Aghalislone facts for kids

Aghalislone is a small area of land, also known as a townland, located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Its name comes from the Irish words "Achadh Lis Luain," which means "field of Loan's fort." This townland covers about 664 acres. It is part of the civil parish of Derriaghy. Aghalislone is also divided between two older historical areas called Baronies: Massereene Upper and Belfast Upper.

Exploring Aghalislone's Past

Aghalislone is home to two important historical sites that are protected as Scheduled Historic Monuments. These sites give us clues about people who lived here long ago.

Ancient Forts and Burial Mounds

• Rath: One of the sites is a Rath (grid ref: J2599 6792). A rath is an ancient circular fort, usually made of earth, where people lived and protected themselves.
• Barrow: The other site is a Barrow (grid ref: J2549 6825). A barrow is a mound of earth built over a burial site from ancient times.

Discoveries from Digging

When houses were being built near the rath in 2006, archaeologists found pieces of pottery. These pottery pieces were from the medieval period (around 500 to 1500 AD) and also from more recent times. They were discovered in a pile of leftover soil from the construction.

In 2007, similar discoveries were made near the barrow during another building project. Workers found many pieces of burnt flint. Flint is a type of stone that was used to make tools and weapons in ancient times. They also found a flint core, which is a larger piece of flint from which smaller flakes were struck off to make tools. These finds suggest that people were active in this area during the Bronze Age, which was thousands of years ago. Pieces of glazed ceramics from the 1800s were also found, showing more recent activity.

These discoveries help us understand the long history of human activity in Aghalislone, from ancient times right up to more recent centuries.