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Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
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tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 13:10
PlateOfFood wrote:
Hello all. I was once told that the regular pattern in the new Newgrange facade was down to the architect who designed it - who I was told was Graham Dawbarn, who also designed BBC TV Center and gave that a similar pattern of white stones. It was just his 'thing'.

Now, I've never been able to find anything that proves to me that Graham Dawbarn was involved in recreating Newgrange, so maybe there's no truth to this story. I'd be interested if anyone knows one way or the other, though.



Great story , I just wonder at bringing in a brit to do the job .
gjrk
370 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 14:38
Hey Tiompan, Bawn etc
I'm going by memory, and from a few months back, but in Anthony Murphy (Mythical Ireland)'s book he lists a couple of alternative Irish names for quartz, including I think clocha gealach. Shining stone, moon stone and so on. It also has strong association with, particularly, bronze age monuments in the West Cork area.
tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 15:01
gjrk wrote:
Hey Tiompan, Bawn etc
I'm going by memory, and from a few months back, but in Anthony Murphy (Mythical Ireland)'s book he lists a couple of alternative Irish names for quartz, including I think clocha gealach. Shining stone, moon stone and so on. It also has strong association with, particularly, bronze age monuments in the West Cork area.


Because it so ubiquitous it is difficult to tell at a find spot whether it was deposited or not but more Neolithic -Bronze Age excavations now record quartz .
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam
1067 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 16:46
There were quartz bottom 'ponds' found outside one of the entrances to Knowth, lined with stone and possibly filled with water according to some specualtive account I read a while back. Trying to remember where I read that but it sounds similar to what was found outside Newgrange.
tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 17:10
CianMcLiam wrote:
There were quartz bottom 'ponds' found outside one of the entrances to Knowth, lined with stone and possibly filled with water according to some specualtive account I read a while back. Trying to remember where I read that but it sounds similar to what was found outside Newgrange.


Eogan describes some "spreads" of exotic stones , quartz ,granite and banded mudstone at the entrance to Knowth as well as a saucer shaped setting 4.5 m from the kerb which included quartz , sounds like it may be same thing .One of the properties of quartz is thermo-luminescence which can provide "earth-lights " which must have been noted and wondered at plus even striking two bits of quartz can provide light . It's proabbly easier to mention the sites that didn't have quartz .
FourWinds
FourWinds
10943 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 17:32
12pointer wrote:
apparently the irish name for quartz "grianchloch" means sun-stone. so their aparent sun worship would explain the findings of 'sun-stones' at these sites. But how and why does quartz represent the sun? sun is power, quartz being the hardest thing known to the ancient peoples then maybe thats why the granite is there too, granite being the hardest rock to hand, both symbolise strength and power. or because they wanted thier monument to last forever...


Smack two pieces of Wicklow quartz together in the dark and they light up.
FourWinds
FourWinds
10943 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 17:35
But Carnagat is a court tomb and so from a 'different' culture. The meanings might be different.
FourWinds
FourWinds
10943 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 17:38
tiompan wrote:
CianMcLiam wrote:
There were quartz bottom 'ponds' found outside one of the entrances to Knowth, lined with stone and possibly filled with water according to some specualtive account I read a while back. Trying to remember where I read that but it sounds similar to what was found outside Newgrange.


Eogan describes some "spreads" of exotic stones , quartz ,granite and banded mudstone at the entrance to Knowth as well as a saucer shaped setting 4.5 m from the kerb which included quartz , sounds like it may be same thing .One of the properties of quartz is thermo-luminescence which can provide "earth-lights " which must have been noted and wondered at plus even striking two bits of quartz can provide light . It's proabbly easier to mention the sites that didn't have quartz .


They've been put back in place now. You can one lot behind the stones in this pic - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/1054/Boyne+Valley.htm

and you can just see the other one in this pic - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/1057/Knowth.htm
tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 26, 2008, 17:57
FourWinds wrote:
[

and you can just see the other one in this pic - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/1057/Knowth.htm


Dunno which is the most unsightly the footbridge over the kerb stone or the Newgrange facade .
FourWinds
FourWinds
10943 posts

Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall
Feb 27, 2008, 07:20
tiompan wrote:
FourWinds wrote:
[

and you can just see the other one in this pic - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/1057/Knowth.htm


Dunno which is the most unsightly the footbridge over the kerb stone or the Newgrange facade .


It's a close call. The worst bit is where the footbridge leads to. A whacking great hole inside the cairn so that you can see its stratigraphy (is that the right word?). Bloody awful and could have been done in the visitors' centre or in a shed at the edge of the site.
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