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{{Short description|Neolithic passage tomb located in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Dowth
| native_name = {{lang|ga|Dubhadh}}
| alternate_name =
| image = File:Dowth.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| map_type = Ireland
| map_alt =
| map_size =
| relief = yes
| location = [[County Meath]], Ireland
| region =
| coordinates = {{coord|53.70365|-6.4502|display=inline}}
| type = [[passage grave]]
| part_of = [[Brú na Bóinne]]
| length =
| width =
| area =
| height =
| builder =
| material =
| built = {{circa|3200 BC}}
| abandoned =
| epochs = [[Neolithic]]
| cultures =
| dependency_of =
| occupants =
| event =
| excavations =
| archaeologists =
| condition =
| ownership =
| public_access =
| website =
| notes =
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_partof = Brú na Bóinne – Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne
| designation1_date = 1993 <small>(17th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = i, iii, iv
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/659 659]
| designation2 = National Monument of Ireland
| designation2_offname = Dowth Mound & Dowth Passage Tomb
| designation2_number = 410 & 652
}}

'''Dowth''' ({{langx|ga|Dubhadh}}) is the site of [[Neolithic]] [[passage tomb]]s near the [[River Boyne]] in [[County Meath]], Ireland. It is one of the three main tombs of the ''[[Brú na Bóinne]]'' [[World Heritage Site]], along with [[Newgrange]] and [[Knowth]]. Its features align it with the other passage tombs, which date from around 3200 BC. Unlike its bigger neighbours, Dowth has mostly been left as a ruin, although its smaller inner chambers are largely intact. The [[Royal Irish Academy]] carried out a botched [[Archaeological excavation|excavation]] in 1847, leaving a large crater in the mound that has never been repaired.<ref name=ria1983/><ref name=ria2007/>

==Description==
The [[cairn]] or [[tumulus]] is about {{convert|85|m|ft|-1}} in diameter and {{convert|15|m|ft|-1}} high,<ref name=Harbison /> and surrounded by large [[Kerbstone|kerbstones]], some of which are decorated. [[Quartz]] was found fallen outside the kerbing, suggesting that the entrance to this tomb was surrounded by glittering white stone, as at Newgrange. Three stone-lined passages lead into the mound from the west. These comprise two passage tombs (known as Dowth North and Dowth South) and a [[souterrain]].

The longest of the passages (Dowth North) is 18.2 metres in length and is crossed by 3 [[Sill stone|sill-stones]] and ends in a [[cruciform]] chamber<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.knowth.com/dowth.htm|title=Dowth Megalithic Passage Tomb – Boyne Valley, Ireland|website=knowth.com|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> with a [[Lintel|lintelled]] (not [[Corbelled tomb|corbelled]] as in Newgrange or Knowth{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}) roof. Dowth South is 3.5 metres long and ends in a roughly circular chamber with a modern concrete roof (the original roof having collapsed).<ref name=":1" /> In Dowth North, several of the [[orthostat]]s (upright stones) of the passage and chamber are decorated with spirals, [[Chevron (insignia)|chevrons]], [[Lozenge (shape)|lozenges]] and rayed circles. On the floor stands a single stone basin, 1.4m x 1m in size. The right-hand arm of the cross leads into another long rectangular chamber with an L-shaped extension entered over a low sill, sometimes referred to as 'the annex'.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/dowth/|title=Dowth {{!}} Built heritage {{!}} Brú na Bóinne {{!}} World Heritage {{!}} World Heritage Ireland|website=worldheritageireland.ie|language=en|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> This may be the earliest part of the tomb, later brought within the design of the cruciform tomb. This annex is floored with a 2.4 metre-long [[flagstone]] containing an oval [[bullaun]] (artificial depression). Until recently, the cruciform tomb was reached by climbing down a ladder in an iron cage, and crawling about over loose stones. Now, access is restricted, and all the features are guarded by metal grills.

A kerbstone with cup-marks, a spiral, and a flower-like design marks the entrance to Dowth South. While the current roof is modern, it is possible the original one was corbelled, as at Newgrange.<ref name=":2" /> This tomb has a few decorated stones and a large right-hand recess.

The third entrance visible on the west side of Dowth is an early Christian [[souterrain]].<ref name=Harbison /> It leads into the passage of Dowth North and was constructed around the 10th or 11th century.<ref name=":0" /> The ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'' and the ''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]'' refer to [[Norsemen]] plundering the "cave‟ of Dowth around 862; the "cave" in this description may refer to the souterrain.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fenwick|first=Joseph|date=2018|title=A reappraisal of the archaeological remains in the vicinity of the great passage tomb and manorial village of Dowth, Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath.|journal=Journal of Irish Archaeology|volume=XXVI|pages=12|hdl=10379/7294}}</ref>

The mound originally had about 115 kerbstones surrounding it. Kerbstone 51, sometimes called the Stone of the Seven Suns, features a number of radial circular carvings,<ref name=":2" /> similar to those at [[Loughcrew]].

==Archaeological investigation==
Dowth was excavated in 1847 by the [[Royal Irish Academy]]. In this botched investigation, the middle of the mound was almost completely dug out and [[Dynamite|dynamited]]. It was not filled in again, and some of the stone was then quarried.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=O'Kelly M. |author2=O'Kelly C. |date=1983|title=The tumulus of Dowth, County Meath.|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy|volume=83C|pages=135–90}}</ref> This large crater has still not been repaired.<ref name=ria1983/><ref name=ria2007/>

Unlike Newgrange and Knowth, Dowth has not been independently dated, but its features align it with the other passage tombs which date from between approximately 3200 and 2900 BC.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Fenwick|first=Joe|date=2015|title=A reassembly of the monumental fragments in Dowth townland and their significance as an integral part of the prehistoric numinous precince of Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath.|journal=Journal of Irish Archaeology|volume=XXIV|pages=19–49|hdl=10379/7311}}</ref> However, archaeologist [[Peter Harbison]] in 1970 dated the tomb at 2500{{spaced ndash}}2000 BC.<ref name="Harbison">{{cite book|title=Guide to the National Monuments of Ireland|last=Harbison|first=Peter|publisher=[[Gill & Macmillan]]|year=1970}}</ref>

[[Survey (archaeology)|Archaeological]] and [[Geophysics|geophysical]] field surveys of the entire site, including later monuments, were carried out episodically from 2012 to 2015.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fenwick|first=Joseph|date=2018|title=A reappraisal of the archaeological remains in the vicinity of the great passage tomb and manorial village of Dowth, Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath|journal=Journal of Irish Archaeology|volume=XXVI|pages=2|hdl=10379/7294}}</ref> In July 2018, another passage tomb in the grounds of nearby [[Dowth Hall]] was excavated, revealing significant examples of Neolithic [[rock art]] similar to those at Dowth and the other ''[[Brú na Bóinne]]'' sites.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/5-500-year-old-passage-tomb-at-dowth-is-find-of-a-lifetime-1.3567118#.W038BKz5dxk.twitter|title=5,500-year-old passage tomb at Dowth is 'find of a lifetime'|last=Edwards|first=Elaine|date=2018-07-16|work=The Irish Times|access-date=17 July 2018}}</ref>

==Astronomical alignment==
Dowth shares a special solar celebration with neighbouring [[Newgrange]] during the winter solstice. Martin Brennan, author of ''The Stars and the Stones: Ancient Art and Astronomy in Ireland'' – Thames and Hudson 1983,<ref>''The Stars and the Stones'' was later re-published as ''The Stones of Time: Calendars, Sundials and Stone Chambers of Ancient Ireland'', 1994. {{ISBN|978-0-8928-1509-8}}; {{ISBN|0-89281-509-4}}</ref> discovered the remarkable alignment during the course of his ten-year study in the [[Boyne Valley]]. From November to February, the rays of the evening sun reach into the passage and then the chamber of Dowth South. During the [[winter solstice]], the light of the low sun moves along the left side of the passage, then into the circular chamber, where three stones are lit up by the sun.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.knowth.com/dowth-sunsets.htm|title=Dowth Winter Solstice Sunsets – Boyne Valley Ireland|website=knowth.com|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref>

The convex central stone reflects the sunlight in to a dark recess, lighting up the decorated stones there. The rays then recede slowly along the right side of the passage and after about two hours the sun withdraws from Dowth South.<ref name=":3" />

==Myth==
The medieval ''[[Dindsenchas]]'' (lore of places) has a story about Dowth (''Dubhadh''). It says that king [[Bresal Bó-Díbad]] compelled the men of Ireland to build a tower to heaven within a day. As this was not enough time, his sister cast a [[Spell (magic)|spell]], making the sun stand still so that one day lasted indefinitely. However, Bresal then commits [[incest]] with his sister, which breaks the spell. The sun sets and the builders leave, hence the name ''Dubhadh'' ('darkening').<ref>Koch, John. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO, 2006. p.619</ref> This tale has been linked with [[solstice]] alignments at Brú na Bóinne.<ref name="Hensey">Hensey, Robert. Re-discovering the winter solstice alignment at Newgrange, in ''The Oxford Handbook of Light in Archaeology''. Oxford University Press, 2017. pp.11-13</ref> It has also been linked with DNA analysis in 2020, which found that a man buried at nearby [[Newgrange]] had parents who were most likely siblings.<ref>[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2246227-stone-age-ruling-elite-in-ireland-may-have-had-incestuous-marriages "Stone Age ruling elite in Ireland may have had incestuous marriages"]. ''[[New Scientist]]'', 17 June 2020.</ref> This could mean that knowledge of the events survived for thousands of years before being recorded as a myth in the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name="Hensey"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Dowth Passage Tomb.2.JPG|Aerial view
File:Tumulus de Dowth 3.JPG|View of mound showing kerbstones
File:Wakeman Dowth tumulus from South.png|1903 sketch of mound from the south
File:Entrance to South Passage Dowth Megalithic Tomb - geograph.org.uk - 491364.jpg|Entrance to the south passage
File:Entrance to North Passage Dowth Megalithic Tomb - geograph.org.uk - 491359.jpg|Entrance to the north passage
File:Dowth chamber entrance 2014 2.jpg|Inside the passage
File:Rude Stone Monuments 0234.png|Plan of the interior
File:Wakeman stone carvings Dowth.png|Sketches of Neolithic art from Dowth
File:Rude Stone Monuments 0237b.png|Sketches of neolithic art from Dowth
File:Dowth-Stone of the Seven Suns.JPG|The Seven Suns stone
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|refs =

<ref name=ria1983>{{citation| jstor = 25506098 | title = The Tumulus of Dowth, County Meath | first = M. J.|last = O'Kelly |first2 = Claire |last2 = O'Kelly |author-link2 =Claire O'Kelly|first3 = V. R. |last3 = O'Sullivan | first4 = R. H. |last4 = Frith | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature
| volume = 83C | year = 1983 | pages = 135–190}}</ref>

<ref name=ria2007>{{citation | jstor = 40657903 | title = In Retrospect: The Royal Irish Academy's only archaeological excavation: Dowth in the Boyne Valley | first = Peter | last = Harbison| journal = Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature | volume = 107C | year = 2007 | pages = 205–213}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/dowth/ Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012040152/http://www.meath.ie/Tourism/Heritage/Newgrange/ Meath Tourism Information on Dowth]
*[http://www.miotas.org/article.cfm?id=Newgrange Brú na Bóinne in myth and folklore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630123508/http://www.miotas.org/article.cfm?id=Newgrange |date=30 June 2018 }}

{{World Heritage Sites in Ireland}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 4th millennium BC]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in County Meath]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland|Brú na Bóinne]]
[[Category:Prehistoric sites in Ireland]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in County Meath]]
[[Category:Boyne culture]]
[[Category:Tombs in the Republic of Ireland]]

Dowth - Revision history

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