Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace
Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE)·Irish Neolithic·🇮🇪 County Sligo, Ireland
About
About Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace
Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace in County Sligo, Ireland is a Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE) megalithic attributed to Irish Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 8 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 54.0480N -8.3549E controls access to County Sligo resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for County Sligo, illustrating Irish Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction labor organization
- 02Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3500 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Irish Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3500 BCE
Initial construction of Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace main structure
c. 950 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace
2002–2021
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
54.0480° N · 8.3549° W · 294 m · 4 mapped features
Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic Feature
chamberPrimary chamber at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
54.0494° N · 8.3561° WCarrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
cairnAncillary cairn at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — burial gallery with stratified deposits
54.0490° N · 8.3545° WCarrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
plazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
54.0471° N · 8.3550° WCarrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
reservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Western Terrace with plastered basin
54.0491° N · 8.3531° W