Cloverhill
The small passage Tomb of Cloverhill (also Knocknashammer , Irish Cnoc na Seamar , German " clover hill " ) is about 3.3 km southwest of Sligo in County Sligo in Ireland . Its proximity to the Carrowmore complex suggests a connection (it is registered as Carrowmore Tomb 30A), which however does not exist. It is the only rock- carved megalithic complex in the county.
The engravings on the right stones were carved in the elegant, Celtic La Tène style , created at least 2000 years later than the Carrowmore grounds, and do not show any of the characteristic motifs of the other passage tombs on the island. The engravings on the left stone show the classic cup-and-ring marking design of older, megalithic art.
Some authorities therefore accept it as part of the Irish passage tomb tradition, while others do not. Maybe a decoration was added in Celtic times.
Cloverhill's origin is unclear, but it could date to the Neolithic (4000-2500 BC) and be linked to the Passage Tomb tradition. However, it was created later than the bulk of the other Carrowmore monuments. The external structure and all capstones are missing. Reports from 19th century antiquarians mention the presence of a stone floor, a large capstone over the chamber, and a low, round mound, but no traces of this remain. Cloverhill lies in a relatively small oval pit on the slope of a flat hill and consists of nine stones about 0.8 m high. The chamber measures 1.8 m × 1.0 m. A slightly angled stone and a gap between the orthostats forms the entrance to the chamber.
The Sligo antiquarian William Gregory Wood-Martin (1847-1917), who excavated the complex before 1888, reports that excavations had previously taken place in which burned bones and pottery had been found.
See also
literature
- Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .
- Seán Ó Nualláin: Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland. Volume V: County Sligo 1989 ISBN 0-7076-0080-4
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 14 ′ 57.9 ″ N , 8 ° 30 ′ 22 ″ W.