* Designed for the general reader and visitor to Newgrange
* A guided tour of the best example of a passage tomb in Western
Europe
Newgrange is the most visited archaeological site in Ireland. Every year
around 250,000 people come to the see this Neolithic passage tomb.
Designed for the general reader with an interest in Irish prehistory,
this book explains the results of decades of excavation and analysis in
one volume. It is written in a lively style that seeks at the same time
to be authoritative and thorough.
Aside from its accessibility and good state of preservation, Newgrange's
solstice phenomenon, in particular, has made it famous throughout the
world. While it is the best-known ancient site in Ireland, many aspects
of Newgrange are not clearly understood; other aspects are just taken
for granted: why is there a three meter high quartz wall around its
entrance; how does the roof box work; what was the inspiration for its
art and architecture?
The book is arranged in such a way as to replicate a visit to the site.
It pauses over points of art and construction that the visitor will not
have had time to examine in detail on a conventional guided tour.
Newgrange is the synthesis of years of excavation and research at home
and abroad; from the detailed reports stemming from the excavations of
M.J. O'Kelly to the current international debate about its construction
and reconstruction. This is the first book on Newgrange to draw on
O'Kelly's private papers and to incorporate the results of more recent
and as yet unpublished excavations. This book will clarify many complex
issues that have been addressed in widely scattered publications, using
original illustrations to assist the reader, and more importantly, it
places the monument in its broader cultural context.
