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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.
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.
Newgrange Speaks for Itself by Jacqueline Ingalls Garnett Pdf
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.
The Ghosts of Newgrange; Ancient Ceremony Remembered by Kate Bowditch Pdf
Trusting in the sudden and unexpected past life experiences of a modern man, the author was able to record what this man saw at some of the earliest ceremonies held at the beginning of Irish history. Newgrange emerges as a place of immense spiritual power. It was the seat of deep beliefs about Life, Death, the Cosmos and the people's place in it. In light of the information from these memories, the roll of Newgrange is redefined both for its earliest celebrants, and for those of us today who walk a spiritual path which holds the earth at its base.
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.
* Designed for the general reader and visitor to Newgrange * A guided tour of the best example of a passage tomb in Western Europe Newgrange is the most visited archaeological site in Ireland. Every year around 250,000 people come to the see this Neolithic passage tomb. Designed for the general reader with an interest in Irish prehistory, this book explains the results of decades of excavation and analysis in one volume. It is written in a lively style that seeks at the same time to be authoritative and thorough. Aside from its accessibility and good state of preservation, Newgrange's solstice phenomenon, in particular, has made it famous throughout the world. While it is the best-known ancient site in Ireland, many aspects of Newgrange are not clearly understood; other aspects are just taken for granted: why is there a three meter high quartz wall around its entrance; how does the roof box work; what was the inspiration for its art and architecture? The book is arranged in such a way as to replicate a visit to the site. It pauses over points of art and construction that the visitor will not have had time to examine in detail on a conventional guided tour. Newgrange is the synthesis of years of excavation and research at home and abroad; from the detailed reports stemming from the excavations of M.J. O'Kelly to the current international debate about its construction and reconstruction. This is the first book on Newgrange to draw on O'Kelly's private papers and to incorporate the results of more recent and as yet unpublished excavations. This book will clarify many complex issues that have been addressed in widely scattered publications, using original illustrations to assist the reader, and more importantly, it places the monument in its broader cultural context.
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.
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.
Circa 2200 BCE: Changes rocking the Continent reach Eire with the dawning Bronze Age. Well before any Celts, marauders invade the island seeking copper and gold. The young astronomer Boann and the enigmatic Cian need all their wits and courage to save their people and their great Boyne mounds, when long bronze knives challenge the peaceful native starwatchers. Banished to far coasts, Cian discovers how to outwit the invaders at their own game. Tensions on Eire between new and old cultures and between Boann, Elcmar, and her son Aengus, ultimately explode. What emerges from the rubble of battle are the legends of Ireland's beginnings in a totally new light.Larger than myth, this tale echoes with medieval texts, and cult heroes modern and ancient. By the final temporal twist, factual prehistory is bending into images of leprechauns who guard Eire's gold for eternity. As ever, the victors will spin the myths.This story appeals to fans of solid historical fiction, myth and fantasy, archaeo-astronomy, and Bronze Age Europe.BENDING THE BOYNE draws on 21st century archaeology to show the lasting impact when early metal mining and trade take hold along north Atlantic coasts. Carved megaliths and stunning gold artifacts, from the Pyrenees up to the Boyne, come to life in this researched historical fiction.
The World's Must-See Places takes you on a tour of over 100 of the world's greatest sights. In true DK Eyewitness Travel Guide style, each page of the book will show you what other books only tell you, with unique 3-D cutaway artworks that let you look inside each building as if you were there. Each featured sight has been selected for its uniqueness, or its historical or architectural importance, and many are included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Situated across the five continents, the sights include iconic landmarks, such as Chartres Cathedral and Sydney Opera House, and lesser-known gems, including the Kairouan Mosque in Tunisia and the Toshu-gu Shrine in Japan. In addition to engaging text that describes each sight, sidebars and text panels cover topics such as the architectural style of the building, the architect and his works, or historic events or people that shaped the building as we know it today. This book will not only inspire readers to visit some, if not all, of the featured sights, but will also appeal to armchair travelers who prefer to view the sights from the comfort of their own home.
This book is the first sustained attempt to incorporate critical scholarship and thought at the cutting edge of contemporary geography, history and archaeology into the burgeoning field of Irish heritage studies. It seeks to illustrate the validity of multiple depictions of the Irish past, showing how scrutiny of heritage practices and meanings is so essential for illuminating our understanding of the present. Examining Ireland's heritages from a critical perspective that celebrates notions of heterogeneity and uniqueness, the distinguished contributors to this book scrutinise the multiplicity of complex relations between heritage, history, memory, commemoration, economy, and cultural identity within various historical, geographical and archaeological contexts. Using several examples and case studies, this book raises issues not only from a uniquely Irish perspective, but also investigates the memorialisation and marketing of the Irish past in overseas locations such as the USA and Australia.
