Knowth
Main mound ("Site 1", right) and smaller mounds at Knowth
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 Shown within Ireland
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| Location | valley of the River Boyne |
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| Region | County Meath, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°42′04″N 6°29′30″W / 53.701°N 6.4916°W |
| Type | passage grave |
| Part of | Brú na Bóinne |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, iv |
| Designated | 1993 (17th session) |
| Part of | Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne |
| Reference no. | 659 |
| Ireland | |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Official name | Knowth Passage Tomb & Knowth Mound |
| Reference no. | 409 & 549 |
Knowth (/ˈnaʊθ/; Irish: Cnóbha) is a Neolithic passage grave and an ancient monument of the World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne located 8.4 km west of Drogheda in Ireland's valley of the River Boyne. It is the largest passage grave of the Brú na Bóinne complex and consists of a large mound (known as Site 1) and 17 smaller satellite tombs. The mound is about 12 metres (40 ft) high and 67 metres (220 ft) in diameter, covering roughly a hectare. It contains two passages placed along an east-west line and is encircled by 127 kerbstones, of which three are missing, and four badly damaged.
The large mound has been estimated to date from between 2500 and 2000 BC. The passages are independent of each other, leading to separate burial chambers. The eastern passage arrives at a cruciform chamber, not unlike that found at Newgrange, which contains three recesses and basin stones into which the cremated remains of the dead were placed. The right-hand recess is larger and more elaborately decorated with megalithic art than the others, which is typical for Irish passage graves of this type. The western passage ends in an undifferentiated chamber, which is separated from the passage by a sill stone. The chamber seems to have also contained a basin stone which was later removed and is now located about two-thirds down the passageway.
Knowth contains more than a third of the total number of examples of megalithic art in all of Western Europe; over 200 decorated stones were found during excavations. Much of the artwork is found on the kerbstones, particularly approaching the entrances to the passages. Many of the motifs are typical: spirals, lozenges and serpentiform. However, the megalithic art at Knowth contains a wide variety of images, such as crescent shapes. Interestingly, much of this artwork was carved on the backs of the stones; a type of megalithic art known as hidden art. This suggests all manner of theories as regards the function of megalithic art within the Neolithic community who built the monuments in the Boyne valley. It is possible that they intended the art to be hidden. It is also possible that they simply recycled the stones and reused the other side.
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