Ogham stone

The National Monuments Service's description

There are two stones with ogham inscriptions in the passage (ME019-030090-) of Tomb 1C East and three similar inscriptions in the passage of Tomb 1C West at Knowth. The ogham is a scholastic exercise and depicted with a central incised stem rather than using the arris or angle of an upright stone. Orthostat 28 in the W tomb has an inscription that is best represented as: BREQBOIS but no satisfactory explanation or precedent is available. Ogham No. 4 on orthostat 30 is best interpreted as: TOIMTINAN, which is similar to a cursive inscription (No. 1) in the E tomb (ME019-030092-). It is derived from the verbal noun Toimtiu - the act of thinking and might be latinised as Cogitosus. The personal name Teimne also occurs in the genealogies of the Ciannachta. Ogham No. 5 on orthostat 41 is best interpreted as: BLADM. This is an abbreviation of Bladmac, a proper name that occurs in the genealogies of Síl nÁedo Sláine in the seventh and eight centuries. (Byrne 2008, 105-06, 07-08, 116-17)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 21 September 2020

References

Byrne, F. J., Jenkins, W., Kenny, G., and C. Swift. 2008 Excavations at Knowth 4: Historical Knowth and its Hinterland. Dublin, Royal Irish Academy

Byrne, F. J. 2008 Chapter 1, Appendix 1.2 The inscriptions in the main passage tomb at Knowth. In Byrne et al. 2008, 89-120.