Cohaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cohaw |
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Cohaw Court Tomb
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| Location | Cootehill, Cavan |
| Reference no. | 456 |
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Cohaw is a very old stone tomb in County Cavan, Ireland. It's a special type of tomb called a court tomb, built by people during the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. This was a time long, long ago when people first started farming.
Cohaw is unique because it's a "double" court tomb. It sits on a small hill and looks out over a little river. Locals sometimes call it the "Giant's Grave."
Contents
What is a Court Tomb?
Court tombs are some of the oldest stone monuments in Ireland. They were built thousands of years ago, around 4,000 to 2,500 BC. Imagine a large, ancient burial place made of big stones!
These tombs have a few key parts:
- A special open area called a courtyard. This was likely used for ceremonies.
- A burial vault or chamber. This is where people were buried.
- The vault is often divided into two or more smaller rooms.
- The whole tomb is usually covered by a long pile of stones called a cairn.
There are over 300 court tombs across Ireland, mostly in the northern parts. Their courtyards come in different shapes, like oval or circular.
The Story of Cohaw
County Cavan has many ancient tombs, including eighteen court tombs. Cohaw is one of the most interesting.
When Was Cohaw Explored?
Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, explored Cohaw in 1949. A person named Howard Kilbride-Jones led the dig.
What Did They Find?
During the excavation, they found some amazing things:
- Small pieces of human bones, like teeth and skull fragments.
- The ashes of a child, showing that cremation (burning the body) was practiced.
- A special type of pottery bowl from the Neolithic period. It was round at the bottom and had a unique shape.
One interesting discovery was a bow-shaped bank of earth across the entrance to the north court. This might have been part of how the tomb was used or protected.
Exploring Cohaw's Design
Cohaw is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) southeast of Cootehill in County Cavan. You can even see it from the R192 road!
How Was It Built?
Cohaw was originally built as two separate tombs that were later connected. It's a very long structure, about 25 meters (82 feet) long.
- Two Courts: It has a court at each end.
* The south court is shaped like two-thirds of a circle. * The north court is U-shaped.
- Burial Chambers: Connecting the two courts is a long gallery with five burial chambers.
- Pillar Stones: The northern court has two holes where large stone pillars once stood. These would have been impressive!
The entire tomb is set within a long, rectangular stone cairn. It's a fantastic example of ancient engineering and a peek into how people lived and honored their dead thousands of years ago.
Gallery
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Cohaw tomb entrance
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Cohaw, inside chamber
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Cohaw tomb, chamber view
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Cohaw south court
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Cohaw at sunset
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Cohaw, aerial view
