Neolithic Tombs Above the Boyne Valley

At Newgrange and Knowth are Some of the World's Oldest Constructions

May 1, 2009 Anthony Toole

On the high ground overlooking the river Boyne is a complex of some forty passage tombs which together make up one of the Irish Republic's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In a remarkable state of preservation, the tombs, known collectively as Bru Na Boinne, are 5000 years old, and so pre-date the Giza pyramids by 500 years and Stonehenge by a full millennium. The intricate rock carvings that decorate the enormous stones that surround the bases and line the interior passages represent a quarter of all the Megalithic art in Europe.

Newgrange Passage Tomb

The most impressive and best known of the passage tombs is Newgrange. This was discovered in 1699 by the landowner, who found the door stone and entrance to the burial chamber intact. In 1880, the site became protected as a National Monument.

It has been estimated that the tomb contains around 200 thousand tonnes of rock, much of which has come from a considerable distance away. The 97 large kerbstones that surround the base came from Clogher Head, to the north of Drogheda. Other large granite boulders originated in the Mourne Mountains. Excavations revealed quartz stones that were transported from the Wicklow Mountains. These have been restored to what is believed to have been their original positions above the entrance and around the facade.

The narrow passage, just under 19 metres long, leads up a two-metre incline to the central, cruciform chamber. The roof is corbelled and covered with a capstone suspended six metres above the floor. In 5000 years, no water has leaked into the chamber. The remains of at least five cremated bodies have been found here.

Sunrise at the Winter Solstice

Above the entrance to the tomb is a small opening, known as the roof box. At dawn on the winter solstice, December 21st, and for a few days before and after, a shaft of light from the rising sun comes through this, crawls along the floor and illuminates the central chamber. Five millennia ago, this would have reached the farthest wall of the tomb. This suggests that Newgrange may well be the oldest purposely aligned building in the world.

Knowth Tomb Complex

The main passage tomb at Knowth is larger than that at Newgrange, and is surrounded by seventeen smaller tombs, some of which were built before the large tomb. In contrast to Newgrange, it contains two passages, aligned in an east-west direction to capture the equinoctial sunrises. They lead to separate chambers which lie three metres apart.

The eastern passage is 40 metres long and leads to a chamber of similar size, shape and corbelled structure to that at Newgrange. It is crowned by a 5-tonne capstone. The western chamber is smaller and reached by a passage 34 metres long. Again, the exterior wall is surrounded by decorated megaliths that were brought here from elsewhere. In fact the Knowth complex has over 300 carved stones, more than any other Neolithic site in Europe.

Newgrange and Knowth Visitor Centre

The sites at Knowth and Newgrange are accessed only by guided tour and reached by short coach journeys from the impressive Visitor Centre, Here are displays illustrating the probable lifestyles of the tomb builders, their burial rituals, clothing, farming methods and homes, though much of this is speculation, as there are no written records. There is a full-size re-constructed section of one of the passages. A short video puts the tombs and their building into historical and astronomical context.

It has been estimated that a large tomb would occupy its builders for probably sixty years, which equates to two-or-three Neolithic lifespans. This confirms that the community must have been settled, with advanced agricultural, engineering, astronomical and artistic skills. And all this at a time when the most advanced implements were made of stone.

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