The aim of this book is to present the archaeological history of the achievements of the passage tomb builders who constructed and used the great mound (Tomb 1) at Knowth over a period of at least three centuries, c. 3200-2900 BC. This was a time of change, and the monuments at Knowth represent not just a change in ideas and ritual practices over extensive geographical areas of western and northern Europe, but also an increased 'sophistication' in architectural and engineering developments. The Knowth tombs provide evidence for these extensive changes in society, ritually, materially and socially, particularly with regard to relationships with wider Atlantic Europe.
It is hoped that the research presented in this volume, the sixth in the Excavations at Knowth series, 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.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the world renowned Eastern Tomb at Knowth, we are publishing free online our six books on Excavations at Knowth via the Digital Repository of Ireland.
Reviews:
'[A] remarkable achievement ... the report is clearly structured and very readable. The figure drawings are lucid and informative and the same applies to most of the photographs'. Richard Bradley, University of Reading, August 2018.
GEORGE EOGAN† directed the Knowth excavations for almost 40 years, as part of his research into the passage tomb builders of Ireland and Western Europe. The results of his work in this area were published in an extensive series of books and papers, including the Royal Irish Academy’s seven-volume Excavations at Knowth series. Following his retirement as professor of archaeology at UCD in 1995, he became Professor Emeritus of Celtic Archaeology.
Kerri Cleary was project coordinator for volume six in the Excavations at Knowth series, on the Neolithic archaeology of the Great Mound. She has worked as an archaeologist for over fifteen years, since completing her PhD at University College Cork in 2007. She specialises in prehistoric archaeology, particularly the Neolithic and Bronze Age of Ireland.
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