Court Tomb of Clontygora
The Court Tomb of Clontygora (locally also called The King's Ring ) is located on a hill in the southeast of Slieve Gullion in the townland of Clontygora ( Cluainte Gabhra in Irish ), west of the Newry River, near Ferryhill Road, in County Armagh in Northern Ireland , on the border to the Republic of Ireland . Court Tombs are among the megalithic chamber tombs ( English chambered tombs ) of the British Isles . With around 400 specimens, they are found almost exclusively in Ulster in the north of Ireland or in Northern Ireland.
Despite some damage, the Court Tomb is an impressive megalithic monument . An imposing exedra made of two more than 2.7 m high and a few lower stones as well as wide gaps delimits the deep, U-shaped forecourt. The access to the gallery with the three chambers lying one behind the other is marked by two massive, closely spaced portal stones. The roof slabs and a large capstone over the first of the three chambers are supported by granite blocks .
Court tombs are usually oriented to the east, but this one is oriented to the north. The Court Tomb, excavated in 1937, contained flint artifacts , pottery, cremated bones, and a polished stone ax.
Nearby are the Court Tomb of Ballymacdermot , the Portal Tomb of Ballykeel and the Wedge Tomb Clontygora East.
literature
- Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland: Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. An Introduction and Guide. 6th edition, 2nd imprint. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Belfast 1987, ISBN 0-337-08180-8 .
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 6 ′ 43.9 ″ N , 6 ° 19 ′ 15.3 ″ W.