The places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Newgrange
Another important Megalith structure is Newgrange. Older than Stonehenge or the pyramids, it was built in 3,200 BCE. As many cremated human remains and other burial sites were located within the structure, Newgrange was originally thought to be a massive tomb. This however is a very limited view of Newgrange’s many uses. For instance, archaeologist Michael O’Kelly was able to reconstruct the roof box above the main entrance and realized that during the winter solstice, the sun’s beam is able to reach the back of the passage and illuminate the central chamber. This reopened the discussion about what Newgrange was used for.
Newgrange was built upon an older site that exited on the site. Some of its stones were therefore reused in the building of Newgrange. A large mound made of different stones of all shapes and sizes, the stones themselves were able to tell the archaeologists a lot about the monument. For example, the bottom of the mound is made up of large kerbstones. The smallest ones weigh in at no less than one tonne, and most of them are considerably bigger. These stones are significant because they are covered in abstract symbols and motifs like spirals, circles, and diamonds. They were most likely done by a shaman, who was considered the link between the physical world, the divine world, and the world of the dead. Modern studies done on hallucinogenic drugs have revealed that subjects who were asked to write or draw what they saw while under the influence of the drugs all produced very similar shapes such as spirals, circles, and diamonds. Shamans in many ancient cultures used drugs to have visions and provide a visual show with the trance-like state they were able to achieve with the help of the hallucinogen. Also, studies done on the kerbstones show that they were not worked on or shaped in any way other than when the various geometric signs were carved onto the surface. The surface of the stone shows wears which naturally occurs because of the weather so it is most likely that the large stones were carefully chosen for their shape and size before being transported to the mound’s site. The attention that the builder of Newgrange paid in searching for, transporting, decorating, and finally building the mound with these stones reveals several things. Not only would have taken a lot of skilled labor and manpower to build Newgrange, but the workers would have had to have a lot of free time to devote to making the large mound. It is estimated that it took about 30 years to build Newgrange. Therefore, we can infer that the builders must have been from a sizable and very well developed community who had the skill, time, and power (both economic and man) to start and complete such a massive project.
