 Newgrange, one of the passage tombs of the Bru na Boinne complex in County Meath, was originally built between 3,300 and 2,900 B.C., making it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and Stonehenge in England.
Passage tombs, usually dating to the Neolithic, are burial chambers reached along a distinct, and usually low, passageway. At Newgrange, the passage way extends one third of the length of the mound (some 60 feet), leading to a cruciform chamber. Inside the chamber are large stone basins, which held cremated remains.
It is speculated that the sun formed an important part of the religious beliefs of the New Stone Age people who built it. On the Winter Solstice, the light of the rising sun enters the roofbox at Newgrange and penetrates the passage, shining onto the floor of the inner chamber. The sunbeam illuminates the chamber of Newgrange for just 17 minutes. Formerly the mound was encircled by an outer ring of immense standing stones, of which there are twelve of a possible 37 remaining. The standing stones are, however, from the Bronze Age, a later period.
About Newgrange
Megalithic Portal: Newgrange
Mythical Ireland: Newgrange
Stone Pages: Newgrange
Megalithic Ireland: Newgrange Passage Tomb
Knowth.com: Newgrange Megalithic Passage Tomb
Wikipedia: Newgrange
Wikipedia: Passage Tomb
Megalithic Portal: Newgrange Stone Circle
Journey to Newgrange
Newgrange is in County Meath, Ireland near the village of near Slane and the River Boyne between Navan (to the west) and Drogheda (to the east) off the N2.
Map Reference: (O007727
Visitors Information
Visitors information for Newgrange may be found at the Heritage Ireland website. General tourist information for the area may be found on the Welcome to Meath Tourism website.
Additional Photos of Newgrange
Entrance Sign to Newgrange (Bru na Boinne)
Newgrange Passage Tomb 2005
Newgrange Passage Tomb 2009
Standing Stones at Newgrange
Close-Up of Standing Stones at Newgrange
Close-Up of Standing Stones at Newgrange
Solitary Standing Stone at Side of Newgrange
Kerbstone at Entrance to Newgrange Passage Tomb
Kerbstone at Entrance to Newgrange Passage Tomb
Close-up of Kerbstone at Entrance to Newgrange Passage Tomb
Entrance to Newgrange Passage Tomb
Roof Box, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Kerbstones, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Kerbstone 57, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Close-up of Kerbstone 57, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Kerbstone 67, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Close-Up, Kerbstone 67, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Close-Up, Kerbstone 67, Newgrange Passage Tomb
Side of Newgrange Passage Tomb
Kerbstones, Newgrange Passage Tomb
View of Satellite Mound Site A from Newgrange
View of Satellite Mound Site B from Across the River Boyne, Newgrange
|
