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 14 located at the NNW edge of the summit of the mound, and built over the fill of the upper fosse of the rath in an area that was not completely excavated. A layer of compact dark material with at least one hearth preceded the house that was represented by a roughly rectangular paved area (dims c. 11.5m E-W; c. 5.5m N-S). It had a hearth, and stone steps rose externally to the E edge of the paved area at its N end. Three paved areas with hearths along the perimeter of the mound W-NW might be contemporary with it. Artefacts associated with medieval house 14 included jet and glass bracelets, ring-pins, stick-pins, a barrel padlock key, a gaming piece and a sherd of Souterrain ware. (Eogan 2012, 153-6)

True location: ITM (669601, 773469)

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 plan of house, from Knowth 5, Fig. 4:45

References

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