovery was made after archaeologists were alerted to human bones on Bellaghy peatland in County Londonderry in October 2023.
It is thought the remains could be those of a teenage boy.
The PSNI said it is a “unique archaeological discovery for Northern Ireland”.
It explained that the remains had been carbon dated to “as old as 2,000-2,500 years”.
Det Insp Nikki Deehan said excavations “first uncovered a tibia and fibula and a humerus, ulna, and radius bone relating to the lower left leg and right arm respectively”.
“Further investigation revealed more bones belonging to the same individual,” she added.
The discovery of a Neolithic era settlement is helping shed new light on how people lived on the shores of Lough Foyle some 5,000 years ago.
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By Ben Lowry ([email protected]) – 31st August 2004
A Bronze Age burial ground in Co Down has been unearthed during work on a dual carriageway on the Belfast-Dublin route.
The construction scheme on the A1, between Loughbrickland and Beech Hill, has led to a number of important archaeological finds that provide evidence of a settlement site stretching back thousands of years.
A cemetery of eight early Bronze Age ring ditch barrow cremation burials, dating to 1800 BC, have been excavated and recorded, following three months of work by 12 archaeologists.
Kev Beachus, the head archaeologist, said: “The wealth of archaeology uncovered provides a fascinating insight into the lives of our
ancestors.”
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Artefacts dating back around 4,000 years have been uncovered by archaeologists in Londonderry.
The team, led by John O’Neill from Queen’s University, was working on a Bronze Age lake settlement at Ballyarnet, when they found large quantities of decorated pottery, flint arrowheads and scrapers, hammerstones, fishing weights and grinding stones.
According to Mr O’Neill, the investigation, which was carried out earlier this month, revealed that the substantial lake settlement may have only been occupied during a relatively short period of time.
“The settlement, which dates from 1700-1500 BC, was over 20 metres in diameter and is located close to the edge of the lake, within fenlands,” Mr O’Neill said. “It is situated on top of 4.5 metres of peat and was buried by later peat formation, providing a sealed time capsule, unlike many excavations where artefacts from different periods can become intermixed by later activity.”
He also revealed that initial construction saw the deposition of layers wood and upright posts, and subsequent occupation saw the use of various hearths and stone surfaces.
“Many of the finds suggest that it is a high status site,” he added.
The excavation was funded by Environment and Heritage Service (Department of the Environment, NI) and took place with permission of the land owners, Derry City Council.
The excavation crew was drawn from volunteers from the United States, students from Exeter University under Dr. Bruce Bradley and staff from QUB.
4ni.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=28553
