The neolithic
agricultural societies of the islands off the northwest coast of
Europe were were able to produce large stone monuments and
buildings several centuries before the great pyramids of Egypt,
despite lacking writing or metal tools.The precise meaning and
function of these various structures is unclear (and may never be
known by modern scholars), but they are certainly the product of
societies which were resourceful, creative, and sophisticated.
Neolithic Monuments from Britain and Ireland, c.
3000-2500 BCE
Stone Circles and Megaliths: These monuments
included the Callanish Stones in the Isle of
Harris, and the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of
Brodgar in the Orkney Islands. The stones are several meters in
height and weigh up to 10 tons, and they were quarried at sites
several miles away, making their transportation to their current
sites a logistical challenge. These islands lacked forests to make
log rollers for the stones, so some scholars argue that seaweed
might have been used as a lubricants to help slide the stones to
their new sites. The standing stones and stone circles were
accompanied by elaborate earth works, and were oriented to align
with local landmarks and seasonal events such as solstices and
equinoxes.
The Callanish Stones, 2900-2600
BCE
The Ring of Brodgar, c. 2500-2000 BCE
The Stones of Stenness, 3100-2900 BCE
Passage Tombs: Some of these
societies also constructed burial mounds which consisted of
stone-lined interior chambers which were covered with earth and
which could only be reached through narrow stone entrance passages.
While these tombs were eventually sealed, over the millennia there
contents have been disturbed, so we cannot be sure how many people
were buried there, what their social status was, or what sorts of
material objects might have been entombed with them. Once again,
however, these structures required substantial resources and
creativity to build, and were oriented toward seasonal events. The
burial mound at Maeshowe in Orkney is aligned so that on the winter
solstice, the setting sun shines directly through the entry passage
and into the central chamber. Similarly, the mound at Newgrange at
Brú na Bóinne in Ireland, is oriented so that the Winter solstice
sunrise illuminates the entryway and interior. The ritual or
ceremonial purposes for which these structures were used is obscure,
but they were clearly constructed carefully and deliberately.
Maeshowe Passage Tomb, constructed circa 2800
BCE
Maeshowe Passage Tomb Interior (the white
stone at the top is
modern)
Newgrange Passage Tomb, constructed circa
3200 BCE (The white stone wall on the exterior is
modern)
Newgrange Passage Tomb Interior During the
Winter Solstice Sunrise
Brú na Bóinne Stone Art: The
burial cairns at Newgrange and Knowth near the Boyne River in
Ireland feature some of the most elaborate megalithic art in Europe.
These huge kerbstones ringing the tombs are inscribed with a variety
of designs including spirals, radials, serpentiforms and cups in
rings. The meaning of these symbols and the uses to which these
megaliths were put by the societies which produced them are (you
guessed it) unknown. Clearly, however, it required considerable
planning, effort, and inspiration in order to produce these
beautiful works of art.
The "Entrance Stone" at
Newgrange
Knowth Kerbstone
56
Knowth Kerbstone17
Knowth Kerbstone
15
Photos: taken by Dr. Doug Campbell, except
for the Newgrange photos sfrom Tjp finn
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Irelands_history.jpg) and
Ron Cogswell,
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/22711505@N05/50066930912)