Information on Knowth
Information on Knowth
Of similar vintage and located to the west of Newgrange, on a ridge of shale overlooking the river Boyne, the enormous tumulus of Knowth covers two passage tombs, placed back to back..
Archaeologically, this necropolis has long been considered as important and as significant as Newgrange, subject to much scholarship stretching back as far as the early eighteenth century.
A Boyne Valley Jewel
Famous Excavation
For over 40 years from 1962, Prof George Eogan of UCD excavated the enormous main burial mound covering over one and a half acres. Also revealed were a total of nineteen satellite tombs (smaller passage graves) which according to Professor Peter Harbison of the Royal Irish Academy, nestle outside the main mound "like a lot of chickens around the mother hen".
Neolithic Society
This is one of Europe's finest public monuments of the late Stone Age. Knowth is a massice and majestic megalithic masterpiece reflective of the pride and pomp of the farming society of the Boyne Valley from which it emarged. It is more than just a grave and is redolent of the emotion, commitment, invention, imagination and vision of those anonymous people who built it.
Megalithic Rock Art
Knowth represents the greatest concentration of megalithic rock art in Wester Europe. The main tumulus alone contains more than three hundred decorated stones with a dazzling, complex combination of motifs. Remarkably, Knowth incorporates a quarter of all the megalithic art known anywhere in Europe, and almost half of all the known megalithic art hitherto recognised in Ireland
Interested in learning more about Newgrange? Book your seat on our next tour today.