Dowth

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Location of and Dowth in Brú na Bóinne
Aerial view of Dowth Hill
Dowth south

Dowth ( Irish Dubhadh ) is a megalithic passage tomb from the Neolithic Age in the Boyne Valley, in County Meath in Ireland . The complex is the oldest of the three large tombs in the Boyne Valley ( Brú na Bóinne ). The other two are Newgrange and Knowth .

Excavations

The first partial excavation was carried out in 1847, although looting has been proven under the Vikings and also earlier.

construction

The Dowth Tumulus drawn by Wakeman
Dowth rock carvings drawn by Wakeman
"Stone of the Seven Suns" on a Dowth burial chamber

The burial mound has a diameter of about 90 m, is 15 m high and surrounded by 115 curbs, some of which are decorated.

Quartz stones were found outside the curb, suggesting that the facade - similar to the restored Newgrange complex - was highlighted by the bright, shiny mineral. Three stone-decorated passages open the complex to the west.

Dowth North

In the middle of the system is the main chamber in the shape of a cross. The corridor of Dowth North is about 14 m long and is divided by three threshold stones and ends with a cross chamber with an appendix on the right side. The chamber ceiling is about 3.0 m high. Some of the orthostats in the passageway and in the burial chamber are decorated with spirals , zigzag patterns , diamonds and wreaths of rays. The right arm of the cross-shaped main chamber has an attached secondary chamber in L-shape, which can be entered via a low door sill. The chamber, made up of 36 bearing stones and eight cap stones, is believed to be the oldest part of the complex, which, through extensions, assumed the current cross shape. The bottom is a 2.4 m long plate with an artificial recess, called a porthole .

Dowth South

Next door is a second burial chamber, Dowth South, with a few ornate stones. It has a 3.5 m long corridor that leads into the round chamber 4.5 m in diameter. A side niche is on the right. The system consists of 21 bearing stones and five cap stones.

Dowth basement

The basement , built within the Passage Tomb , is not accessible. It consists of a curved ( stone-built ) corridor about 23.0 m long, with individual stone blocks. There is a tholos on the right near the entrance . About halfway along there is a slip . The basement ends in another tholos. This chamber is located at the bottom of the metal staircase that forms today's access to the main corridor. The basement users were able to use the Passage Tomb as an extension.

Dowth Henge

Dowth Henge (also called Dowth Q) is about two kilometers away in Proudfootstown. It is one of the largest earthworks in Ireland and is located northeast of the Passage Tomb of Dowth and in surprisingly good condition. It has ramparts up to 5.0 meters high and over 165 meters in diameter. There are two openings in the egg-shaped case. They are geared towards the summer solstice, although they may not be part of the original design. Henges like this were probably built in Ireland around 4,000 years ago.

visit

Unlike Newgrange and Knowth , after Dowth there are no tours of the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center, which is on the other side of the Boyne river bend.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Dowth  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 53 ° 42 ′ 10.5 ″  N , 6 ° 26 ′ 57 ″  W.