Haddon — Neolithic Cist Burial at Oldhridge, Co. Meath. 571 



short description of the urn, and I am indebted to him for the photo- 

 graph of it : — 



The Tirn is of the type usually called " food-vessel" (fig. 1). Its 

 dimensions are 4 1- inches (115 mm.) high, 5|- inches (146 mm.) in 

 diameter at the rim, 6 inches (150 mm.) in greatest diameter, and 

 2^ inches (54 mm.) in diameter at the foot. The ornamentation con- 

 sists of horizontal bands of zigzag and herringbone patterns and 

 bands marked with horizontal lines. The patterns are formed by 

 serial repetitions of impressions made by two kinds of stamp, the 

 zigzags were evidently produced by a small, semi-circular stamp, 

 reversed alternately above and below ; the herringbone pattern and 



Fig. 1. 



horizontal lines were impressed by a small toothed stamp. In detailg 

 of the decoration the reader is referred to the illustration (fig. 1). 

 The underside of the small base is decorated with a star having five 

 broad rays, the field is marked with rudely scored oblique lines. 



Mr. Coffey informs me that the ornamentation and basal decoration 

 of this i;rn are very characteristic of the low globular urns most fre- 

 quently found with incinerated interments, but the shape of the urn 

 is, perhaps, transitional between these and those food-vessels which 

 have a well-developed foot. Suflicient data have not, however, yet 

 been collected for a systematic arrangement of Irish urns. 



