Excavations at Knowth | Seven Volumes
A major programme of archaeological excavation began on 18 June 1962 at the passage tomb cemetery at Knowth, County Meath. Conducted as a research excavation, the work continued on a seasonal basis for more than forty years and resulted in the investigation of a substantial portion of the monument complex.
Knowth has a long, though discontinuous, history of ritual and settlement extending over approximately six millennia, from the early Neolithic to the modern period. The monuments represent not only local expressions of ideas and ritual practices shared across wide areas of western and northern Europe, but also some of the most accomplished examples of prehistoric architectural and engineering achievement.
Excavations at Knowth | Volume 7
The megalithic art of the passage tombs at Knowth, County Meath
This final volume in the seven-volume Excavations at Knowth series published by the Royal Irish Academy examines the megalithic art of the passage tomb cemetery at Knowth, County Meath. Dating to the Middle Neolithic, these carvings represent a major element of the site’s archaeological record, with around 45 per cent of Ireland’s passage-tomb-style carved stones found at Knowth.
The volume presents a systematic catalogue and analysis of the carvings, identifying six principal art styles and placing the Knowth material within a wider Atlantic European context, including Brú na Bóinne and other Irish sites.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 6
The Passage Tomb Archaeology of the Great Mound at Knowth
This volume examines the construction and use of the Great Mound (Tomb 1) at Knowth between c. 3200 and 2900 BC, addressing its form, building methods, associated burials, material culture, chronology, and relationship with the smaller tombs, within their environmental context.
It also considers the dating of Neolithic human remains, the sources of construction stone, and issues of conservation and restoration, contributing to a fuller understanding of the Knowth passage tomb builders and their society.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 5
The archaeology of Knowth in the first and second millennia AD
This volume examines the archaeology of Knowth during the first and second millennia AD, documenting the use of the site from the Late Iron Age to the modern period and presenting the extensive range of artefacts recovered, with a supplementary catalogue of unillustrated finds.
Specialist appendices include studies of Roman, Viking, and Early Christian metalwork, isotope analysis of Iron Age and Early Historic burials, environmental evidence from Thomastown Bog relating to the Brú na Bóinne landscape, and the results of a geophysical survey undertaken in 2011.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 4:
Historical Knowth and Its Hinterland
This volume explores the historical development of Knowth within the wider Brú na Bóinne landscape, tracing settlement, society, and power in the Boyne Valley from the early medieval period to the early twenty-first century.
It examines Knowth’s role as a political centre, medieval and post-medieval changes in settlement and landholding, and the modern history of excavation, conservation, and tourism, offering a concise overview of the site’s long-term historical significance.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 3
Knowth and the Zooarchaeology of Early Christian Ireland
This volume examines the animal bone assemblage from Knowth and provides the first comprehensive overview of the archaeological evidence for the use of animal resources in Ireland during the Early Christian period.
Based on analysis of one of the largest faunal assemblages recovered from an Irish site, the study offers new insights into Early Christian livestock practices and places the Knowth material within a national context through a gazetteer of data from more than thirty excavations. The evidence points to a significant shift in Ireland’s livestock economy from the eighth century AD onwards.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 2
Settlement and ritual sites of the fourth and third millennia BC.
This volume reports on additional elements of prehistoric settlement at Knowth excavated between 1989 and 1997. It covers evidence for Early and Late Western Neolithic habitation, Passage Tomb–period activity, Grooved Ware occupation, and Beaker settlement.
The publication is richly illustrated with site plans, detailed artefact drawings, and photographs. It also includes substantial appendices covering petrological analysis of pottery, a proposed reconstruction of the Grooved Ware structure, and studies of seeds and animal bones.
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Excavations at Knowth | Volume 1
Smaller passage tombs, Neolithic occupation and Beaker activity
Excavations at Knowth, directed by George Eogan, began in 1962. This volume is the second major report published in the Royal Irish Academy’s Monographs in Archaeology series and the first volume in the Excavations at Knowth series, produced with the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
It focuses on prehistoric settlement at Knowth, tracing occupation from the arrival of early farming communities around 4,000 years ago, and presents significant new evidence for settlement activity at the site.
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