Newgrange
Newgrange, Ireland is a remarkable prehistoric monument, principally a Neolithic passage grave (or tumulus or tump or barrow, if you prefer) which is very old and has strong Druidic associations.
The site is situated in the Boyne Valley in Ireland, and is one of the finest examples of European passage tombs ever discovered. It was accidentally discovered in 1699 by workers removing material to build a road nearby in the Boyne Valley which also contains a number of other notable prehistoric monuments such as stone circles, standing stones, barrows and enclosures. The tombs of Knowth and Dowth are located close by.
The site was constructed around 3200 BCE, and is therefore older than the pyramids. It has been lovingly and painstakingly restored since the 1960's. This passage grave consists of a vast stone and turf mound about 300 feet long and 45 feet high, containing a richly decorated passage about 62 feet long leading to a central cruciform burial chamber with a magnificent corbelled roof. Outside the mound is a rough ring of large boulders which was erected approximately 1000 years later than the main structure during the Beaker period. Only twelve of the original thirty-eight stones in the ring remain.
Newgrange is remarkable for the many designs of spirals, lozenges, zigzags it contains, and for the mazes carved on the stones which line the passageway as well as the door lintels. Many of these markings can be classified as the "cup and ring" marks which are common to Neolithic sites. On the stone at the entrance to the mound are carvings of a triple spiral, double spirals, concentric semi-circles and lozenges akin to those found at Breton sites such as Gavrinis.
On the Winter Solstice the roof above the entrance passage is aligned precisely with the rising sun, and at that time the rays of the rising sun touch the exact center of the tomb for about 20 minutes.
Approximately one half of the mound has been excavated, and to date work in the inner burial chamber has yielded three ritual stone basins, the remains of two conventional burials and three cremations, as well as marbles, jewelry, flints and bone tools of various types. There has been a fair bit of controversy about the manner in which the mound was restored, and although the second half of the mound has never been excavated, there is wide speculation that a second burial chamber exists.
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