Knowth Kerbstone K52

The megalithic art of the passage tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath

Description of Kerbstone 52

Stage 1 comprises a central, finely picked, double anti-clockwise spiral of two-and-a-half turns. This seems to be overlaid in Stage 2 by the central elements of a row of arcs that runs across the stone. Above these is a long, horizontal serpentiform, and above that a row of circles is picked just below the top edge of the stone. The four circles on the left are single and quite wide, and the three on the right are double.

There are also a number of penannular circles along the right edge, one of which links to a deeply picked, short, horizontal zigzag. Some further motifs may be noted under the row of penannular circles, including an oval, a possible spiral, and an irregular motif at the left end of the zigzag. These motifs are very lightly picked with a fine point, sometimes drawn along to make a short, sharp line, as are parts of the zigzag, and they might therefore belong to Stage 1, like the spiral. The majority of the motifs are picked with a medium-sized, rounded point.

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Knowth is a Stone Age passage tomb in the Boyne Valley in Ireland's Ancient East and, together with Newgrange and Dowth, it is one of the principal sites of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Knowth is the largest passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne complex.

The main mound is about 12 metres (40 ft) high and its kerb defines an oval footprint measuring roughly 95 metres (312 ft) by 80 metres (262 ft), enclosing an area of about 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres). It contains two passages placed along an east–west line and was originally encircled by 127 kerbstones, of which 124 are still in place.