 Newgrange
Created by: * Flidais Niafer, 2007-12-19 22:09:51
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First built in the Boyne Valley complex was Newgrange. Construction began around 3230 BC. It is unusual among passage graves because it is encircled by a ring of standing stones. The stone circle was probably built by the same people who made the barrow, either at the same time or earlier but definitely not after the barrow itself was built. It is also unusual that both the ring of stones and the tomb are flattened on the southeast side and the larger kerbstones and standing stones are also in the southeast. The entrance to the tomb is in the southeast.
This stone circle, made with blocks of wacke (something like sandstone) and slate, is among the earliest and largest megalithic rings in the British Isles. When one of the stones, found toppled, was set back into place it was noted that the base had been sculpted to fit into a certain space, held upright by the surrounding layer of smaller stones. Flint tools were found beside it, possibly the same tools that shaped it.
After the stone circle was in place, then work began on the stone passage that leads to the central domed chamber. This beautifully constructed room, with three smaller enclosures off to the sides, is an architectural marvel, with corbelled ceiling and grooved slabs in the roof that serve as gutters for rainwater. Upon completion of this chamber and the finishing of the heart-shaped outline of kerbstones within the ring of standing stones (whose shape also reflects the emphasis to the southeast), the distinct flat-topped mound was finally built. After laying down a careful selection of small rocks and turves, the sides were embedded with the famous shimmer of white quartz, assuring that Newgrange would stand out like a blazing beacon, visible for miles in every direction.
The finishing touch was not the quartz, however, but the incising of the passage, chambers and kerbstones with the amazing array of spirals, circles, cupmarks, triangles and other fascinating symbols. It is hard to imagine the labor that went into creating these meticulous geometrical carvings, all accomplished with flint tools.
The meanings of those symbols are as mysterious as the "roof box" that was obviously designed with great care over the entrance to the tomb. It is a broad, low opening that was blocked by a stone that showed evidence of being pushed back and forth in place. Through this opening the rays of the winter solstice sunrise shine straight through, traveling all the way down the passage and into the rooms to light up the spiral carvings.
The purpose of Newgrange is continuously debated. There is no doubt that, no matter what else took place there, the tomb was definitely a sacred site whose focus was the winter solstice. The purpose of the standing stones that encircle this place remain unknown but the harmony with the main structure is obvious.
Click
here for a collection of photos from Winter Solstice 2006.
The Chamber (2 posts)
Winter Solstice '07 "live" webcast! (* Flidais Niafer, Dec 19, 2007 - 22:09 )
