The Passage Tomb Archaeology of the Great Mound at Knowth

Excavations at Knowth Volume 6: The Passage Tomb Archaeology of the Great Mound at Knowth

The ancient burial sites of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth make up the archaeological complex at Brugh na Boinne, a UNESCO world heritage site which has attracted enormous international interest. George Eogan began excavating the site at Knowth in 1962 and this is the sixth volume of the Excavations at Knowth monograph series.

Volume 6 aims at reconstructing the archaeological history of the achievements of the passage tomb builders who created and utilised the great mound (Tomb 1) at Knowth over a period of at least three centuries, circa 3200-2900 BC. It is hoped that the research presented in this volume will lead to a better understanding of the people who built the passage tomb cemetery at Knowth, and also contribute to the wider appreciation of society at the time of its construction and use.

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Excavations at Knowth Series

A major programme of archaeological excavation commenced on 18 June 1962 at the passage tomb cemetery at Knowth in the Boyne Valley. This research excavation continued on a seasonal basis for more than 40 years, resulting in the excavation of a considerable area of the monument complex. Knowth is a multi-period and multi-functional archaeological complex. It is part of the ancient Brú na Bóinne complex that also includes Dowth and Newgrange and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Knowth had a long, though not continuous, history of both ritual and settlement that spanned some six millennia, from the beginning of the Neolithic to the modern era. The monuments at Knowth represent not just local expressions of ideas and ritual practices spread over extensive geographical areas of western and northern Europe, but also some of the most impressive architectural and engineering developments.

Volume 1 was published in 1984, it dealt with aspects of prehistoric activity at Knowth.
Volume 2 reported on further aspects of the prehistoric settlement excavated after 1989.
Volume 3 dealt with the animal bone assemblage from Knowth.
Volume 4 explored the historical role of Knowth and wider Brú na Bóinne.
Volume 5 presented the artefacts found at Knowth from the first and second millennia AD.
Volume 6 dealt with the archaeological history of the achievements of the Knowth passage tomb builders who constructed and used the Great Mound (Tomb 1) at Knowth.
Volume 7 dealt with the megalithic art from Knowth.

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