Winter Solstice: Stone Age people in Ireland built a Fantastic Monument to the New Year

Ancient Origins

Today, the Irish and visitors celebrated the Winter Solstice as they did thousands of years ago at Newgrange, a huge Stone Age megalithic monument into the deepest part of whose main chamber the sun shines at sunrise. This year about 30,000 people participated in a lottery, from whom 50 were chosen, to be in the 5,000-year-old monument at sunrise to witness the primeval event the mornings of Dec. 18 to 23.

While the monument near the Boyne River in County Meath is open all year and is one of Ireland’s most popular attractions, it draws special international attention today.

Newgrange predates the great pyramids at Giza in Egypt by some 500 years and Stonehenge by about 1,000 years. When it was built, sunrise on the shortest day of the year, what we now call December 21, entered the main chamber precisely at sunrise. Experts say it is not by chance that the sun shines there. Now it enters about four minutes after sunrise because of changes in the Earth’s orbiting of the sun since then.

Solstice sunrise light entering the Newgrange monument, a photo by Cyril Byrne of the Irish Times, as seen on NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day website.

Archaeologists say they believe Newgrange and two other nearby monuments, Knowth and Dowth, were tombs, built in ancient times to provide somewhere to bury the dead and as ritual and community gatherings, perhaps to honor ancestors. They believe it took decades to construct by generations of the Neolithic people, about whom little is known.

The tomb itself is massive and impressive and is surrounded by a henge or ring of huge stones. Experts say they believe the huge stones were moved from the nearby river, perhaps by rolling them on logs.

This short YouTube video from National Geographic gives great views of the Newgrange tomb and monument.

The number of bone fragments found inside Newgrange hardly constitute evidence of a communal burial chamber, Ancient Origins reported in 2013 in a two-part article about the Neolithic structure. In total, the bones of only five individuals were found inside the monument during excavations in the 1960s. Some bones could have been taken away after the rediscovery of the entrance to the passage and chamber in 1699. But at over 85 meters (278 feet) in diameter, and containing more than 250,000 tons of stone and earth, this monument would seem such a lavish and grandiose tomb for a few mere mortals, if that were indeed its sole purpose.

The structure of the passage tomb was buried in earth for many centuries, until archaeologist M.J. O’Kelly began excavating it in 1962. He worked there until 1975. In 1967, he saw for the first time in thousands of years the dawn sunlight striking into the chamber on December 21. The light enters a perfectly placed window and hits deep in the tomb where the human remains were found.

 O’Kelly wrote in his notes: “The effect is very dramatic as the direct light of the sun brightens and cast a glow of light all over the chamber. I can see parts of the roof and a reflected light shines right back into the back of the end chamber.”

 O’Kelly and others have restored the Newgrange mound. It is 12 meters (40 feet) high. The total area of the monument and surrounds covers about 1 acre, and its roof is intact and still waterproof 5,000 years after construction. Triple-spiral carvings like the Celts did still adorn many of the stones making up the tomb.

The triple spiral carvings on a wall at Newgrange (Photo by Johnbod/Wikimedia Commons)

Up until 1967, after archaeological excavation, conservation and restoration work, it was not possible for the light of the sun to illuminate the interior. This was because of the slow subsidence of the roofing stones of the passage, which had slowly sunk as the supporting orthostats leaned inwards over the long centuries. Before 1967, when Professor O’Kelly became the first person to witness the solstice event in modern times, nobody could have witnessed this phenomenon. And yet, local folklore held that the sun shone into Newgrange on the shortest day of the year. O’Kelly pointed to this as being one of the reasons for his visit to the chamber in December 1967.

 But the astronomical mysteries of Newgrange run deeper. In 1958, in his book about primitive mythology, Joseph Campbell recounted a folk tale from the Boyne Valley in which a local had told him the light of the Morning Star, Venus, shone into the chamber of Newgrange at dawn on one day every eight years and cast a beam upon a stone on the floor of the chamber containing two worn sockets. This might seem like an incredible suggestion, except for the fact that it is astronomically accurate. Venus follows an eight-year cycle and on one year out of every eight, it rises in the pre-dawn sky of winter solstice and its light would be able to be seen from within the chamber.

 Featured image: December 21, the longest night and shortest day of the year, is a special event at Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. This photo was shot August 24, 2014. (Photo by Paul A. Byrne/Wikimedia Commons)

By: Mark Miller

Remaking the Mausoleum: One of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World to be Revived

Ancient Origins

Plans are underway to bring the famed Mausoleum at Halicarnassus back to its former glory. This is the second longest surviving ancient wonder, after the Great Pyramid of Giza. However, the ancient tomb of King Mausolus has fallen into ruins and little remains these days of the marvelous structure that once stood. Archaeologists hope that the reconstruction of the tomb and other local sites will help resurrect interest in the history of the region and bring the ancient tomb back to life.

The Mausoleum is located in Halicarnassus, present day Bodrum, in Turkey. It was built between 353 and 350 BC as the final resting place for Mausolus, the second ruler of Caria from the Hecatomnid dynasty. The building was constructed on top of a hill overlooking the city and created with a mixture of styles from three different cultures – Greek, Lycian, and Egyptian. Mausolus’ grieving widow (and sister), Artemisia II, pulled out all the stops in the creation of his tomb.

Ancient Origins writer Dhwty has provided a description of how the grand Mausoleum looked in its glory days:

“A stone platform was first built, and was enclosed with a courtyard. The top of this platform was reached by a flight of stairs flanked by stone lions. Along the outer walls of the courtyard were statues of various gods and goddesses, whilst mounted stone warriors were stationed at each corner. At the center of the platform was the Mausoleum itself. Whilst the building was constructed of bricks, it was covered with white Proconnesian marble, giving it a splendid look. The first 1/3 of the Mausoleum was a square, tapering block covered with relief sculptures. These reliefs included standard images from the Greek repertoire, including the Centauromachy (the battle between the Lapiths and centaurs) and the Amazonomachy (the battle between the Greeks and Amazons). The next 1/3 of the monument consisted of a set of 36 Ionic columns. Between each column was a statue, and a solid block was constructed behind the columns to bear the bear the weight of the structure’s roof. This roof, which covered the final 1/3 of the building, was a step pyramid with 24 levels, topped with a sculpture of Mausolus and Artemisia riding a four-horsed chariot.”

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, painting by Ferdinand Knab. (Public Domain)

And now, Hurriyet Daily News reports that Danish archaeologist Professor Poul Pedersen and his assistant Professor John Lund of the University of Southern Denmark have begun working with The Mediterranean Countries Academy Foundation, headed by Özay Kartal, to restore the famous site.

Lonely Planet says that there are only a few ancient elements of the Mausoleum that survived the earthquakes that shook the monument to the ground before the 15th century AD. These are:

 “the pre-Mausolean stairways and tomb chambers, the narrow entry to Mausolus’ tomb chamber and a huge green stone that blocked it, the Mausolean drainage system, precinct wall bits and some large fluted marble column drums.”

Excavations at the ruins of the Mausoleum. (Kristian Jeppesen)

The restoration of the Mausoleum is one of the two main objectives for The Danish Halikarnassos Project, the other being a wider mission covering the rest of the ancient city of Halicarnassus. Specifically, Hurriyet Daily News says that the project also involves excavating some sites along the way from the Bodrum Harbor to the tomb, unearthing ancient city walls that encircle Bodrum, and excavating a 3,500-year-old hippodrome.

A scale model of a reconstruction of the Mausoleum - one of the versions at Miniatürk, Istanbul. (Nevit Dilmen/CC BY SA 3.0)

Discussing the reason behind the ambitious project, Özay Kartal has said:

“There are many locals in Bodrum who don’t know that Heredotus was born in Bodrum and that the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This is why our priority is to restitute this mausoleum and open a way from the port to this place. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Bodrum return to their countries without seeing it. We, as the foundation, will organize the International Mausolus Workshop in May to provide information about Bodrum’s history with the participation of academics, historians and archaeologists. This workshop will be a very important step leading to the restitution project of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.”

Travelers Today says that there are no dates provided yet for the restoration of the Mausoleum. However, when the ancient structure is restored, there will be at least two of the ancient wonders of the world available for modern eyes to gaze upon once again.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were a list of seven monuments that ancient Greek historians considered the ultimate examples of skill and ingenuity.

As April Holloway has written:

“Today, only one of the Seven Wonders remains intact – the Great Pyramid of Giza. Three of the Wonders – the Colossus of Rhodes, Lighthouse of Alexandria and Mausoleum of Halicarnassus – were destroyed by earthquakes. Two of the Wonders – the Temple of Artemis and Statue of Zeus – were intentionally destroyed by enemy forces, while the final Wonder – the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – has remained a matter of contention for millennia, with some historians questioning whether existed at all.”

Although it is limited as it only covers the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, the seven sites included on the list certainly must have been something spectacular to behold.

Top Image: Painting of what the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus may have looked like. Source: CC BY SA

By Alicia McDermott