Excavations at Knowth, vols 1 to 6, now available on DRI as an open-access resource.
Excavations at Knowth, vols 1 to 6 presenting the findings from the programme of archaeological excavations and associated research at the Knowth passage tomb cemetery, now available on DRI as an open-access resource.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the world renowned Eastern Tomb at Knowth, the Royal Irish Academy is publishing free online its 6 books on Excavations at Knowth on DRI.
The Academy’s aim is to spark new research on Knowth and to help those researching the newly discovered sites in the Unesco World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne.
Knowth is the biggest of the passage tombs discovered so far – bigger than Newgrange – and boasts the largest collection of Neolithic art. It is older than the Egyptian pyramids and older than Stonehenge.
Director of the Knowth excavations George Eogan’s own account of finding the Eastern passage tomb 50 years ago this month: ‘30 July 1968, during…excavation…a small hole appeared along the main east–west baulk. The following day I entered this cavity’ ‘1 August…all four passages were explored…this confirmed…what appeared to be a longer, megalithic passage’ ‘the richness and abundance of megalithic art…occurred on almost every orthostat…even some of the roof corbels were decorated’ ‘Standing in a…virtually intact structure…built more than 5,000 years previously…the first person to enter in over 1,000 years—what a privilege!’
This project is in partnership with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Commenting on the launch, Minister Josepha Madigan said “It has been a summer of fantastic archaeological discovery at our World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne, discoveries which have enthralled many right across the globe. Our shared mission is to make our heritage accessible to all and it is fantastic that the results of these internationally important archaeological excavations at Knowth are being made freely available to researchers and to the public who share our fascination with the archaeological wonders of Brú na Bóinne”.
The Neolithic passage tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath, date to approximately 3,200BC. The site consists of one large tumulus (the Great Mound, which houses two large passage tombs) and 20 smaller satellite tombs. Overall, Knowth has had a history, though not continuous, of ritual and settlement spanning roughly six-thousand years—from the beginning of the Neolithic to the modern era.
The 6 Knowth volumes can be found on DRI here: https://repository.dri.ie/catalog/8910z856b
The volumes will be launched 21 August 2018, Brú na Bóinne Visitor, Donore, Co. Meath, 6PM
