Prehistoric Ireland (2) - Knowth: amazing rock art

Knowth, like Newgrange, is a Neolithic site in the Boyne Valley. It consists of a large mound, another passage tomb, as well as many smaller mounds, built at different times, and in some cases impinging on one another. It is thought to date to around 5000 years ago, so a little later than Newgrange.

The most remarkable thing about Knowth is the carved rock art on almost all of the huge kerbstones surrounding the large mound. There are spirals, circles, cup marks, lines, meanders (thought to refer to the bends in the nearby River Boyne), solar and lunar symbols. There are two functioning sundials, on opposite E-W sides of the mound (shown first and last below). Each has two holes (summer and winter positions) to hold a stick that will cast a shadow . . . and they're accurate. The overall impression is of a knowledgeable, sophisticated and competent culture.

The art is visible on the fronts, sides and tops of the stones. Invisible to the eye, but palpable to the hand, on some of the stones there are carvings on the back. Most of the kerbstones are of greywacke, a rather soft stone that weathers easily, so the art is in danger of being worn away, and is already degraded. A concrete overhanging lintel around the whole mound now shelters them from some of the rain.

The ideal conditions to photograph engraved rock art is with a low, raking light . . . but we were there in the middle of the day with harsh sunlight which tends to bleach out the shadows showing the carvings. Additionally, the concrete overhang cast sharp shadow lines across the middle of the stones on one side of the mound. But that is how it was: below are the images that photographed best in these imperfect light conditions. I have the same number again (all of different stones) that are too poor to view here.