Castles in Communities: Recent Findings in the Field

Summary

The archaeological and anthropological field school Castles in Communities, organized by Foothill College, completed its third field season this past summer at the site of Ballintober Castle, County Roscommon, Ireland. The construction of Ballintober Castle (early 14th century) is attributed to the Anglo-Norman Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster. Shortly after its Anglo-Norman occupation, the castle came under Irish control (1381) and has been the property of the O’Conor family ever since. After being attacked in 1642, the castle was abandoned as a residence. The castle now lies in ruins, portions stand 4m high. Extensive non-invasive field survey and excavation have been performed, not only on the site of the castle, but within its surrounding landscape and adjacent fields. This paper will present the findings exposed in excavations conducted in the north-east tower of the keepless castle. Excavation has shown a complex stratigraphy and multi-phased building construction. It will be postulated that the identified different phases in castle construction can be linked to changed hands in ownership, reconstruction in response to outside attack, and period remodeling efforts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22544