A late Mesolithic lithic scatter from Corralanna, Co. Westmeath, and its place in the Mesolithic landscape of the Irish Midlands

Abstract

This report discusses a surface collection of late Mesolithic date from Corralanna, Co. Westmeath. The site, which was discovered after peat extraction in 1999, is characterised by a lithic assemblage comprised almost exclusively of chert, two axes, some coarse stone tools and a small range of organic finds including uncarbonised hazelnut shells. This discussion reviews the material from Corralanna, with an especial emphasis on the character of the chipped stone assemblage, placing the site in its appropriate landscape and archaeological contexts. Three radiocarbon dates from hazelnut shells were obtained. These are not demonstrably associated with the lithics, but the dates are in keeping with late Mesolithic stone tool technology. Although the assemblage is derived from a surface collection, and suffers from some of the problems associated with this, the site at Corralanna offers a significant contribution to our understanding of Mesolithic settlement in the midlands, an area rich in Mesolithic archaeology, but one that has been somewhat neglected until recently.