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Knowth Megalithic Passage Tomb

Knowth is the largest of the three great passage tombs at Brú na Bóinne, standing with Newgrange and Dowth at the centre of one of only three UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island of Ireland. These Neolithic ceremonial monuments rank among the most important prehistoric sites in the world, and Knowth alone preserves the greatest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe.

Large grass-covered Knowth mound ringed by kerbstones, with a central tree, timber posts and a visitor path under a clear blue sky. The Great Mound at Knowth.

The Great Mound was constructed around 3200 BC. It occupies the highest point in the tomb cemetery, a massive kerbed mound ringed by nineteen smaller passage tombs. Together they form one of the richest concentrations of Neolithic burial architecture in Europe. After decades of excavation and conservation, visitors may climb to the summit. The view across the Boyne Valley is commanding.

Within the mound are two separate tombs, an eastern passage and a western passage, each leading to its own chamber. They came to light in 1967 and 1968 during excavations directed by Professor George Eogan. The discovery reshaped understanding of the monument. The eastern passage opens into a cruciform chamber with three recesses and basin stones, similar in form to the chamber at Newgrange. The western passage ends in a rectangular, undifferentiated chamber separated from the passage by a sillstone. Kerbstones and many of the structural stones lining both passages are carved with megalithic art.

Knowth did not stand untouched through the ages. In the seventh century the mound was converted into a rath, a defended farmstead ringed by banks and ditches. Ogham inscriptions and later cursive graffiti scratched into the passage walls testify to continued human contact. Animal bone and iron objects dated to the eleventh century point to a later, domestic use. The eastern tomb may once have served as a medieval dwelling.

Aerial view of Knowth Great Mound with a medieval grange outline on top, surrounded by satellite mounds and paved walkways. Knowth aerial view, with the medieval grange enclosure on top of the mound.

Knowth western passage orthostats 48 and 49 with vertical wavy lines and concentric oval carvings in dim light. Brú na Bóinne received UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1993 in recognition of the outstanding universal value of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth. The status acknowledges the scale, antiquity and artistic richness of these monuments, and the insight they offer into organised Neolithic society in the Boyne Valley. Alongside Skellig Michael, it is one of only two properties in the Republic of Ireland to hold World Heritage status.

There is no independent public access to Knowth. All visits are by guided tour departing from the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, located near the village of Donore on the south side of the River Boyne. From there, visitors travel by shuttle bus to the monument and are accompanied by knowledgeable guides who explain the archaeology, history and significance of the site. Tours of Knowth generally operate from March to early November, though exact opening dates and ticket information should be confirmed in advance through the official Visitor Centre website. The tour takes in the exterior of the Great Mound, including the decorated kerbstones and the path to the summit.

George Eogan and his team of Archaeologists began excavating the Great Mound and the smaller surrounding mounds at Knowth in 1962, five years later they discovered the first passage and chamber. Subsequent excavation revealed a second passage and chamber and a collection of decorated stones that comprises a quarter of Western European Neolithic art. Read More

Knowth kerbstone with multiple sets of sweeping concentric arcs carved across its weathered face, moss-stained along the top edge. Secrets from the Grave - Irish Times article where George Eogan talks about uncovering 19 satellite tombs around the great mound at Knowth. They also found evidence of pottery, houses and flint artefacts from a pre-passage-tomb stage of early Neolithic settlement around 4000 BC. Read More

Line drawing of Orthostat 47 at Knowth showing three concentric arcs, a zigzag motif and scattered cup marks. Lunar Maps at Knowth - the carvings on orthostat 47 at the end of the chamber in the eastern passage have been identified by Philip J. Stooke as lunar maps. The right-hand section appears to be a map of the lunar maria. The remaining two sections of the carving are simpler but crudely similar to the first, sharing the overall arc shape of the maria surrounding the lunar central highlands as well as an isolated spot representing Mare Crisium. Read More

Kerbstones

Knowth Kerbstone K5 with a central spiral flanked by concentric circles on the left and nested U-shaped arcs on the right. At the base of the Great Mound at Knowth are 124 surviving kerbstones, forming an complete ring around the monument. The kerb defines the mound’s oval footprint, measuring approximately 80 metres (262 ft) east–west and 95 metres (312 ft) north–south.

Many of the stones are richly decorated with spirals, lozenges, concentric circles and other geometric motifs, creating the largest assemblage of passage tomb art in Western Europe. Read More

Equinox sunrise/sunset alignment?

Bright sun shining through the western passage entrance at Knowth, viewed from inside the dark stone-lined corridor.

Summary of surveys undertaken by Frank Prendergast and Tom Ray to determine and interpret the alignments of the western and eastern passage tombs at Knowth. The findings indicate that contrary to earlier suggestions, the eastern passage and the western passage are not aligned towards sunrise and sunset respectively at the equinoxes. Read More

Interior of the long eastern passage at Knowth, lined with orthostats and lintels, lit by shafts of light on the earthen floor. The eastern passage at Knowth. The eastern passage of the Great Mound at Knowth extends for approximately 40 metres, making it the longest megalithic passage in Western Europe. The passage runs broadly eastwards and is carefully constructed from large orthostats roofed with massive lintels. Some of the stones are decorated with megalithic art. The scale and ambition of the engineering suggest a highly organised Neolithic community with advanced knowledge of stone construction and spatial design.

At the end of the passage lies a cruciform chamber with three recesses opening off a central space. The chamber is capped by a corbelled roof that rises in overlapping layers of stone, forming a stable, self supporting vault similar in principle to the chamber at Newgrange. Excavations directed by Professor George Eogan revealed decorated stones within the chamber and evidence of cremated human remains, indicating its use for ritual burial. The eastern passage is aligned towards the equinox sunrise, reinforcing the connection between the monument, ceremonial practice and the cycles of the sun.

Corbelled dry-stone roof and walls of a Knowth passage showing overlapping flat slabs narrowing toward the ceiling. Corbelled roof over the chamber in the eastern tomb.

Ground plan of Knowth Mound showing 127 kerbstones, the western passage and the eastern cruciform passage.

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