Knowth Kerbstone K74

Kerbstone K74 is one of the 127 kerbstones numbered in Professor George Eogan's record of the Knowth monument. It is located at the entrance to the western passage of the great passage tomb mound.

The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth

Description of Kerbstone 74

Stage 1 consists of a series of finely incised, sloping, elongated lines apparently made with a chisel-like implement. These are cut by the deeply picked lines of Stage 2, which form a ribbon or channel and which cut across many of the vertical lines, though on the upper part of the stone the picked lines are shallower, possibly due to weathering.

The carving extends across the main face and comprises five horizontal, three-sided rectangles opening downwards, the innermost rectangle is almost complete. Inside this there are three horizontal lines, the outermost turns down at the right, the middle one turns down at each end and almost joins with the innermost of the five rectangles. A vertical line is deeply picked slightly left of the centre of the stone. In the bottom area there are some small patches of Close Area-picking, and there are some dispersed chisel marks on the lower left.

Excavations at Knowth Volume 7: The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath

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Knowth Stone Age passage tomb

K74 forms part of the ceremonial kerb documented during decades of excavation at Brú na Bóinne by Professor George Eogan and his team. The stone stands at the entrance to the western passage of the Great Mound, where the kerb ring meets the opening of the tomb that faces westward across the Boyne Valley.

The carving on K74 was executed in at least two stages, beginning with finely incised lines and continuing with deeply picked ribbon motifs that cut across the earlier work. Five downward-opening rectangles and a central vertical line give the panel a formal, architectural character that marks this as one of the more structured compositions on the Knowth kerb.

The western passage runs for about thirty-four metres into the mound and was rediscovered in 1967 during George Eogan's excavations. Nearly every orthostat inside is carved, including the Guardian Stone near the inner threshold, and the chamber at the end forms an undifferentiated burial space rather than the cruciform plan found in the eastern tomb (western passage at Knowth).

Few Irish passage tombs combine entrance kerb art with a full decorated kerb ring, and K74 is among the most prominent examples on the western side of the mound. Visitors on guided tours can view the stone as part of the kerb circuit, while the passages and chambers themselves remain closed for conservation.