A Megalithic Passage Tomb That Dates Back 5,500 Years Has Been Discovered In County Meath, Ireland
Archaeologists have hailed a new discovery as the “find of a lifetime” after a 5,500-year-old Megalithic passage tomb was uncovered in County Meath in Ireland. The tomb is located at Dowth Hall which encompasses the famous Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site.
As RTE reports, the discovery of the tomb came about after excavations were performed by University College Dublin School of Archaeology who were working in conjunction with the company Devenish.
So far archaeologists have found two burial chambers that were located in one section of the main part of the tomb which had previously been covered by an extremely large stone cairn.
Archaeologists have also recovered six kerbstones from the Megalithic tomb that they say would have all been part of a ring that wound around the perimeter of the cairn. The kerbstones themselves were beautifully decorated, with one found covered in elaborate Neolithic carvings.
This particular stone has been described as one of the most magnificent pieces of Neolithic art that has ever been found in Ireland, according to Dr. Stephen Davis of the UCD School of Archaeology.
“This is the most significant megalithic find in Ireland in the last 50 years, since the excavation of Knowth. The spate of archaeological discoveries in Brú na Bóinne in recent weeks highlights what a globally significant place this is.”
🌀🗿 'Find of a lifetime' as Megalithic passage tomb discovered at Dowth Hall in Co Meath
It was made during an excavation carried out by @ucdarchaeology and agri-technology company Devenish pic.twitter.com/K5HBOinozX
— University College Dublin (@ucddublin) July 16, 2018
Owen Brennan, the executive chairman of Devenish, explained that part of the reason why his company chose this location for their agri-technology company to work in is down to the gorgeous landscape that surrounds the Megalithic passage tomb as well as the highly fertile soil which can be readily found here.
“Devenish invested in this farm at Dowth because of its fertile soil, its location beside the Boyne and its beautiful landscape.”
Brennan then went on to add that his company is, after all, following a rather long and illustrious line of other past civilizations that also chose to live and carry out their work in the same space, including some of the very first farmers of Ireland.
“From our archaeological research, it seems we made the same decision for the same reasons as a long line of our farming colleagues from the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, medieval and more recent times. The monuments here, created by some of Ireland’s first farmers, capture our imaginations and those of our visitors to the Devenish Lands of Dowth. It is an inspirational landscape to showcase Devenish’s work on sustainable agriculture and promoting human health through nutrition.”
With such a large discovery as this, archaeologists will be busy for the foreseeable future investigating this newly found Megalithic passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland.