Archaeologists undertaking an excavation in County Meath are trying to figure out what the Lismullin site was used for.
The archaeologists expect to be at least ten weeks working on the excavating the site. At the moment they are divided into teams digging and archiving soil samples.
There's 28 archaeologists now working on the site at Lismullen.
Carbon dating reveals that the national monument at Lismullin was built in the early Iron Age, around 400 to 500 BC. Consisting of two large circular enclosures, the largest runs 80 metres across and marked out with wooden stakes. While the stakes no longer exist, evidence of their location can be seen in the ground.
The site lies directly in the path of the M3 motorway. Opponents wanted the motorway re-routed out of the valley and the Hill of Tara in an effort to preserve the site.
The decision was made to excavate the site, record everything and then put the motorway through here.
Senior Archaeologist from the NRA Mary Deevy says that the NRA and the Department of the Environment have committed to spending as much time and resources as are necessary to fully excavate the site.
There haven't been any major artefacts discovered to date. However, through the use of forensic archaeology, those working on the site hope to come up with enough tiny clues to figure out what the site was originally built for. The most common theory is that the site was ceremonial.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 24 August 2007. The reporter is Richard Dowling.
