Dr. Jessica Smyth joins us for Part 2 of our miniseries on Newgrange and the Winter Solstice
Dr. Jessica Smyth joins us for Part 2 of our miniseries on Newgrange and the Winter Solstice
The great passage tomb of Newgrange in the Boyne Valley of County Meath, is one of Ireland’s most iconic monuments. Today it is a World Heritage Site, and (on a normal year) it is one of our most visited monuments, with people from all over the world travelling to see this marvel of Neolithic engineering and belief. As the Winter Solstice is upon us, Newgrange takes on even more meaning, as it is aligned with the midwinter solstice. On a clear dawn on the 20th, 21st and 22nd December, a beam of light from the rising sun travels up the passageway to illuminate the chamber. Each year people gather in great numbers around the monument to celebrate this phenomenon, and lucky lottery winners get the ultimate prize of being inside the chamber to witness it first hand. However, this year, if it shines the light will pass unseen by human eyes. The pandemic that has taken so much, has also meant that the gathering for 2020 has been cancelled.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to discuss Newgrange with some of the experts who know the site intimately, as a way of casting another kind of light on our iconic monument. This is the second episode of a miniseries focusing on Newgrange. In this edition I was joined by Dr Jessica Smyth of UCD School of Archaeology. We discussed Jessica’s exciting project Passage Tomb People, her first impressions of Newgrange and how that has changed over the years, daily life in Neolithic Ireland, prehistoric landscapes and the value of archives.
Given the restrictions we recorded the discussion over Zoom, so please forgive the audio quality if it is a bit off. This is the second part of a five part miniseries. But for now, join us, as we try to see the light at the end of the tunnel at Newgrange.
AMPLIFY ARCHAEOLOGY PODCAST
AMPLIFY ARCHAEOLOGY PODCAST
Title: Winter Solstice at Newgrange Podcast Miniseries Part 2
Duration: 28 mins.
Summary:
Dr. Jessica Smyth joins us for Part 2 of our podcast miniseries on Newgrange and the Winter Solstice, to discuss Newgrange and life in Neolithic Ireland
This is the second part of a five episode miniseries focusing on Newgrange, the Winter Solstice and Neolithic Ireland. Please subscribe to Amplify Archaeology Podcast on your favourite platform to ensure you don’t miss a thing. If you leave us a review it can really help us to be found, so we’d be very grateful if you’d consider sharing the podcast.
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The post Newgrange & Neolithic Ireland with Jessica Smyth – Amplify Archaeology Podcast appeared first on Abarta Heritage Home.
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