Definition: Knowth is the name of one of several megalithic tomb sites located within the Boyne valley (called Brú na Bóinne in Gaelic) of Ireland. About 4000 BC, the first structure was built at Knowth, consisting of a small rectangular wooden household, and by about 3500-3000 BC, the farmstead had grown into a settlement, with a palisaded enclosure. Archaeological evidence for at least 14 houses has been identified at Knowth.
The famous round passage tomb shown in the photograph is the largest of all the Boyne valley mounds, covering nearly 1.5 acres. It has two tombs placed back to back, one opens east and one west. Knowth's passage tomb was built during the early Neolithic period (ca 3000-2400 BC).
There are up to twenty other tombs at Knowth, and it is also known for its enormous collection of carved stones, which comprise nearly a quarter of all known Western European Neolithic art.
The famous round passage tomb shown in the photograph is the largest of all the Boyne valley mounds, covering nearly 1.5 acres. It has two tombs placed back to back, one opens east and one west. Knowth's passage tomb was built during the early Neolithic period (ca 3000-2400 BC).
There are up to twenty other tombs at Knowth, and it is also known for its enormous collection of carved stones, which comprise nearly a quarter of all known Western European Neolithic art.
Sources
Knowth.com is a great place to explore Knowth and other megalithic tomb sites like Newgrange.
George Eogan. 1996 Boyne Valley, in Oxford Companion to Archaeology, Brian Fagan, editor, Oxford University Press, New York.
