Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 175 



the Irish abbacy of lona, and of the description of the places of the Holy Land, 

 from the relation of Arculph, a French bishop, but still more as theperson of whom 

 such an honorable character is given by Bede — as a wise and good man, and one 

 exceedingly well versed In the Holy Scriptures, greatly studious of peace and 

 unity, — the celebrity of his acts must be familiar to the readers of British history. 

 He was bom in 624, and died at lona In 704. Some works of his — as the 

 Visio Adamnani — not yet published, are preserved in the Library of Trinity 

 College. 



The remains of the Rath of the Synods, which Is now popularly called the 

 King's Chair Rath, are situated on the top of the hill. It appears distinctly to 

 have had two external fosses and parapets ; but the outer ring has been partly 

 destroyed on the eastern side by the erecting of the church-yard wall, and part 

 of it has been removed on the southern side to spread over land. Within these 

 enclosures are two Raths or mounds, of which the larger, situated to the south- 

 east, is 106 f. In diameter, and the smaller, situated to the north-west. Is 33 f. It 

 Is this latter mound which Is popularly called the King's Chair \ but It should 

 properly be called the Mound of Pupall Adamnain, or the Tent of Adamnan, 

 which, though unnoticed in the verse. Is distinctly described in the prose as being 

 situated within this Rath. This mound Is surrounded by a ditch, and is higher 

 than the larger Rath, being 7^-f' from the ground on its north-western side, and 

 5rV f. on its south-eastern side, while the larger Rath is but 4 f, from the ground. 

 The general measurements will appear from the section, which is taken north- 

 west and south-east, and on a scale of 60 f. to an inch. 



13S 



The other memorials of Adamnan noticed in the prose account as being 

 situated to the east of the Rath of the Synods are : first, his Cross ; and south of 

 this, his Mound and his Seat. The locality of these monuments is enclosed within 

 the boundary of the churchyard, and the Mound and Seat no longer exist ; but 

 the shaft of the Cross still remains in the very situation described. It is of red 

 sandstone — the usual material of such monuments — and has a figure rudely sculp- 

 tured in relief on one side. Its height is about 6f., and its breadth l^f. 



