Knockoneill
The grave complex of Knockoneill ( Irish Cnoc Uí Néill - German "Hill of the Ó Néil" ) is a court tomb and is located four kilometers northwest of Swatragh not far from Knockoneill Road, on a hill above the River Bann in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland .
It appears to have been converted into a wedge tomb by doubling the entrance posts . During the renovation, a small porch or portico was created that is not a standard part of Court Tombs. This interpretation was supported by the discovery of fragments of an undecorated bell beaker on the south side of the facade of the forecourt. 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 .
Since the nearby Court Tomb of Tamnyrankin also has unusually tall side posts separating the gallery, it is possible that some kind of merger has taken place in that part of Ulster where the Court and Wedge Tombs intersect. The addition of a two-chamber gallery with a columned hall at the entrance, which connects to the gallery of the megalithic complex at the rear , gives the argument additional weight. The end stone of the main gallery is also the last side stone of the lateral gallery. If the conversion of Court Tombs to the double-chambered Wedge Tombs, which are primarily widespread in Ulster, is recognized, an explanation of the origins of this subspecies of Wedge Tombs emerges.
The north-south oriented Court Tomb has a main gallery with two chambers. The first chamber is 2.1 m long and 1.9 m wide. A capstone lies over the portal that divides the gallery. The second chamber is 2.4 m long and 2.2 m wide. The first room in the side gallery is 2.7 m long and 0.8 m wide. The rear chamber is 2.16 m long and 1.8 m wide.
The forecourt is semicircular with more preserved orthostats on the north side. The remaining curbs indicate a trapezoidal hill typical of Court Tombs. Around the facility, curbs indicate a later round hill edging. Bronze Age graves have been found in the forecourt , so it is believed that the complex was covered with a round pile of stones at that time.
The complex dates back to the Irish Neolithic (around 3000 BC), when most of the dead were cremated and their remains were placed in the gallery with the burial goods. Excavations took place in 1948, 1977 and most recently in 1984. Seven court tombs can be found in Derry.
Nearby is Tamnyrankin's Court Tomb .
See also
Web links
- Description and pictures (English)
- Description and pictures (English)
- Description and pictures (English)
Coordinates: 54 ° 55 ′ 11 ″ N , 6 ° 43 ′ 21 ″ W.