Knowth spiral stone under the stars of Orion

Spirals on an ancient stone, with Orion rising behind… This stone is fascinating. It forms part of the northern boundary wall of what was once a medieval house. However, closer examination reveals that this stone contains several emblems or symbols which are undoubtedly megalithic art. There are two spirals - one quite obvious just to the left of centre, and another faded spiral on the right. Between these, on a wedge-shaped section of the stone, are several arcs. Undoubtedly this is a stone that was robbed, borrowed or otherwise removed from one of the Neolithic passage-tombs at Knowth and reused during the building of the house. The carving of the emblems on this stone took place probably around 5,200 years ago, but the house dates to several millennia after this. A recent stargazing night at Knowth presented me with a rare opportunity to photograph this stone at night and to capture a photo of this megalithic art, some of which is faded and difficult to see in daylight.