site (as seen here in 1989) has been excavated since 1962 Knowth
is one of the grandest of the 300 or so passage-tombs in
Ireland, and along with the other two great mounds of Newgrange
and Dowth, is part of the huge necropolis found in the Boyne
Valley. It consists of a large mound surrounded by 17 smaller
ones. The oval main mound varies in diameter from 80 to 95m
(262-311ft), with a height between 12 and 15m (40-50ft). It is
probably contemporary with Newgrange (middle of the 4th
millenium BC). George Eogan's excavations conducted annually
since 1962 have shown Knowth to be an exciting monument. The
mound is made up of sod, clay, stones, and shale; some of the
stones, up to 4 tons in weight, were probably quarried within a
distance of 8-12km (5-8 miles), though some other smaller stones
may have been brought to the site from some 40km (25mi) away.
The mound contains not one, but two great passage-tombs,
orientated toward the east and the west respectively. The two
chambers are separated by so little that a