House - early medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

Fifteen house sites dating to the tenth - eleventh centuries AD have been recovered in excavation of the upper levels of the passage tomb mound. This is medieval house 11 located at the NE edge of the summit of the great mound, and built over the fill of the upper fosse of the rath. The humus from the abandonment of the rath was levelled up with a layer of brown earth (max. T 1m) on which were nine hearths at this point that resulted in extensive burning and reddening of the soil. An L-shaped paving (dims c. 9m NW-SE; c. 4m NE-SW) was laid down at the N end of what was known as ‘House 10’. It was bordered on the E side by the foundation course of a wall with a straight inner edge but no other evidence of a house was present. The paving was covered by a layer of dark earth only distinguished by the density of artefacts over the paved floor from the area around it. Jet bracelets, glass and stone beads, stick-pins, combs and a barrel padlock key were recovered in the area. (Eogan 2012, 138-9)

True location: ITM (699634, 773461)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 26 November 2013
Amended: 18 September 2020

See the attached illustrations:
_1 Early medieval features, from Knowth 5, Fig. 4:1
_2 House plan, from Knowth 5, Fig. 4:33

References

Eogan, G. 2012 Excavations at Knowth 5: the archaeology of Knowth in the first and second millennia AD. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.