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

Description of Kerbstone 84

Stage 1 comprises a series of faintly incised sines on the center-right of the main face. Some lozenges and zigzags can be identified. Stage 2 consists of a large, circular motif occupying the main face of the stone. A range of techniques can be noted, with some of the pickmarks being distinct and well-formed and others ill-defined.

A medium-sized, rounded point was used, and also a chisel with a medium-sized cutting edge. The motif has two central, concentric ovals with five enclosing arcs on the left and six on the right. Originally, the innermost at least of these might have been complete at the top, but the upper part of the stone is now missing. A small semi-circle is picked low down in the gap between the outermost arcs.

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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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