Hello and welcome to SJMPhoto.com

Online is my personal tribute to the late, great Tom Herron.
You can take a trip down memory lane with images of Tom and read some of people's own thoughts and memories.

Enjoy your stay.

Stephen

Sunset over Knowth

 

By far the most impressive in terms of megalithic art, scale and layered history of the three Boyne Valley passage-tombs, Knowth contains one quarter of all known megalithic art in Europe, has two passages, and a total of 18 smaller "satellite mounds". 

There are two passages at Knowth which face, roughly speaking, towards the east and towards the west. A long-held theory is that the passages were aligned towards sunrise and sunset on the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, whilst a new theory, backed by scientific data about the orientation of these passages, points towards a lunar function for Knowth.

Research claims that the builders of this monument had a good working knowledge of the complicated movements of the Moon. Such knowledge would have enabled the builders to predict eclipses and other astronomical events.

It is probably Knowth's astonishing quantity of art which makes it more impressive than the better known Newgrange. Many of the kerbstones are decorated, while there is significant decoration in both passages and inside some of the satellite monuments.

During the Iron Age, the site was fortified and a huge ditch dug around the mound. In later times, Knowth became a significant site as the capital of the kingdom of Brega.

There are a total of 18 smaller satellite mounds around the main mound, many of which had their own stone passages. Some also contain megalithic art.