image 1 newgrange and the brú na bóinne floodplain...2018/07/26 · image 1 – newgrange and the...
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Image 1 – Newgrange and the Brú na Bóinne
floodplain
Aerial view of the Boyne floodplain to the south of Newgrange passage tomb.
From 5,000 years ago Neolithic farming
communities built a range of impressive
monuments across this landscape that
is designated as the Brú na Bóinne
World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Recent discoveries will transform our
understanding of this archaeological
landscape.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 2 – A designed Neolithic landscape
View of three henge monuments on
the River Boyne alluvial terrace south-
west of Newgrange passage tomb.
The photograph dramatically captures
the configuration of three large circular
ceremonial enclosures (diameters
range between 130m to 200m).
This use of space for ritual gatherings
and religious celebrations indicates a
conscious use of space by the builders.
The arrangement of the three massive
henge enclosures suggests that the
construction and use of all three may
have been conceived as a single design.
These henges are likely to date to the
late Neolithic around 2900 BC.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 3 – The ‘Geometric Henge’
High contrast image of newly
discovered henge at Newgrange.
Discovered by Anthony Murphy and
Ken Williams, this enclosure displays a
remarkable and sophisticated
geometric design. The evidence
obtained raises many questions in
terms of its function and form.
Adjusting the high-resolution digital
imagery has sharpened the contrast of
the cropmarks of the buried features,
allowing greater appreciation of the
geometric design and layout of the
enclosure.
Two concentric rings of post-holes
surround the inner enclosure formed by
a series of segmented ditches. An
elaborate series of ditches and post
holes in a rectangular setting can be
seen at the bottom of the image while
the projection at the top is likely to
mark an entrance feature.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 4 – Newgrange henge complex at Site B
Another group of henges south-east of
Newgrange passage tomb.
Located on the lowest terrace of the
floodplain south of the Newgrange
passage tomb, a pair of henge or ritual
enclosures is located close to a mound
which is thought to cover a passage
tomb (known as Site B).
A smaller circular cropmark in the
foreground depicts an enclosure which
is also likely to have had a ritual
function.
At well over 100m in diameter, the
scale of the large enclosures, each
marked by cropmarks indicating a wide
bank and a well-defined outer ditch, is
evidence of the communal effort and
resources that would have been
required in their construction.
As gathering places they would have
provided large arenas for ceremonial
activities.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 5 – Prehistoric timber post enclosure
Prehistoric enclosure south of
Newgrange passage tomb.
About 500m south-west of Newgrange passage tomb, this high resolution image shows a double ring of post-holes about 30m in diameter enclosing an arrangement of four huge post-holes with entrance features to the east. The entrance is enhanced by two parallel lines, probably also once marked by large timber posts. The image also shows markings indicating an outer enclosure, around 80m in diameter, enclosing the smaller features. The site might have served as a mortuary enclosure. (Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 6 – Prehistoric ritual roadway or
massive enclosure?
The image shows cropmarks indicating
the presence of palisade trenches (c.
25m apart) curving around the
mortuary enclosure.
The extent and function of these
features are particularly intriguing.
The parallel linear features form an arc
that can be traced for a distance of c.
200m across the field of crops. If the arc
is part of a circular enclosure, it would
be of a massive scale, almost 400m in
diameter. Alternatively, these features
may form part of a processional
routeway leading to the terraces of the
Boyne River floodplain and its henges.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)
Image 7 - Further ritual design at Newgrange
This ceremonial enclosure is one of three in a row on the floodplain terrace on the Boyne River. It lies south of Newgrange passage tomb and immediately west of the henge reported to the Department by Mr Murphy and Mr Williams. Originally identified by Dr Steve Davis of UCD and Dr Kevin Barton, the recent NMS aerial survey has identified incredible cropmark detail, not previously seen.
The dominant enclosing feature is a single line of enclosing rectangular pits. The lighter cropmark contiguous with this line of pits indicates the position of a broad outer bank. The high resolution image raises questions. Do the dark cropmarks indicate pits or are they concentrations of closely set timbers? Centrally placed within the enclosure is a circular mound with traces of a small surrounding ditch. This central ‘H’ feature is a line of pits with smaller ditches or pits forming its terminals.
(Photo: National Monuments Service)