Rath Meave

Rath Meave is a henge located near the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland. It is a National Monument.

Rath Meave
Ráth Medb
Edge of the enclosure
Shown within Ireland
Alternative nameRath Meabe, Rath Maeve
LocationOdder/Belpere,
County Meath, Ireland
Coordinates53.566716°N 6.609074°W / 53.566716; -6.609074
TypeEmbanked enclosure
Part ofHill of Tara complex
Area3.978 hectares (9.83 acres)
Diameter230 metres (250 yd)
Circumference700 metres (770 yd)
History
Materialearth
Founded2000–1500 BC
PeriodsEarly Bronze Age
CulturesAtlantic Bronze Age
DesignationNational Monument

Location

Rath Meave is located in the Tara-Skryne Valley, 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) south of the Hill of Tara and 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) east of Kilmessan.

Description

The remains of Rath Meave consist of an approximately circular henge, about 700 metres long, enclosing an area of about 4 hectares.[1][2]

A cut on the north side of Rath Medb's bank, presumably the entrance, is aligned with the oldest site at Tara, the Mound of the Hostages.[3]

History

Rath Meave was constructed during the fourth phase of Tara's building, in the early Bronze Age (c. 2000–1500 BC). This was around the same time as the Mound of the Hostages was used for burials.[4] It takes its name from Medb Lethderg, a Celtic sovereignty goddess who in Irish legend was the wife or lover of nine successive Kings of Tara. Her relationship to the better-known Medb of Cruachan, legendary Queen of Connacht, is unclear; they may be the same character, or one may have inspired the other. The name Medb means "intoxicator" and is cognate with "mead," making clear the connection between the marriage of the king to the sovereignty goddess and the use of alcohol at these ceremonies.[5]

Conservation

Despite its antiquity, Rath Meave remains farmland in private ownership. Controversy was aroused in 2008 when the rath was planted with kale, a deep-growing vegetable with a long tap root. Its harvesting potentially damaged archaeological remains undiscovered on the rath.[6][7]

References
  1. "Rath Maeve ~ Sacred Sites of Ireland". 20 October 2012.
  2. Reidling, Kisma (1 June 2005). "Faery Initiations". AuthorHouse – via Google Books.
  3. "Tadg (Tighe, Tadc) To Tylwyth teg (fair family) (Celtic mythology and folklore)".
  4. "No Harps, No Hounds?".
  5. Ltd., eDynamics. "Hill of Tara in Tara, Co. Meath - Map, Locate, Directions, Contact".
  6. "WAC at Tara - Indymedia Ireland".
  7. "The Tara Symposium and - Indymedia Ireland".
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