The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath

Description of Kerbstone 79

Stage 1: A lightly picked and somewhat weathered serpentiform runs across the middle of the stone and underlies some of the later carvings. Stage 2: A broad line curves along the left side of the face and turns onto the top, where it dips down to a V and then straightens to form a short, horizontal line. The line encloses a large double C-shape with a gapped circle inside; a short horizontal line is picked in the gap between the ends of the C. Below this is a comma-shaped motif.

To the right of the set of gapped ovals there is a large oval, picked with very wide, ribbon-like lines. This encloses two circular motifs, the upper a circle framed by two arcs on each side, with a similar motif below but with two concentric circles, and an arc only on the left. Below the oval is a clockwise spiral of four turns.

The next set of motifs, in the center of the stone, from the top downwards, are an upward-opening U-motif; a clockwise spiral of three turns, which is somewhat compressed laterally; and below this two wide, boxed, U-motifs. To the right, the next group of motifs has a circle at the top, with a narrow, upright rectangle and a double concentric circle below it. Most of the picking on this Stone is done with a small to medium-sized, rounded point.

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Knowth is a Stone Age Passage Tomb in the Boyne Valley in Ireland's Ancient East and together with Newgrange and Dowth are the principal sites of Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Knowth is the largest passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne complex. The main mound is about 12 metres (40 ft) high and 67 metres (220 ft) in diameter covering about 1 hectare (2.5 acres). It contains two passages placed along an east-west line and was originally encircled by 127 kerbstones of which 124 are still in place.

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