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Newgrange, one of three passage tombs in Bru na Boinne,
was built over 5,000 years ago. The tomb is exactly positioned so that at dawn on Winter Solstice,
a shaft of light penetrates the passageway and illuminates the inner chamber. The passage to the
center of the tomb is about 20 metres long, the inner chamber is about 5 metres deep / 6.5 metres
wide, and the ceiling of this inner chamber is spiraled upward using huge stones that were
stacked in a corbelled roof pattern, about 6 metres high. Inside are many etchings, the most
significant of which is the tri-spiral design, which you can see here on the entrance stone.
Nobody knows exactly what these designs meant to the original artists, why
the tomb itself was constructed, and how it was so carefully aligned with the solstice. (Click on photo for larger view.)
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Newgrange Entrance Stone
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Tri-spiral Etchings on Newgrange Entrance Stone
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Solstice Window at Top of Entrance
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