Ancient black circles revealed after ploughing

razor8 · 15-06-2023 7:58pm #1

Anyone any ideas what these relate to. Very peculiar. There’s 3 of them located in a 3 acre Neighbors field that was never ploughed previously

IMG_4866.jpeg

Needles73 · 15-06-2023 8:08pm

No idea, but maybe the remnants in the soil from a wooden structure?

L1011 · 15-06-2023 8:11pm

Dark like that would probably be remains of old wood, not guaranteed though.

Check if there's anything showing on the NIAH map - its not complete even for stuff that's known about and clearly isn't able to list stuff that hasn't been discovered before!

https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/

razor8 · 15-06-2023 8:34pm

Interesting map. Didn’t know anything about that one.

but unfortunately Nothing showing on anything there for this field

I was wondering was it a common feature in other areas?

Say my name · 15-06-2023 8:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058301078/ancient-black-circles-revealed-after-ploughing

Get the simple explanations out of the way first.

Are they too big to be the marks from ring feeders?

It'd be the back legs of the cows would be digging in the ground and leaving a depression for organic matter.

razor8 · 15-06-2023 8:38pm

Definitely not. They’re way bigger than that size. Possibly 25ft circles

razor8 · 15-06-2023 8:40pm

IMG_4862.jpeg

Here’s a photo from further away that gives more perspective

Say my name · 15-06-2023 8:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120719867#Comment_120719867

Next step.

Have a look for charcoal pieces in the dark band.

razor8 · 15-06-2023 9:22pm

it definitely looks like the remains of burnt firewood but what is the pattern likely to have resembled

Silverdream · 15-06-2023 9:24pm

You should contact the National Monuments Service, it looks like the remains of a wooden ringfort . Could be from any age.

Danzy · 15-06-2023 9:29pm

I'd be thinking a timber round house.

No fire would be that tidy, by its very nature.

The timbers rotted away after centuries.

I have 2 fulacht fia sites here. Lot of bronze age sites in North cork and it's only the smallest portion that are recorded or known about.

Thinking out loud kinda post.

893bet · 15-06-2023 9:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120720063#Comment_120720063

I assume a move like that would mean the field would be condemned for this year while they dig….

razor8 · 15-06-2023 9:38pm

That’s why I was hoping someone would quench my curiosity on here

Silverdream · 15-06-2023 9:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120720092#Comment_120720092

Not at all, most likely they do photos, some aerial photos, take measurements etc.

RockOrBog · 15-06-2023 10:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120720092#Comment_120720092

If you're waiting on them you'd have a few crops lifted by the time they come, I reported a shell midden maybe 6 months ago and they haven't arrived yet.

Rusheseverywhere · 15-06-2023 10:22pm

Had a neighbour find something (fort) they were out in a week, he said doing land reclaimation. Was a ringfort and all happened was told work around the fort and that was they were sound out and he is getting 125 or 150 a year for it under ACRES now so he keeps hoping find more of them. To my undeducated eye they look old. 3 of them would be 450 a year under the ACRES!

Say my name · 15-06-2023 10:25pm

Another thing too. If these are the remains of bronze or early iron age dwellings. You now know this field was never ploughed, harrowed, land levelled before this.

The rings wouldn't be as pronounced if it was.

Birdnuts · 16-06-2023 12:27am

When they built some new housing in my home village back in Kildare 15 years ago on old pasture near an existing medivel ditch structure, they found burnt piles during excavations for pipework. Archaeologist that was brought in reckoned they were burial fire pits for Black Death victims!!😧

16-06-2023 9:09am

If it was mine , I'd contact the relevant department, tell them what you see , they'll take photos and mark on map .and you'll have it saved for others to see if interested

wrangler · 16-06-2023 10:35am

My farm used to have holes in it for water for cattle, farmers would dig a hole, the cattle would be in the hole and the hole would eventually hold water due to the muck in it. Like that they were big holes but were the only water place on our farm before the mains water came.

When i leveled the holes there would always be a ring of heavy topsoil visible around like that when I'd plough it. When the M6 was going through the fields the messers with the spoons and milking stools were summonsed when the contractors hit the holes. I told them they were wasting their time (and everyone else's time) but wasn't heeded

chooseusername · 16-06-2023 10:49am

Have a look on the old maps, there might be old names that would give clues;

https://osi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=bc56a1cf08844a2aa2609aa92e89497e

blue5000 · 16-06-2023 7:19pm

I think it’s a fluicht fia. Are they near a small stream or wet area? Originally when cooking meat they filled a trough with water, then lit a fire and put stones in the fire to heat them, the stones were rolled into the trough to boil the water. Then they cleared out the stone. Over time a small horseshoe shaped mound of burnt stone and charcoal accumulated. This could have taken 100s of years to form the mound.

It should be reported to national monuments, they may never come looking at them but it is important to record where they are anyway. We have three of them here, the first 2 were definitely checked out by the local heritage officer, not sure if the third one was ever checked.