Press release

Winter solstice sunset at Maeshowe 
(Orkney, Scotland, UK)

The precise reason for this alignment may never be unveiled, and will remain one of the many mysteries open for speculation. But it can be assumed that such a connection with the winter solstice sunset was done on purpose. So the Neolithic people that lived in the neighborhood of this megalithic mound, must have been aware of other things between Heaven and Earth than simple survival - eating, drinking and raising the next generation. Like monuments at Newgrange (Ireland), Stonehenge (England), Carnac (France), Hunebedden (Netherlands) and the Great Pyramids (Egypt), this megalithic mound was also constructed for a special purpose. Many ideas float around, like:

• was it for burials of important people only?
• was it for communal burial?
• was it a place of worship?
• was it a place to get into contact with spirits?
• was it for protection against raiding people?

To get a better feeling of what the reasons are behind such a sophisticated building, Victor Reijs (a Dutch archaeoastronomer) is studying the alignment(s?) of the passage and chamber in more detail. After a few visits and talks with people, the idea emerged to install a camera inside the chamber, so that the behaviour of the sun can be recorded and analyzed in a more scientific way. And why not use The Internet to transport this unique information around the globe!
Thus for the first time in the world, the light of a winter solstice sunset will be broadcast in real-time over the Internet. These broadcasts are scheduled from December 10th until December 22nd 1997, everyday between 14:30 and 15:15 GMT. It can be seen at: http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/maeshowe/. It is expected that this project will be continued on an annual basis.

With the help of Historic Scotland (care-taker of Maeshowe on behalf of the Secretary of State for Scotland) and Charles Tait (photographer and publisher based in Orkney), the idea of broadcasting has been materialized by Victor Reijs within a year. Besides equipment from the three mentioned initiators, this project is also sponsored generously by the following organizations: J&W Tait Ltd (UK, transportation), Multicap (BE, radio modems), Travel agency Nijenhuis (NL, travel insurance) and Electric Engineering (NL, cables).

More information on this unique project can be had from:

Victor Reijs (project leader)
e-mail: remove underscore
home page: http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/
Maeshowe page: http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/maeshowe/
tel: + 31 575 561529
fax: + 31 30 2305329
or
Charles Tait
e-mail: charles.tait@zetnet.co.uk
Maeshowe page: http://www.velvia.demon.co.uk/
tel: + 44 1856 873738
fax: + 44 1856 875313