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Megalithic art studies by W. Battersby

Alignments

Newgrange-4 is dated at the time the great mound was not present (perhaps even before Mound L and Mound Z were build).
The alignments at Newgrange-4, were primarily stellar (Sirius set/rise, walking Orion and Great Bear) and starting to be solar (winter and summer solstice set/rise). The idea on stellar alignments is taken from North [1996]. The locations of stones during this phase are depicted (in purple color) in the below picture.

At the time of Newgrange Zero (moment the great mound has been constructed), most stellar alignments were not in function any more (that is why a lot of pick dressing and hidden art is present at Newgrange).
The winter and summer solstice sun both happen to rise from behind hills called Redmountain, there is one hill in the north-west and another hill with the same name in the south-west.

At Loughcrew, the possible passage of Cairn D is aligned with summer solstice set.

Knowth-4 Site 1 could have looked like the following purple stones (other sites would have been present also):

Knowth Zero had all the kerb stones in place (3000 BCE).

Remark: The above alignments are not yet checked by me.

Calendar

The year is divided in to sixteen months (22 stones between K52 and K74 of Knowth).
The Knowth kerb has two sides: north side (depicting winter days and summer night) and the south side (depicting summer days and winter nights)

Interesting issues

Motifs and symbols

Symbol
Morpheme
Motif
sun/star rise, birth,
Nuadu
LU, NU
sun/star set SI
bird ANE
dog KU
star, sun
lozenge
star
cup mark
sky KO
sun RA circle
moon
arc
full moon
two concentric circles

MO

SA v-sign

LI wedge (triangle) to left

NO wedges (triangle) to both sides

NU
feet/legs of Nuada
water MI, MU zigzag

NI, RI comb

Stone forms

Lozenge type of stone: female
Pillar type of stone: male
Slope to left top: male
Slope to right top: female

Questions for author


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Major content related changes: Aug. 21, 2001