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Passage Graves From An Astronomical Perspective

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Passage graves from an astronomical perspective
http://www.physorg.com/print148829398.html
December 18th, 2008

Passage graves are mysterious barrows from the Stone Age. New research from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen indicates that the Stone Age graves' orientation in the landscape could have an astronomical explanation. The Danish passage graves are most likely oriented according to the path of the full moon, perhaps even according to the full moon immediately before a lunar eclipse. The results are published in the scientific journal Acta Archaeologica.

Claus Clausen, who graduated as astronomer from the Niels Bohr Institute, has also always been interested in archeology. There are many Stone Age graves in Denmark, where archaeologists estimate that around 40.000 large stone graves were built from around 3500 to 3000 BC. Only about 500 of the large passage graves, called giant tombs (in Danish Jaettestuer) are preserved today, but one of the great mysteries is their orientation in the landscape.



Enlarge
This is the layout of a typical passage grave, here the passage grave "Nissehoj" in North Zealand. The outlines of the horizontal and level stones are shown. Credit: The National Museum of Denmark


With the help of GPS, a compass and a surveying instrument Claus Clausen measured the orientation of entrance tunnels of approximately 100 passage graves. It turned out that there was a remarkable concentration of certain orientations. Claus Clausen had a theory that it could be a calendar system, but the theory did not hold up. Astronomer and supervisor of the special project, Per Kjærgaard Rasmussen suggested that he look at the connection between the sun and the moon and especially lunar eclipses, because there were two orientations that occurred frequently and that could suggest something with specific full moons.

Ancient Almanac

Astronomer Ole Einicke, who for many years has calculated data for the Danish Almanac, had made a computer program that could calculate the position of the planets for the next year. The program was now used to calculate back in time. Directions to the rise of the Sun are easy to calculate. The orientation of the rise of full moon and the timing of lunar eclipses are more difficult to calculate due to the sun's disturping influence on the moon's orbit around the earth, that results in the orbit of the moon rotates in a period of 18.6 years. But the biggest complication is that the earth's rotation has changed through time so that it now rotates slower than before so it required special calculations and corrections to calculate more than 5.500 years into the past and see whether the lunar eclipses could be seen from Denmark.

Patterns in the sun and moon

There is a significant concentration of orientations towards east/southeast as seen from within the passage grave. It can be interpreted that the passage graves are oriented according to the winter sunrise. But researchers think it more likely that they are positioned according to the rise of the full moon, for example, the first full moon after the spring equinox.

The calculations show, that in the period from 3.300 to 3.100 BC there was an over frequency of 50 percent in the number of lunar eclipses that could be seen in Denmark. And the exciting thing was that the pattern indicated that it could fit with the rise of the full moon immediately before a lunar eclipse.

How the Stone Age people had known that a lunar eclipse would come after a full moon is unknown, but astronomer Per Kjærgaard Rasmussen explains, that if one had observed a lunar eclipse there is a very strong likelihood that another lunar eclipse would come either 12 months or 18.6 years later.

The passage graves had been used for burials and the orientation of the entrance is concentrated towards the full moon points to a ritual practice that involved the moon.

Source: University of Copenhagen
 
Moon steals Newgrange show in event not seen since Tudors
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 16320.html
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor

Mon, Dec 20, 2010

THE FACT that dawn sunlight will beam into the passage grave at Newgrange tomorrow at the very moment that a full moon begins to pass out of a total lunar eclipse is a remarkable and rare coincidence, according to Prof Tom Ray, an astronomer at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

“It is the first time it has happened in about 450 years so that is a coincidence enough. The Tudors were in power in England at the time,” he said.

It is even more remarkable that light from the sun and the moon will appear together, with the first sunbeams at dawn coming just as the moon emerges from eclipse.

“That will happen at exactly eight minutes to nine. The two happen to coincide to within a minute.”

This kind of connection is unbelievably rare, Prof Ray said. “It would not have occurred since Newgrange was built.”

He would not be drawn on whether the juxtaposition carried some portent, some special omen about the future.

“I don’t do astrology,” he said.

The passage grave at Newgrange was built 5,200 years ago even before the pyramids.

It was aligned so that a chamber deep underground lights up with sunlight just as the dawn sun brakes the horizon on the morning of December 21st.

It was a remarkable achievement for those who built it using horse cart and hand given it required thousands of tonnes of rock and earth.

Each year hundreds of people flock to Newgrange to be there on the solstice morning, with a lucky few chosen by a lottery winning the right to be in the chamber at sunrise.

The chamber only lights up because of the very fine alignment of the access passage to the rising winter solstice sun. The light actually enters via a shoebox-sized gap above the passage entrance.

Total eclipses are not rare but they are not everyday occurrences either.

The next visible from Ireland will not be until 2015, according to the Irish Astronomical Association.

They occur when the earth passes between the sun and the moon, cutting off the light and casting a shadow over the full moon.

The eclipse starts at about 7.40am when the moon will be very near setting, according to Terry Moseley of the association. It will be low on the northwest horizon, making it difficult to see.

Mid-eclipse occurs at 8.17am, and the moon will be disappearing fast as dawn breaks over Ireland.
 
Seeing daybreak at 'Ireland's Stonehenge'
By Trish Flanagan, BBC News

On the morning of 21 December, a select group of people made their way through a dark, narrow passage and gathered in a small cross-shaped chamber at Newgrange in Co Meath, Irish Republic, to celebrate the winter solstice.

Newgrange, located 40km north of Dublin and perched high above a bend of the River Boyne, is a prehistoric passage tomb, covered on the outside by a large grassy mound.
At over 5,000 years old it is the older cousin of Stonehenge and it predates the pyramids by about 500 years.
It is difficult to estimate how long it would have taken to build it.

"They were a very sophisticated society with a sound economic base as they were able to divert a large number of people to the building of passage tombs," says archaeologist Professor George Eogan.
"The ritual of the dead was very important in their lives and the site combines engineering, architectural and artistic skills."

Newgrange is unique because the builders aligned it with the rising sun.
Just after sunrise, at 0858GMT, on the shortest day of the year, the inner chamber is designed to flood with sunlight, which enters through a 25cm (9.9ins) high "roof box" above the passage entrance.

Unfortunately this year heavy snow clouds prevented the sun from entering through the roof box.

Demand to attend the midwinter solstice is high and since 2000 it has been regulated by a lottery system. This year, more than 25,000 people applied but only a handful were selected to attend on 21 December and the days around the solstice.

The lucky winners - drawn by primary school children from three local schools - included people from Ireland, the US, England, Scotland, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Danielle Lacava from Pittsburgh in the US was one of the lucky lottery winners and she travelled to Newgrange with her brother Chris.
"There was a lot of anticipation building up for what you hoped was going to happen. Even though we didn't see the sun it was still nice to be there."

When their flight from London was cancelled the Lacavas travelled by ferry and train to be there for the special event. Danielle would love to see the sun enter the chamber but thinks perhaps her luck had run out
"Maybe I'll put Chris's name in the lottery and see if he can win it now!"

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12018432
 
Hairshirt solstice reflects national mood but darkness will not prevail
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 77607.html
EILEEN BATTERSBY at Newgrange, Co Meath

Wed, Dec 22, 2010

AFTER WEEKS of white fields, vicious frosts, relentless ice and sharp, brilliant winter light, the chances of a glorious sequence of solstice sunrises had seemed likely.

No one was expecting rain or clouds, the sun would burst forth into a sky of blue, thus ending the longest night. But it did not go quite to plan.

The view across the famous valley stretching out from the great Neolithic monument of Newgrange, Co Meath, was suspended in shades of silver and grey, broken by dark shadowy trees and ridges concealing hedgerows.

The faithful and curious had gathered yet again to celebrate the beginning of the end of winter but the fragments of conversations were more dominated by tales of crashed cars, broken bones and hungry animals than by wonder at the genius of the late Stone Age farmers who watched the sun and honoured their dead.

The newly assertive winter appeared intent on continuing a masterclass in global warming. There were no hopeful gazes towards the horizon, no warm rays of sun, only cloud.

The setting was beautiful, the waters of the Boyne still and had anyone dared to sing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” they probably would have been accused of anti-social behaviour.

The gathered gardaí looked cold but philosophical, while the photographers decided that in the absence of a dramatic sunrise, humans would have to provide the pictures. Two musicians bravely played tin whistles with cold fingers.

A robin landed briefly on one of the tall standing stones, surveyed the scene and flew off, as if aware there would be no morning picnics this time.

The day had begun earlier than usual. At 4am the moon had been as bright as day in a cold, clear sky.

The frozen ground crunched with the sound of compacted European snow. It is unlikely that ballads will be written honouring the road-clearing efforts of Meath County Council and the surest route down the hard, white road leading to Newgrange was a quad and we raced along, creating an icy spray, glancing up at the large white moon.

However, before the eclipse began to slide over the surface, eventually creating the impression of a slightly opened doorway just before it was abruptly closed, an irritating succession of clouds hurried across the face of the moon.

Eclipse watchers dutifully compared notes before moving on to the monument.

There was none of the usual anticipation that happens when there is a chance the sun could appear.

Most of those present wore the contented expression of having achieved something slightly heroic, standing in freezing temperatures.

There were archaeologists lamenting the serious cuts to heritage funding and to research.

The irony of placing heritage tourism, a valuable earner, at risk, was not lost on recession-hit citizens engaged in entertainingly explicit Government bashing.

Minister of State Martin Mansergh arrived wearing his habitual expression of polite despair.

Inside the chamber there were no false promises. This would be a hairshirt solstice, in keeping with the condition of the country.

We could expect only the palest of grey light along the passage. Mary Hanafin, noticeable for her lack of ski wear, was interested and asked questions. It was her second time inside the chamber at the solstice, having been present in 2003 “when the sun did appear”.

The chosen few and sundry interlopers stood in the darkness, a stomach rumbled, and a watery brightness did gather momentum. Scottish astronomer royal Prof John Brown, who twice called for a moment’s silence, spoke about the archaeology of the Orkney Islands, while Prof George Eogan, who has spent his career, researching the Brú Na Bóinne complex, placed the solstice architecture within a wide European context.

Whether in the shadows or bathed in golden rays, the ritual of being at Newgrange offers its own comfort; it is the beginning of the slow return of daylight.

One by one we left the chamber. Above our heads the corbelled ceiling was dry, expect for two thin bands of ice that had formed between two of the carefully layered stones.

Outside it was snowing. Instead of walking into rich sunlight, we emerged into a soft flurry of snow which had already frosted the woollen hats and bare heads of those waiting outside. How would our ancient ancestors have dealt with the cold weather?

Probably better than modern man. The sun might well break through the clouds this morning or tomorrow, but the most important battle has been won. However unlikely it may seem in the current weather conditions, the darkness will begin to yield and the light will return.
 
Enclosures discovered near Knowth
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 99876.html
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor

Wed, Nov 23, 2011

THE BRÚ na Bóinne passage grave sites continue to surprise archaeologists, with two large enclosures discovered near Knowth. The formation of one of them is unique in Ireland, leaving researchers mystified about how it might have been used.

The two buried features were found in a field adjacent to Knowth, no more than 40 or 50m from the famous passage tombs there, according to Joe Fenwick of NUI Galway.

Last July he surveyed the roughly 100sq m field using non-invasive techniques that could “see” below the soil surface.

“The place where we were surveying is very near the core area where most of the tourists visit.”

There were virtually no bumps or irregularities at the surface, which would be the usual tell-tale sign of possible structures or past excavations underneath, he said. Yet his collaborator, Prof George Eogan of University College Dublin – who has conducted research at Knowth for 50 years – felt there was potential there because of earlier aerial surveys.

Mr Fenwick, of Galway’s school of geography and archaeology, probed below the surface using a magnetometer.

This detects changes in the natural magnetism of the soil caused by ground disturbance.

He described his shock when not one but two large hidden features emerged. One is a large rectangular enclosure, in effect a soil platform 65m wide and of an as yet uncertain length. This is surrounded by a wide ditch of about 15 metres across.

The second – an enclosure made of two concentric rings – was unknown in Ireland, he said. The outer is 70m across and has a surrounding 3-4m ditch.

The inner ring has its own ditch around it and is 25-30m across.

“The ring enclosure was completely unexpected because there were no signs of it on the surface,” he said.

“It is fantastically exciting. It is difficult to come up with a parallel for it. There is a possibility it could be a ring fort but it doesn’t match others.”

He believes the features date back to the 12th or 13th century. The rectangular platform may have been built by Cistercian monks who were cloistered at nearby Mellifont Abbey.

The survey also revealed what may be walls built on the platform. “It was a major piece of construction. It was not built for farming activity.”

These discoveries convince Mr Fenwick that there are many discoveries yet to be made.

“The scale of Knowth is much, much bigger than anyone realised. The potential for further discoveries around Knowth is enormous.”

Knowth, along with the nearby Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, are collectively a World Heritage Site.

They are between 5,000 and 5,200 years old and predate the pyramids in Egypt.
 
A researcher will X-ray the base of the 5,000-year-old Neolithic monument at Newgrange, Co Meath, in an effort to determine the source of its granite boulders.

Dr Ian G Meighan of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, who holds an honorary research position in Trinity College Dublin, will determine whether the boulders come from Newry or Mourne, the Irish Times reports.

Details of the project were revealed at the launch of First Light: the Origins of Newgrange, a new book on the monument by Office of Public Works archaeologist Dr Robert Hensey. ...

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/h...grange-to-be-X-rayed-to-determine-origin.html
 
Another discovery at Dowth.

A 5,500-year-old passage tomb uncovered at Dowth Hall in the heart of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage site in Co Meath is “the most significant megalithic find in Ireland in the last 50 years”, archaeologists believe.

The ancient burial chamber, believed to be about 40m in diameter and half the size of nearby Newgrange, was discovered during archaeological investigations by the agri-technology company Devenish and UCD school of archaeology.

Brú na Bóinne is the area within the bend of the river Boyne that contains one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes. Dowth Hall and lands were acquired by Devenish in 2013.

To date, two burial chambers have been discovered within the western part of the main passage tomb, over which a large stone cairn was raised.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/sci...-a-lifetime-1.3567118?localLinksEnabled=false
 
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