Knowth Kerbstone K89

Knowth is a Neolithic passage tomb in the Boyne Valley and part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its great mound was originally edged by 127 kerbstones, many carved with spirals, circles, zigzags, and other abstract motifs. This page looks at Kerbstone K89, one of Knowth's decorated kerbstones.

The stone is greywacke, a type of sandstone composed of tightly cemented mineral grains and rock fragments. The surface of the stone is quite rough and cracked, although a few patches are smoother. Ten circular designs can be seen, but several are partly worn away, especially near the top.

At the left end of the stone there is a design made up of four circles inside one another. Just above and to the right of this is another group of three circles. The middle one is complete, while the outer two are broken where the stone dips naturally. Below this is a set of four concentric circles, with a similar group just to the right. Above these are two small single circles, and above them again is a group of three lightly carved circles with gaps.

Lower down on the right side is a set of three circles within each other, with an extra curved line beside them. Further down to the right is another group of three circles, this time carved more deeply and with gaps. Near the top right corner are three shallow curved lines forming part of a circular design that opens into a worn area of the stone. These carvings were probably more complete before the surface weathered away.

K89 stands on the northwestern side of the mound, where the kerb curves around the base of Knowth. Few Irish passage tombs combine a fully decorated kerb ring with carved stones at the entrance, but Knowth belongs to that select group alongside Newgrange and Dowth South. Stones like K89, with their concentration of concentric circles, are among the finest open-air panels of Neolithic art in Ireland.

On a Knowth tour the guide leads you around the exterior of the Great Mound so you can view decorated kerbstones up close. Entry to the chambers is not permitted for conservation reasons, but the kerb walk alone makes the visit worthwhile.

Further Reading

The definitive guide to Knowth's carved stones is Excavations at Knowth Volume 7: The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, Co. Meath, edited by Professor George Eogan and Dr Elizabeth Shee Twohig and published as part of the Excavations at Knowth series. It is the official record of megalithic art from decades of excavation at Brú na Bóinne.

Kerbstone K89 is documented with its ten circular designs, from four-ring groups to gapped concentric circles, along with notes on how weathering and natural cracks in the stone have affected the upper face.

Knowth was built around 3200 to 2900 BC, and this volume covers one of the site's most remarkable features: its carved stones. All 390 decorated kerbstones, passage stones and chamber stones are catalogued with written descriptions, line drawings and photographs. Six main art styles are identified and explained, along with the motifs and carving techniques the Neolithic builders used.

Knowth accounts for about 46 percent of all passage-tomb art in Ireland and roughly a third of the megalithic art recorded in Europe. The book also places Knowth in a wider context, comparing its carvings with those at other Irish tombs, sites in western and northern Britain, and earlier megalithic art across Atlantic Europe. If you have walked the kerb at Knowth and want to understand what you saw, this is the reference to keep.

Purchase from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. A free digital edition is available from the Digital Repository of Ireland.