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Home Page > News > Virtual tour of Knowth to bring public closer to archaeological site after 50 years of excavations

Virtual tour of Knowth to bring public closer to archaeological site after 50 years of excavations

Inaccessible chambers will be made public via virtual tours

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Saturday, June 23, 2012, 7:23 AM

Updated Saturday, June 23, 2012, 7:23 AM

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Aerial view of Knowth, County Meath

Photo by Google Images

50 years after the start of archaeological explorations into the ancient burial tombs at Knowth in the Boyne Valley, researchers at the site have confirmed that people will get to experience the site like never before via virtual tours.

The Irish Examiner reports on the rich history of the discoveries at Knowth in Co Meath and how they will be brought that much closer to the public in the near future.

The OPW hopes that the two burial chambers at Knowth, which are the longest in Ireland, will be accessible to the public virtually using high quality scans assembled by a UCD team. The chambers are otherwise inaccessible to the public.

Knowth is famous for its megalithic art, and the burial tombs at the site housed some 300 pieces. The art pieces that have been discovered date as far back as 3000 B.C.

Professor George Eogan led the first of dozens of excavations in 1962 at Knowth. The excavations progressed over the decades to reveal that Knowth had been used for rituals by ancient peoples for thousands of years.

"We did guess the site might yield evidence for a pre-historic tomb but what we didn’t anticipate at that stage is that the passage tombs were only a portion of what was here," said Professor Eogan.

Evidence that was unearthed at the site helped to confirm that Knowth was "the royal residence of the kings of Northern Brega (part of Co Meath)", Professor Eogan said.

Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said of Professor Eogan: "His enthusiasm for Knowth, and the wider area of Brú na Bóinne, has never wavered and now, 50 years later, he is involved in pulling together the final publications of the project."

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bunkerhill | Jun 26, 2012, 07:56 PM EDT

We are so happy now to see very positive comments on the importance of Ireland to pre-history. We also believe this is only the beginning as much more will be discovered in the next few years giving Ireland back its rightful history. Have you heard the evidence of a tsunami in the Burren area of Clare and have you seen the History Channel's documentary on the red headed pharoah? To us it seems possible that the Irish legend of Hy-Brasil and Atlantis may be one and the same. We are very grateful to all the people who have preserved this priceless history.

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jacersagain | Jun 26, 2012, 02:45 PM EDT

(…more) The belief now is that these people of Ireland were very unique and special; that they travelled from Ireland to Britain, travelling to Scotland and the Orkney Islands and later Stonehenge to set up these stone circles and tombs for a special reason. What that reason is is anybody's guess but the popular belief is that they are the first people, probably ceremonial priests, who, by the manner in which they cremated only privileged people (everyone else being buried), were the first to recognise that there’s a heaven. >>> What always amazes me is that, in these discussions about Newgrange, Knowth, Orkney Islands and Stonehenge – all of which are set out to align with sunrises at mid-summer’s day and/or the winter solstice - they are never mentioned in the same breath as that even bigger Neolithic site on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, which also has concentric circles on the stones like at Newgrange and Knowth and also faces the sunrise to align on certain days with an interior passageway. So maybe the mound builders in Ireland and Britain, perhaps pre-Christian missionary priests, originally came from Malta??

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jacersagain | Jun 26, 2012, 02:40 PM EDT

A BBC TV series (2011), ‘A History of Ancient Britain’, hosted by Neil Oliver, featured Newgrange and Knowth at some length as they are older than the Neolithic sacrificial mounds found in Scotland and one or two parts of England. It was my first time to see the inside of Knowth portrayed on TV and as Oliver said when he was brought inside by none other than Prof Eogan “It is easy to see why it’s not open to the public!” – the passage way inside the main mound is so narrow in places that it takes a bit of tight squeezing to get through to the end of the passage. A virtual tour will be a welcome help for people to understand the significance and content of Knowth’s passageway. This ‘Ancient Britain’ episode (Part 3 of 4) is fascinating as it shows how much influence inhabitants of Ireland had on Scotland and its ancient mounds and circles, including England’s Stonehenge. (More…)

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bunkerhill | Jun 26, 2012, 11:02 AM EDT

You are right seanomelb and I don't understand the "Irish" with the "naysayer' mentality. Every "commoner" in the countries across Europe ruled by royalty is portrayed as a mighty conqueror, and a few of them believe it. (Not all however and if you can get one of Ken Follett's books you will see the life a commoner actually lived.) In actuality they were expendable cannon fodder. History is so tragic because it is constantly repeated and no one seems to catch on.

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seanomelb | Jun 25, 2012, 07:00 PM EDT

Bunkerhill they will not give the Irish any kudos whatsoever that's the nature of their mean spirit and pettiness.

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bunkerhill | Jun 25, 2012, 04:44 PM EDT

We think this is wonderful as we are so interested in pre-historic Ireland, and Ireland is indeed a treasure trove. We think Ireland, on the edge of the known world holds so much pre-historic knowledge and is just on the verge of being discovered. Of course the supposedly "Irish" naysayers are out in full force. They can't stand anything good to be said about the "Irish." Is it possible that their stance comes from the fact that there are no AS or viking conquerors to take credit for this history? Shades of the "mighty conquerors" who have robbed so much of Ireland's history and may not be able to stand up to the recent and continuing discoveries. For everyone who identifies as a "conqueror" there was an innocent victim or family. When will history change to honor the decent people?

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seanomelb | Jun 24, 2012, 08:02 PM EDT

Murph46 you can add Portia777 to your list.

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peterson | Jun 24, 2012, 12:58 PM EDT

WOW !!!

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Portia777 | Jun 24, 2012, 10:27 AM EDT

jacersagain.The secrets of Dowth still have to be fully revealed by the archaeologists." And what makes you think they know the dark secrets? Were they around 10,000 years ago? No. Are they guessing ? Yes. Have they an agenda? Yes. History will be rewritten when the real truth is revealed. Oh and did you show them the Druid Rock and sacred well at Bru Na Boinne? No, why? because it was all destroyed by these so called learned men.

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seanomelb | Jun 23, 2012, 08:37 PM EDT

Murph46 stealing our thunder but he is spot on.

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jacersagain | Jun 23, 2012, 06:43 PM EDT

I'm excited by this news and will be hugely interested in this virtual tour. As many know, Knowth is one of three monuments in the same locality beside the River Boyne – Newgrange (the biggest mound) and Dowth (the smallest) being the other two. Newgrange attracts the most visitors but whenever overseas visitors come to stay with me, I always bring them to Knowth as part of the three-site visit because I think it’s the most beautiful and most fascinating. The secrets of Dowth still have to be fully revealed by the archaeologists.

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JBRAFTREE | Jun 23, 2012, 05:08 PM EDT

Murph, you took the mouth right out of my words.

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Murph46 | Jun 23, 2012, 01:04 PM EDT

Threre are a lot of people in "virtual" -byethebay,LoyalCitizen ,Georgie (sometimes)etc.

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Portia777 | Jun 23, 2012, 10:03 AM EDT

Evidence that was unearthed at the site helped to confirm that Knowth was "the royal residence of the kings of Northern Brega (part of Co Meath)", Professor Eogan said. Ah yes the dark hand of Eoghan trying to keep our true history hidden. Strange how other countries are aware of this con man and the Irish believe all that leaves his lips

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