County: Meath Site name: KNOWTH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Dr. G. Eogan, Dept of Archaeology, University College Dublin
Site type: Megalithic tomb- passage tomb and Burial ground
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 699830m, N 773818m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.704500, -6.488000
During this season excavation was continued in an area (Area 4) between the main mound (Site 1) and the public road. In this area the principal features that have been coming to light are four passage graves, but evidence for activity at subsequent stages is also emerging.
The passage graves (Fig. 2)
The excavation of two of these has almost been completed and work has started on two more. The two almost completely excavated sites have cruciform-shaped chambers. One, which was centred on S.68*, was poorly preserved. Only a small portion of the kerb, the stumps of three orthostats and the basal layer of the mound survived. The tomb measured 7.70m in internal length and the chamber was 3.60m in internal width. There is a flat stone resting on the floor of the west recess and there was a scatter of cremated bone overlying this. There was a row of four kerb-stones before the entrance. To the west of these there was an isolated kerb-stone and in between these were two sockets which may have held kerb-stones.
A large portion of the chamber of the passage grave centred on sq.50 has been destroyed but apart from the capstones the parallel sided passage was complete. More than half of the kerb-stones were also missing and the mound only survived to a height of 65cm. The tomb was 8.45m in internal length and the chamber was 3.45m in internal width. There were the remains of the burial deposit, cremated bone, in the chamber area. The two passage graves just described are close to each other and the mounds must have impinged. From investigations it appears that a portion of the mound of the site centred on sq.68 is overlain by the edge of the mound of the other site. In other words the former site is the earlier. If both had circular mounds the former would have been about 16m and the latter about 16m in diameter.
The passage grave centred on sq.19 is of particular interest because it predates the construction of the mound (or at least portion of it) of the large site (Site 1). This is clear from the fact that the kerb of this site does not articulate due to the fact that an attempt was made to cause as little damage to the small tomb as possible. But alteration to the small site did take place. It is likely that its mound was originally circular but part of it, with presumably that portion of the kerb, and some of the passage orthostats were removed. Access to the chamber was maintained by constructing a passage at right angles to the original one. The inner part of this secondary passage was formed by two orthostats on either side. For the outer portion the southern side was formed by a kerb-stone of Site 1 and the northern side by a dry-stone facing to the side of the mound. There was a block of stone across the secondary passage at the outer orthostats. The outer part of the passage may not have been roofed. There is a sill-stone at the junction between the secondary and primary passages and another midway along the primary passage. There were two successive burial deposits (cremation) in the inner segment. A sill-stone divided the passage from the chamber, which is trapizoidal in shape. It contained three successive cremation deposits. The only find was a fragment of a bone pin.
The passage graves are being numbered consecutively but an area between the last numbered tomb (site 13) and Area 4 has not yet been excavated (it is in private ownership) and these four passage graves have not been given a consecutive number, As a temporary measure just the square on which they are centred is given.
So far the excavation on the tomb centred on sq.5 has been confined to the tomb itself. This was a simple tomb, 9m in internal length. About two-thirds of the way in there was a sill-stone and another sill-stone occurred at the inner end of the chamber. There was a burial deposit in the inner segment and in the second segment. The rite was cremation.
Megalithic art occurs on all the sites.
Subsequent activity
Over portion of the area, evidence for settlement by Beaker people is coming to light. So far the evidence consists of sherds of coarse pottery and flint scrapers. The Beaker people also used the passage of the tomb centred on sq.5 for burial. At one part a deposit of cremated bone was inserted and this was accompanied by an undecorated Beaker of fine ware.
A souterrain (excavation has only commenced) indicates Early Christian activity and there were later inhumation burials of uncertain date in the tombs of the passage graves centred on sqs. 19 and 15.
Click on the link below for the Royal Irish Academy's online resource for Knowth Excavations:
