SLIGO, IRELAND—The Leitrim Observer reports that a team of researchers led by Marion Dowd and James Bonsall of the Institute of Technology Sligo conducted geophysical surveys at the Carrowmore megalithic complex, which is located in the north of Ireland. It had been previously thought that the feature under investigation was a barrow, or circular earthen monument surrounded by a circular ditch. “Our survey revealed several features that were not visible above ground,” Bonsall said. “We discovered that the ‘barrow’ contained a central pit and a substantial circular ditch.” The circular ditch surrounded a raised area containing a circular layer of stone. A sunken area within the layer of stone contained black, charcoal-rich soil, Dowd added. Stone tools made of chert, used for working animal hides, cutting and preparing food, basket making, and bone working, were also found within and around the monument. “So far, we cannot find any parallel for it in Ireland,” Dowd said. To read about another megalithic site recently identified in Ireland, go to "Heat Wave: Late Neolithic Monument."
