Timber circle

The National Monuments Service's description

This timber-circle is part of Eogan's Phase 4 Grooved Ware Complex, and it is located c. 12m E of the entrance to Tomb 1C East and c. 5m S of Tomb 18 (Eogan and Roche 1997, 101-23). This phase is now called Late Neolithic, dating to c. 2800 - c. 2500 BC (Eogan and Cleary 2017, 42). This feature consists of a subcircular wooden structure (dims 8.37m x 7.15m) defined by 19 post-holes, each with a post-pit, placed c. 0.65m apart. There is an entrance defined by 2 larger posts and a projecting porch of 2 larger posts on the E side. In addition the porch is flanked by three posts or pits on either side in a line parallel with the circumference of the circle. Nine small stones (diam. c. 0.15m) are placed 2-3m from each other outside the circle of posts SE-W-NE but these are not centred on the timber-circle and could be a natural occurrence. Just inside the circle of posts were 4 larger posts forming a square. Artefacts were added to the fills of the post-holes, and in the case of the central posts little pockets or annexes, rich in artefacts, were added to the backfills. The posts were cut through a humus sealing Neolithic material and the timber-circle is associated with a black earth that underlay habitation material from Beaker Concentration D (ME019-030035-).

Over 500 sherds representing at least 45 vessels of Irish Grooved ware were recovered from the post-holes as well as a polished stone axehead and flints, with a greater proportion of the flints than usual derived from chalk flint. Both the flints, dominated by scrapers, and the flat-based pottery are concentrated in the 4 internal posts and the posts of the entrance and those of the circle opposite the entrance. It is likely that the structure was an unroofed ritual structure, perhaps with lintels connecting the posts (H 2m plus). It was probably built and the artefacts deposited with the posts in a single phase, and the posts were allowed to decay in situ rather than being burnt or dug out. Radiocarbon dates of 4130 +- 35 bp (2739 +- 94 cal. BC) and 3985 +_ 35 bp (2519 +- 39 cal. BC) were derived from samples in 2 different post-holes. The timber-circle is reconstructed. (Eogan and Roche 1997, 103-223)

Date of upload: 06 November 2013
Amended: 17 September 2020

See the attached plans and images:
_1 from Google Earth aerial photograph taken 12 July 2013.
_2 Plan from Knowth 2, Fig. 21
_3 View from E

References

Eogan, G. and Cleary, K. 2017 Excavations at Knowth 6: The Passage Tomb Archaeology of the Great Mound at Knowth. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin

Eogan, G. and Roche, H. 1997 Excavations at Knowth 2. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy Monographs in Archaeology.