When it comes to the most ancient sights of Britain and the United Kingdom, only Stonehenge comes to mind. Few people know that in Ireland there is no less ancient and mysterious object - Bru na Boinne, surrounded by three tombs: Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth. Before going to this unique place, knowledgeable people recommend visiting the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Center - a specially created center that tells the history and features of the object. If you are fascinated by antiquity, nature, mysterious structures and hidden meanings, then this place is a must to visit.
Origin and secret meanings
In the county of Meath, 40 kilometers from Dublin, there is a complex of 37 barrows and 3 tombs - Brú na Bóinne. This attraction is considered the oldest in Ireland: according to the results of radiocarbon studies of scientists, its approximate age was revealed - about five thousand years, which is one thousand more than the age of Stonehenge, and five hundred more than the age of the Egyptian pyramids in Giza.
There are 3 versions of the origin of Brú na Bóinne:
- One group of scientists believes that mounds were created manually by humans for several centuries.
- The second group adheres to the mystical version of the formation of the complex. They believe that mounds are a fragment of ancient civilization or even a trace of a visit from aliens.
- The classic version is as follows: archaeologists agree that Bóinne is a sacred place where sacrifices were made and the dead were buried.
For hundreds and thousands of years, Brú na Bóinne was used by representatives of the Bronze Age, Celts, Normans, medieval Irish. During the Middle Ages, people treated them with caution and believed that the magic people live in the mounds - the race of Tuaha de Dannan, the servants of the Goddess Danu, and they went underground as a result of a tough battle with the Sons of Mil - another mystical tribe.
Tombs
Brú na Bóinne - these are 37 small mounds and 3 large tombs: Newgrange, which means "a magical place", Knowth and Dowth. Of particular interest is Newgrange, inside of which an ancient ritual chalice has been preserved. In 1962, the tomb was excavated by archaeologists and restored almost in its original form, with the exception of external materials and some walls. The dimensions of the tomb: height - 12 meters, diameter - 85 meters. Despite the vast size of Newgrange, during the archaeological work, the remains of only 35 buried people were found.
The corridor leading to the crypt is constructed in such a way that during the winter solstice for 20 minutes it is illuminated by the rays of the rising sun. This indicates a deep astronomical knowledge of ancient people.
Interesting Facts
- In the late Middle Ages, when the mounds almost completely went underground, the peasants mastered the territory, setting up gardens and farms here. At the end of the 17th century, they realized that ancient artifacts are located under the lands - since then archaeological excavations began.
- Mounds open to visit all year.
- Celtic inscriptions found on Newgrange walls.
- In 1175, on the top of Nauta, the Normans erected a chapel of St. Mary.
- At the entrance to the tombs, spirals are scratched, meaning the boundary between life and death.
The object belongs to parks.
