Click HERE for a (slow to download but worth the wait) film of Knowth
Guardian Newspaper ArticleGuardian Newspaper Article


The Guardian Newspaper April 12th 1999

The above article reads as follows;
For four decades archaeologist George Eogan has toiled underground in Co. Meath, excavating a megalithic burial tomb older than the pyramids of Egypt. Now the work is entering its final phase. Knowth, a one-acre burial mound in the Boyne Valley, has elaborate abstract carvings in a passage tomb of immense historical significance. The artwork, on smooth hardstone, dates back more than 5000 years, to the late Stone Age.


Archaeologists say that Knowth demonstrates the oldest art of its type in the world, and it is the largest such gallery in Europe. They have identified influences from 10 different cultures.
Once excavation and conservation work is complete, experts will begin in earnest to try to unravel the mysteries of the people who built the passage tomb. Its centrepiece is a blackened decorated basin used for cremations.
The archaeologists want to know how they did it, for the green-grit stones used at Knowth were brought scores of miles from the North and each weighed up to two tonnes.
Using clues like jewellery, experts will attempt to figure out who was buried there, and why similar art is found as far away as the Orkney Islands and southern Spain. They also want to know why the artwork shows African and Australian aboriginal influences.


Knowth is close to Newgrange, Ireland's biggest tourist attraction, and an ancient burial site, visited each year by 150,000 people. Knowth is older and bigger, with long narrow passages.
The eastern passage tomb, the larger of two back-to-back burial chambers, is believed to be the graveyard of aristocrats or kings. There are a further 19 smaller satellite tombs, which visitors are able to visit during summer.
To see the eastern passage tomb visitors have to crouch for most of the 140ft. journey, then crawl beneath six-foot stones, which have tipped inwards. The heart of the tomb is said to be "magical".
Professor Eogan, engaged in research work at University College Dublin, said: "No one can over-estimate the importance of Knowth. It was a massive operation and it shows how developed and educated society was. It demonstrates incredible architectural and artistic achievements and indicates how central to Atlantic European culture Ireland was.


Preliminary estimates suggest that up to 100 people were buried in the big tombs. Maybe they were all kings. Ritual played an important part in the lives of the passage tomb people, and great and elaborate tombs are features of an elaborate people.
Francis Byrne, of UCD's history dept. said: "Knowth is the largest gallery of Neolithic art in the world. It has the greatest number and greatest variety of different patterns, some found in Australian aboriginal art".
The work in the Boyne Valley began in 1960. Up to 40 people at any one time have been employed on the project, paid for by the Irish Government. The boost to the tourist industry has been huge.
Professor Eogan said: "It has been a fascinating 40 years. I wouldn't have missed a single moment. The real detective work begins now. Our aim is to build as complete a picture of the time as we can. We want to discover the truth behind Knowth's secrets".

Thursday April 22nd 1999. Oldest Map Of The Moon Found.

A map of the Moon, 10 times older than anything known before, has been found carved into stone at one of Ireland's most ancient and mysterious Neolithic sites; Knowth.Carving Of Moon MapLeonardo da Vinci's Map Of The Moon Dr Philip Stooke of the University of Western Ontario, who prepares maps of asteroids based on spacecraft observations, and also maps of the moon, identified the carving. Before this discovery, the oldest map of the moon was by Leonardo da Vinci, drawn around 1505. So, the Knowth map is ten times older.

Knowth, already a major research centre for understanding prehistoric man, will now become one of the most important scientific sites in the world. "The people who carved this moon map were the first scientists", says Dr Stooke. "They knew a great deal about the motion of the moon. They were not primitive at all". Knowth was obviously built by people with a sophisticated understanding of the Sun, Moon and Stars.
Investigations at Knowth almost 20 years ago, showed that at certain times the moonlight could shine down the eastern passage of the tomb, and remarkably, the moonlight would also fall on the Neolithic lunar map.

A map of the moon, with the rock carvings superimposed on it.


FOR MORE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES

Knowth: More information and links.
Sacred Island: Excellent. Martin Byrnes comprehensive resource on Irelands ancient sites.



Who The Heck ...? Into The West Old Palace School Music Now What's He Up To? / The CD Collection

Time For A Story Or Two Him In The Kitchen Croydon Asian Mela Requiem For Portlaoise

The Quare Fellow If You Get Bored With All This The Last Laugh

Goodbye / Visitor's Book / E-Mail

Homepage