Newgrange Exploring Bru na Boinne

A field excursion undertaken on 12.05.2025 to explore potential astronomical connections between the Peter Littman Corpus (PLC) and archaeological evidence found at Bru na Boinne, County Meath. We discuss the astronomical theories connected to the site and how the site is relevant to Peter Littman’s original work.

Our Ante-Antiquity team, reinforced with two Eneclann staff, traveled to NewGrange, part of the Bru na Boinne complex in County Meath, as Ancient Celtic culture is appearing more and more in the PLC. Before the trip, we created a list of questions to reference at the site.

1. What does the design and craftsmanship of Newgrange suggest about the society that constructed the monument?

2. How did the builders of the Neolithic period achieve the specific measurements needed for the passage of NewGrange to align with the winter solstice?

3. Are there iconographies inscribed at the site that might confirm PWL’s theory of a connection between the Semitic and Celtic languages?

4. How does NewGrange exhibit ideologies surrounding themes of divine kingship?

Figure 1 Map of Bru na Boinne
http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/irelandboynevalley.htm

Figure 2 Bru na Boinne Shuttle Bus image

NewGrange, Knowth and Dowth were constructed by the westernmost lineage of Anatolian farmers.1 The Anatolian people migrated through Europe, travelling across Spain, Brittany and the British Isles before arriving in Ireland c3,700BC.2 These neolithic settlers aided in the creation of a heritage which predates even the Great Pyramids, with NewGrange’s construction dating to c3,300BC.3 The refined astronomical knowledge of the early settlers is evident in the design of NewGrange and is a common theme across all three sites at Bru na Boinne. 4 This use of architecture to create solar alignment within structures is best convyed at NewGrange on the winter solstice.

1 Curry 2020. 1299 | 2 Curry 2020. 1299 | 3 H.G. 2014. 1-6 | 4 Prendergast et al. 2017. 10-17

Knowth, home to almost fifty percent of all Irish megalithic artwork, also exhibits over a quarter of megalithic artwork from Western Europe. It is believed that these carvings at Knowth may be connected to cosmological movement. Historians are hypothesising that the kerbstones surrounding the site are star maps. There is a theory that kerbstone 52 depicts the lunar cycle. The incisions located on the Mound of the Hostages at the Hill of Tara could help prove this. Astronomy of this kind is seen in the PLC. PWL was firm in his belief that ancient populations had extensive astronomical knowledge.

The PLC explores intersections of the Celtic and Semitic languages. Similar linguistic connections within Indo-European languages were observed at the Hill of Tara. Greek, Latin, Anatolian and Irish can all be traced back to this origin.

The common focal point between these languages allows for a compelling comparison – Temiar is the Irish term for a great height. Temenos is Greek for a sacred place. Templum means sacred place in Latin. Linguistic parallels such as these could prompt further research on the Celtic-Semitic connection suggested in the PWL material.

Today, it is believed that NewGrange was a hierarchical society. The site’s history implies order and function. There were designated roles for those who were ritual specialists and priests. This information is relevant to the PLC, in which Druids and the role of the spiritual leader are mentioned frequently.

Figure 3 Kerbstone 52, Knowth

Indeed, the idea of divine kingship and the priest king are explored extensively by PWL. The Hill of Tara was a monument of divinity and sacred expression. Divine kingship, sacred burial rites and the act of divine selection all play a part in its heritage. Only certain members of society were permitted to enter specific areas of the site. Kings, priests, and guardians of the place were chosen personnel. The mythology explored in the PWL material parallels the history of the Hill. Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny, could be compared with the ‘Sword in the Stone’, referenced by PWL. Like that of the sword, only releasing for the true king, the stone of destiny is said to cry out under the touch of the true ruler. Furthermore, Peter Littman uses the myth of Tristan and Iseult to connect different cultures in his material – “Tristan has visited Ireland as Orpheus and as Oedipus, but ultimately he was Theseus…and the Dragon, his Minotaur” – PWL/3416. These characters could easily be correlated to the tale of Grainne and Diarmuid, figures heavily associated with Ráith Gráinne at the Hill of Tara.
Figure 4 Mound of the Hostages,
Hill of Tara

Figure 5 Lia Fail, Stone of Destiny, Hill of Tara.

This was the first time the contents of the PLC were explored through field research, and the visit also served as a pilot project to test the feasibility and relevance of field research in the Ante-Antiquity project. Although not all questions we set out with were answered, we were able to see the most recent research done on the sites and accumulated a list of books and maps which could enable further reading and research on the sites in the future. While our questions were not all answered, the trip was considered a success in that it provided further context for us as researchers to gain a more well-rounded understanding of the PLC. The resources gathered and the chance to put the material in context in a physical place presented avenues for further research

Reported by Theodora Cousins Bolger, a final-year student working towards her degree in Ancient History and Archaeology at Trinity College, Dublin.