Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 



231 



ments of this Rath will appear from the accompanying section, taken from south 

 to north, and on a scale of 60 f. to an inch. 



2SS 



No historical illustration of this Rath has been discovered. 



Having brought this somewhat tedious account of the ancient monuments of 

 Tara to a conclusion, it only remains to add a few remarks. From the historical 

 allusions adduced, it will have been seen, that with the exception of a few of those 

 last described, they are all nearly cotemporaneous, and belong to the third century 

 of the Christian era, a period quite within the limits of authentic Irish history. 

 The era of the original Tuatha De Danann Cathair belongs to the remote 

 period of uncertain tradition ; and the only other early monuments of ascertained 

 date are those of Conor Mac Nesa and CuchuUin, both of whom flourished in the 

 first century. 



These facts seem sufficient to prove, that before the time of Cormac Mac 

 Art Tara had attained to no distinguished celebrity as a regal city, and suf- 

 ficiently accounts for its omission in the map of Ptolemy, who wrote in the pre- 

 ceding century. 



It will also have been seen that a uniform character pervades all these earthen 

 works, and mark them as the monuments of one people ; and this fact may go 

 far in elucidating the history of that Scotic race, who ruled in Ireland at the 

 period of their erection. 



Of the character of the buildings, which were originally connected with these 

 remains, it is scarcely necessary to remark, that they must obviously have been 

 of wood and clay ; and though stone houses as well as fortresses are commonly 

 found along the northern, western, and southern coasts of Ireland, it is quite evi- 

 dent that, with the probable exception of the ancient Tuatha De Danann Cathair, 

 nothing of the kind ever existed here. But, though the houses were unquestion- 

 ably of those materials, it must not be inferred that they were altogether of 

 a barbarous structure, or inferior in point of comfort to the cotemporaneous works 



