Older than the Egyptian pyramids, older than Stonehenge, for 5,000 years the ancient megalithic tomb at Newgrange in County Meath has housed the remains of Stone Age 'aristocracy', sheltering the spirits of the long dead from the outside world. This book explores the creation, building and discovery of Newgrange. Why did these people spend years building this tomb? How did they move huge boulders miles across hilly country and erect them at the site, without the aid of machinery? Modern archaeological techniques have revealed much about the lives of our Stone Age ancestors, but Newgrange still retains many of its secrets. Exploring Newgrange uncovers, in words and illustrations, the extent, and limitations, of our knowledge of this world-famous site.
Older that the Egyptian pyramids, older than Stonehenge, the tomb at Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland, is one of the oldest structures in the world. For 5,000 years it has housed the remains of a formidable Stone Age people, sheltering the spirits of the long dead from the outside world. Modern archaeological techniques have revealed much about the lives of our Stone Age ancestors, but questions about the tomb at Newgrange remain. Why did a group of Megalithic settlers spend years building a massive tomb? How did they move the huge boulders? What do the symbols inscribed on the stones mean? The author attempts to piece together the clues left behind by this extraordinary Stone Age civilization.
Welcome to "Exploring the Unknown: Mapping Ancient Europe's Secrets" In the annals of history, there exists a tapestry woven with threads of exploration and discovery, where intrepid adventurers embarked on perilous journeys to chart the uncharted territories of the ancient world. Among these brave souls were the cartographers and explorers of Europe, whose quest for knowledge and adventure shaped the course of history and redefined the boundaries of the known world.
Many people who visit the magnificent 5,000-year-old Newgrange monument in the Boyne Valley are driven by some deep longing to connect with their most distant roots. In this poetic and philosophical exploration, the author goes deep into the mind and soul of his Neolithic ancestors to attempt to draw forth some answers about the monument.
Newgrange in Ireland is a world famous monument not only because of its vast scale and elaborate megalithic art, but also because of its renowned alignment to the sun on the winter solstice. Yet the origins of Newgrange remain somewhat mysterious. Across Ireland over two hundred similar passage tombs are found, some of which are considerably older than Newgrange. These less investigated monuments reveal that the origins of Newgrange may be hidden in plain sight. A progression in the scale and sophistication of construction of these passage tombs, developments in the styles of megalithic art, and an increase in the scale and craftsmanship of associated artefacts may be observed, which taken together indicate a lengthy process of development. In short, Robert Hensey uncovers an untold history at Newgrange; an island-wide story of incremental changes over hundreds of years, of a society in evolution, perhaps in extremis, who left behind such a rich, enigmatic and patterned legacy. This book not only charts the earlier history of Newgrange, but addresses why it was constructed, what was its purpose. In the Boyne Valley, through Newgrange and related sites at Br na Binne, we have evidence not only of extraordinary physical accomplishments, but of tremendous acts of imagination; a testament to rich and developed inner worlds. In this book, it is proposed that the concept of an otherworld which could be embodied by and accessed through passage tombs was a central motivator in passage tomb construction from its earliest beginnings. Newgrange is at the end of a long tradition of monuments dedicated to the religious needs of Neolithic communities, from small-scale monuments built by early farming groups; to potent otherworld centres of ritual training at the edge of society; eventually to temple-like monuments standing at the very heart of the religious and political sphere in Neolithic Ireland. Challenging both orthodox archaeological opinions and popular conjecture, this will be an important book for anyone interested in Neolithic archaeology.
Mythical Ireland embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. The book represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, the book attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia. In this revised and expanded edition, Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland's Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about flooded towns and cities? Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest to reimagine the shrines as empowering and transformative sacred places. Murphy invokes the druids and poets of the Boyne and thus the sídhe of the ancient texts are reawakened for a modern and turbulent world.
Firmly grounded in the structure and engravings of Newgrange, this book offers several revolutionary insights into both its science and its religious faith. Forty carved motifs are explained as emblems of site features which the builders provided to ensure an afterlife for the dead, including the nine carved rungs in the passage, the "leak" that delivered water to the chamber bowl and slab, the two round sockets in the rim of the bowl, the stone marbles found in the chamber, and the starry outviews originally possible through the chamber vault. The author argues that some of Michael O'Kelly's discoveries suggest Newgrange may have been retooled when precession displaced the targets of those outviews. The book explores the builders' competent astronomical and mathematical skills, and shows how these were combined with an afterlife faith capable of engaging both mind and spirit. A radical analysis of five related motifs exposes unexpectedly sophisticated characteristics of the Newgrangemen's mode of expression. The rich cluster of afterlife agencies identifiable at Newgrange, unique as a fingerprint, can also be recognized in certain myths, fairytales, religious traditions, and superstitious observances. Mrs. Garnett shows how these resources may shed light on the heretofore almost completely unknown afterlife faith and practice of these stone-age people.
Ireland is a magical place filled with powerful sites. This text provides detailed descriptions of these powerful places, including how to get there and what to do there. Numerous maps, graphics, and photos bring the locations to life. GPS headers and QR codes are included.
An exploration of how brain structure and cultural content interacted in the Neolithic period 10,000 years ago to produce unique life patterns and belief systems. What do the headless figures found in the famous paintings at Catalhoyuk in Turkey have in common with the monumental tombs at Newgrange and Knowth in Ireland? How can the concepts of "birth," "death," and "wild" cast light on the archaeological enigma of the domestication of cattle? What generated the revolutionary social change that ended the Upper Palaeolithic? David Lewis-Williams's previous book, The Mind in the Cave, dealt with the remarkable Upper Palaeolithic paintings, carvings, and engravings of western Europe. Here Dr. Lewis-Williams and David Pearce examine the intricate web of belief, myth, and society in the succeeding Neolithic period, arguably the most significant turning point in all human history, when agriculture became a way of life and the fractious society that we know today was born. The authors focus on two contrasting times and places: the beginnings in the Near East, with its mud-brick and stone houses each piled on top of the ruins of another, and western Europe, with its massive stone monuments more ancient than the Egyptian pyramids. They argue that neurological patterns hardwired into the brain help explain the art and society that Neolithic people produced. Drawing on the latest research, the authors skillfully link material on human consciousness, imagery, and religious concepts to propose provocative new theories about the causes of an ancient revolution in cosmology and the origins of social complexity. In doing so they create a fascinating neurological bridge to the mysterious thought-lives of the past and reveal the essence of a momentous period in human history. 100 illustrations, 20 in color.
