Seen & Found

bawn79 · 27-12-2015 12:05pm

Dr Strange wrote: »

Probably the wrong thread but I have "seen" this on adverts.ie:

http://www.adverts.ie/other-antiques-collectables/georgian-irish-cannon-balls-wreck-find/9525259?fm

Shouldn't this be reported under the NMA? Also, they describe it as a wreck find.

Gone now - if anyone sees anything like that make sure and screenshot it so that it can be recorded.

Meteorite58 · 01-01-2016 2:22pm

JJayoo wrote: »

This hole is approx 6 inch across and 4-5 deep. The bottom is flat and slightly sloped,assuming erosion as it usually has some stones in it and is covered during floods.

We assumed it was for making wheels for carts, but could it be a Ballaun stone

I was interested in this, was thinking it could be a tyreing station too, maybe dislodged in a flood or platform eroded over time. There is a fine preserved example of a tyreing platform in Ardfert. Co Kerry with a stream running beside it ( can see it over the wall above the cartwheel, closed in now behind the metal railing ). This is close to a former Landlords house who liked to 'restore and preserve' ancient sites so I presume it has got a bit of a makeover in the past. Credit due to the how well it is currently preserved and presented. One thing I notice is that the hole in the picture is more then 6 inches, probably more like 10 approx, so maybe your stone was a millstone ?

hMmcSUy.jpg?1

Hotei · 29-02-2016 5:31pm

From left to right: a flint core, a 'keeled' convex end scraper, a pointed blade and a large chert blade.

A well worked out flint core (measures only 35 mm. at its widest):

The striking platform of the core:

A lovely, intact 'keeled' convex end scraper. These typically date from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Oval in shape, it measures 54 mm. x 43 mm. There's a noticeable shiny or polished look to the bulb of percussion which may suggest this tool was used, i.e. handheld at the proximal end using the abruptly retouched distal end for scraping:

The term 'keeled' derives from its shape in profile. In this case the distal end is downturned, while the distal end on the dorsal face is raised higher than the opposite proximal end (which bears invasive retouch):

A chert blade measuring 100 mm. in length. The blade has a large bulbar scar at the proximal end on the ventral face which has effectively removed the bulb of percussion; this and the visible step/hinge fractures (probably deliberately applied) at the proximal end on the dorsal face would have made this blade ideal for hafting. There is retouch visible along the lateral edges:

A pointed flint blade (54 mm. x 15 mm.):

Aelfric · 29-02-2016 6:40pm

Nice! The Chert blade is intriguing though - are you 100% certain it's Chert? It looks a little basaltic to me

Hotei · 29-02-2016 7:55pm

I've been led to believe it is Chert (one of the country's most senior archaeologists believes so), but have had my doubts just as you too have.
It could be silicified Dolomite, a mineral rock with a relatively high Iron content, which may account for the staining (but that could just be from the soil though).

Here's a couple more 'Chert' finds. Some of these do look more convincingly Chert-like:

The two smallest flakes (on the far right in the images above) look similar to Chert that had been quarried during the Mesolithic at Lough Derravaragh (Co.Westmeath), some of which is on display in the National Museum on Kildare street.

If anyone else has an opinion on what the material is likely to be, I'd be glad to hear it.

slowburner · 29-02-2016 9:41pm

I assume these are Irish finds and if so, that the National Museum of Ireland has been informed.

Hotei · 29-02-2016 9:43pm

slowburner wrote: »

I assume these are Irish finds and if so, that the National Museum of Ireland has been informed.

Done and dusted.

Aelfric · 29-02-2016 10:56pm

Hmm...some of the dark Chert lithics do look a little like banded Chert, though much darker than normal. Dolerite could be a possibility. Steve Mandal is the guy to ask

Hotei · 29-02-2016 11:07pm

Aelfric wrote: »

Hmm...some of the dark Chert lithics do look a little like banded Chert, though much darker than normal. Dolerite could be a possibility. Steve Mandal is the guy to ask

Yeah, the banded Chert on display in the NMI is a lighter colour all right.
I don't know Steve Mandal - how/where would I get in touch with him?

slowburner · 29-02-2016 11:13pm

Silicified limestone?
It seems to be turning up in quite a few assemblages these days.

Wibbs · 29-02-2016 11:16pm

Fantastic finds! :eek:

the first thing that jumped out for me was that your blade above…

is very similar in layout to the "left handed" version of a French Neolithic made from Grand Pressigny flint example I have laying about*.

Pretty much the exact same size too.

Percussion bulb side.

Small world or wha?

*I got it as a neolithic outlier as part of a "job lot" of Mousterian/Neandertal pieces from an ex local French museum collection. TBH I have only a couple of the later Sapiens lithics and if I ever feel a similar pang of recognition with other pieces you may find, we may just rewrite the textbooks… ;-)

Hotei · 29-02-2016 11:49pm

Thanks Wibbs.
Wow! Your blade is remarkably similar looking. Is the notch I can see on your blade a more recent chip do you think, or is it retouch? There's two notches visible on my blade (opposite each other on both lateral edges) which looks like retouch, and I can only think this was done deliberately to help secure the blade onto a handle with deer tendon or such material. I could be wildly wrong though!

Wibbs · 01-03-2016 12:15am

Oh the notch is defo a planned thing alright H. The GP flint* can be hard enough to tell in fairness as it doesn't seem to patina up nearly as much as other cherts, even after hundreds of thousands of years, but the texture is a tell and the overall "design" is original(the tip is a more recent break).

*The Grand Pressigny source material is gorgeous, very consistent in structure with little to catch out the unwary knapper, so was valued from Homo Erectus onwards. Ancient Irish folks really had to know how to work the local material, which is generally of far lower quality.

bogwalrus · 24-03-2016 4:03am

Few bits from today a few miles outside macroom towards millstreet.

1.Peniel church(thats what it says on the sign. Dont know much about them tbh).
2. Inside peniel church looking at some sort of altar?
3. Stone circles. The peniel church is otherside that small bit of wood in distance. Very close.
4. Two more stones. One has loads of quartz and very different from rocks in area. Maybe tomb stones?
5. Single stone a few meters from the two above. I think the hole is from weathering.

Coles · 24-03-2016 3:28pm

A grave stone in Brannockstown, Co. Kildare. Anyone have any further information on these Kavanaghs?

slowburner · 24-03-2016 9:35pm

Coles wrote: »

A grave stone in Brannockstown, Co. Kildare. Anyone have any further information on these Kavanaghs?

18th century headstone are beautiful things and valuable documents of the period in their own right, but you might have more luck with this form of enquiry in the Genealogy forum.

Coles · 26-03-2016 11:45am

Thanks, I'll do a bit more reading around and see what I come up with. The above stone nicely captures the letters u/v/w/ph evolving at the time.

Simon.d · 03-04-2016 9:53am

The following was recently posted on a local history facebook group here in Waterford, and are described as being associated with Waterford City. The tunnel is said to fork at points and includes at least one chamber. Not sure of location yet, but any thoughts on the images?

https://goo.gl/photos/r4cvcX124rCa9wzb6

slowburner · 23-07-2016 12:57pm

Resolution up to 25cm - 1 pixel equals 25cm on the ground. Compare this to the existing resolution where 1 pixel equals 1m on the ground.

Hopefully, the imagery will be added to the online mapviewer and will not be just 'a buy to view' product.
If so, it should be worth the wait and will almost certainly lead to fresh discoveries.

http://www.osi.ie/blog/new-cameras/

Coles · 24-07-2016 7:22pm

16 times more resolution would be absolutely brilliant. Any idea what the Bing aerial photos are?

mirrors · 18-08-2016 1:30pm

Can anyone identify what animal this is?
https://s3.postimg.io/upn47hyrl/IMG_20160817_160001.jpg

Wibbs · 19-08-2016 10:50am

I'd say goat.

Coles · 19-08-2016 11:22pm

It's hard to distinguish a sheep's skull from a goat's skull with just the rear view so I'm inclined to think sheep simply because they greatly outnumber goats.

JJayoo · 20-08-2016 1:32am

mirrors wrote: »

Can anyone identify what animal this is?
https://s3.postimg.io/upn47hyrl/IMG_20160817_160001.jpg

Pretty sure it's dead

Coles · 08-01-2017 10:51pm

A nice flint scraper (neolithic?) found on the surface recently.

A useful link: "A guide to the identification of man made flint & tool types".

And a really excellent site: StoneAgeTools.co.uk

slowburner · 09-01-2017 7:09am

Nice find and on its way to the museum, I hope.
It's a nice example of the almost uniquely Irish hollow scraper and is iconically Neolithic. Probably used for scraping bark from branches, or meat from bone - that sort of thing. Usually the arc is closer to a semi-circle, but the retouched curve on this example (upper edge in photo) is quite moderate compared to the norm.

Coles · 09-01-2017 3:26pm

Thanks for the information Slowburner. I'll ensure it ends up in the right hands.

Coles · 22-01-2017 9:33pm

A spear point? Any thoughts?

Spear%20point_zpshucjhmzr.jpg

I found it protruding from the side of a peat hag 800m up in the Wicklow Mountains. The peat hag was about 2m high and the stone was located about half a metre or less from the bedrock underneath.

As best I can judge it it's feldspar with small quartz crystals. It's about 45mm long.

slowburner · 22-01-2017 10:43pm

Coles wrote: »

A spear point? Any thoughts?

I found it protruding from the side of a peat hag 800m up in the Wicklow Mountains. The peat hag was about 2m high and the stone was located about half a metre or less from the bedrock underneath.

As best I can judge it it's feldspar with small quartz crystals. It's about 45mm long.

It is natural, I'm sorry to say. The petrology is unsuitable, and there are no immediately obvious signs of percussion or retouch.

Coles · 22-01-2017 10:54pm

slowburner wrote: »

It is natural, I'm sorry to say. The petrology is unsuitable, and there are no immediately obvious signs of percussion or retouch.

Yeah, I suspected that might be the case. It is quite brittle, but I was going by the theory that anything within the peat layer had to be the result of human activity.

Seen & Found

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