Arriving at the
Bru na BÓinne Visitor
Center, we learn, in order to get to the Passage
Tombs we have to take a shuttle bus. I was a
little disappointed to discover the bus for
Knowth was the next one leaving. In the
guidebooks, the Newgrange site gets most of the
press but to my surprise, the Knowh site became
the highlight of this visit.
 |
The Knowth passage tomb
is unique in having two passage graves,
one on each side of the mound. It is
suspected, but it cannot be proven (for
reasons explained below) that the tunnels
once lined up with the solar solstices |
| One other unique aspects
of the Knowth tomb, is for much of its
existence there has been human settlement
near and directly on top of the mound.
First to live at the site were the Mound
builders themselves (3000 – 2000 BC),
followed by the Beaker culture, the
Celtics, the early Christians, and the
Normans in succession. It was the
tunneling and trenching of these later
settlers that under cut the mound
resulting in a wash out of the mound's
edges. Due to this erosion, it is now
impossible to determine positively if the
two passage tunnels lined up (5000 years
ago) with their perspective (winter,
summer) solstice. After the 1200’s
AD, human presence at the site
disappeared leaving the mound to Nature. |
Entrance
to one of two tunnels found at Knowth -
unlike at the Newgrange Passage
tomb, the white quartzite rock has been
left in the position is was discovered. |
Scattered
about the Knowth site are a number of
smaller mounds, some are located very
close to the larger tomb.
Photo
Above - close up of one of the large
kerbstones circling the mound's base. |
| The
Brú na BÓinne area (is
a UNESCO World Heritage
site) incorporating the passage
tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. From
the Brú na BÓinne
Visitor center one can take a
guided tour of Newgrange and Knowth. On my visit the Dowth
mound was closed for conservation
measures but one can walk about
the site.. |
| More pages on
Passage Tombs: |
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| Outside Links:
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Around the base of the mound
are a number of large often decorated stones. The
decoration of the stone was done by the time
consuming task of knocking a smaller rock against
the larger rock, thus flaking away at the larger
rock's surface. What is truly surprising is that
a number of these stones are decorated on their
hidden back sides, as well as their visible
fronts.
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