Macalister, Armstrong, & Pkaeger — Excavation of Lo clip aire. 149 



the wall of the dwelling, inside which the domestic activities of the 

 settlement were carried on. 



On the north side of the mound there was a depression about 10 feet wide, 

 running roughly in the line of the diameter of the mound. On excavation 

 this proved to be a passage, marked out by two irregularly placed rows of 

 stones — in all probability a landing-stage. A section was cut in the line of 

 this passage, and another at right angles to it at the place where it encountered 

 the surrounding palisade. The positions of the piles, and of the one surviving 

 horizontal timber, are shown to an enlarged scale (Plate XVI, fig. 2). 

 Nothing of special interest was found in this part of the excavation. 



Of the dwelling-places that presumably were erected on the top of the 

 artificial island not a vestige remained, not even the holes in which upright 

 timbers might have been set ; although such holes, marking the sites of vanished 

 piles, were found at the landing-stage. At a point marked in the plan were 

 a few flat stones side by side, perhaps part of a pavement. The whole 

 soil of the mound, which was dug very thoroughly (at least two-thirds of it 

 being turned over to the foundations), was black with ashes, and permeated 

 through and through with bones of animals. At the bottom were a number 

 of large stones. It would appear that the builders had first laid a stratum of 

 boulders in order to afford a solid foundation for the structure. 



The objects found in this crannog do not require detailed description. 

 They are all late in date and present no remarkable features. All the more 

 important objects are illustrated, so it will be unnecessary to do more than 

 give a brief general description sufficient to explain the figures. 



Thirteen bronze pins, with ornamental heads, were found ; some were 

 broken, and all were heavily patinated. (Plate XVII, figs. 32, 33, and 38-48.) 

 All these pins belong to common types, and similar examples have been 

 found in other crannogs, in the settlements of the sandhills on the coast, and 

 in street-excavations in Dublin. They are probably not much earlier than 

 the ninth century a.d. A bone pin, with an ornamental head (Plate XVII, 

 fig. 36), another with a flat head (Plate XVII, fig. 37), were found, also four 

 bone needles (Plate XVII, figs. 50-52 and 54), and five portions of pins or 

 needles. 



The only other objects of bronze found, in addition to the pins, were a 

 child's bracelet and a pair of tweezers. The bracelet (Plate XVII, fig. 28) is 

 an unornamented strip of bronze, bent into a circular form, with overlapping 

 ends. The tweezers (Plate XVII, fig. 26) are rather nicely ornamented ; 

 similar objects are common among crannog finds. 



Only two wooden combs were found. Both of these were in a very 

 fragmentary condition ; one has been repaired (Plate XVII, fig. 27) ; the other 



