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 12 located at the SSE edge of the summit of the great mound, over the fill of the upper fosse of the rath and just on the S side of the entrance ramp to the rath. Before any structure was built 17 open hearths were utilised in the vicinity. There were some clusters amongst the hearths but generally they did not overlap. As a result of the fires a layer of dark earth accumulated. House 12 (ext. dims 10.7m E-W; 6,25m N-S) consisted of a paved floor, small portions of the N and E walls and an entrance marked by 2 large stones in the W wall. There were 2 hearths outside the SE corner of the house. A copper alloy ferule and mount, a fish-hook, an iron needle, a jet bracelet, bone and glass beads, ring-pins, a buckle, combs and a barrel lock key and gaming pieces were recovered in the wider area. The foundations of this house have been conserved. (Eogan 2012, 140-1)

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. 4:36

References

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