Knowth Kerbstone K89
Kerbstone K89 is one of the 127 kerbstones numbered in Professor George Eogan's record of the Knowth monument. It is located on the north-western side of the great passage tomb mound.
Knowth Kerbstone 89 | Photo by Clare Tuffy.
The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath
Description of Kerbstone 89
The stone's surface is mostly uneven and cracked, but some areas are relatively smooth. There are ten circular motifs; however, parts of several of them are weathered, particularly at the top of the stone. At the left end of the stone is a motif with four concentric elements. To its upper-right is a set of three concentric circles, the inner complete and the two outer ones incomplete where they run against a natural depression.
Below this is a set of four concentric circles, with a similar set just to the right. Above this there are two small single circles, and above those a set of three, lightly picked, gapped circles. Lower down to the right is a set of three concentric circles, with an additional arc on the right side. To the lower-right there is another set of three, deeply picked, gapped circles. A set of three, shallow picked, concentric arcs near the top-right corner of the stone opens to the left onto a weathered area, and these may have been more extensive originally.
Excavations at Knowth Volume 7: The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath
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Knowth Stone Age passage tomb
Stone K89 belongs to the kerb ring that defines the oval footprint of the Knowth passage tomb in the Boyne Valley. In sheer size Knowth rivals Newgrange. Building the mound demanded quarrying and moving thousands of tonnes of stone, shaping a ring of kerbstones, and fitting passages, chambers and cairn material into a carefully planned design that still impresses engineers and archaeologists today.
Detailed survey work on the orientation of the two passages has shown that simple equinox sunrise and sunset alignments do not fully explain their layout. The architecture may reflect a broader interest in seasonal and lunar cycles rather than a single astronomical event.
Knowth Kerbstone 89 | Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Few Irish passage tombs combine entrance kerb art with a full decorated kerb ring. Knowth belongs to that rare group, along with Newgrange and Dowth South, and includes some of the most elaborate rayed and arc motifs in the country.
One hundred and twenty-four kerbstones still ring the base of the Great Mound, defining an oval plan roughly 80 metres east-west and 95 metres north-south. Many carry carved spirals, lozenges, concentric circles and other abstract motifs that can be viewed on a circuit of the mound (kerbstone gallery).