If you have not read my 'ECLIPSE DISCOVERIES' article, please do so as it contains all the details of associating certain Neolithic petroglyph glyphs with the first known objective events in Neolithic times. This has never happened before and now further refinement of meanings can be ascertained from these eclipses that allow modern society a deeper glimpse into Neolithic ritual, artwork, worship and reverence. Here I will re-examine the findings in a summary fashion focusing on the petroglyphs themselves and what they reveal. Essentially a small series of eclipses, one solar, two lunar (see below) have been depicted as symbols inside two large Irish Neolithic cairns (mounds) in County Meath, approx. 40kms. NW of Dublin within the Loughcrew megalithic complex. As most amateur archaeoastronomers, I prefer not to label cairns as tombs because mainly small internments occurred there and some extremes of number range from zero internments to 340 individuals. As evidence keeps coming up in different geographical locations around the world , sites such as these, had a multipicity of functions.

This shows the symbols of an annular eclipse setting in the western sky while in partial eclipse phase and the prior sunrise celestial arrangements on stone 20 the day before the eclipse occurred. If we examine Stone 20 first, this is the 'sunrise stone' as I call it and the first indication ever that the Neolithics of Ireland worked in pictorial fragments or collages. If you look at the symbols above the red horizontal line running across the stone you will see the interior plan of Cairn L showing the relative positions of the Blue limestone pillar and Sandstone oval basin. Below the red line and outside the blue boxed area lies the conditions and spatial arrangements of both the sun and New Moon a day prior to the eclipse. The spiral orientation itself allowed me to specifically and correctly interpret the glyph because the correlation is 100%. Inside the blue boxed area lies a letter 'C' this is the moment just prior to total mid annularity of the solar eclipse and is sometimes commonly referred to as a 'hook' in eclipse terminology. Spatially the 'C' is strategically positioned as to be half way between the rising sun and New Moon further emphasising the role of both luminaries in the eclipse. A question begs to be answered; did the Neolithics know that it was the Moon eclipsing the sun? From the positioning of the 'C' it seems a good correlation that they did and this would make their knowledge more than just superficial. The figure below shows Stone 19, the 'eclipse stone'.

If you look to the right of the vertical green line on Stone 19 you will see a vertical line of 7 lozenges. Astronomically I have taken this to refer to 7 standing stones or pillars North of the Loughcrew high ridge that align in a rough N - S axis. This shows that the solar eclipse glyphs were west of the cardinal axis. If you look at the area between the red and green vertical lines you will see two triple concentric circles these are two lunar eclipses observed in their relative spatial arrangements at maximum eclipse phase. To the left of the red line lies the concentric overlapping circles that constitute the annular eclipse scene. There are cupmarks above and to the left of this arrangement which I don't show here as I've not reached any firm conclusion as to what they represent , if they indeed represent anything; that's why there is a question mark hanging over them. The horizon is taken as the surface level of the stone basin which sits in front of Stone 19.

Various symbols that are highlighted by the solar equinox each year(Cairn T) represent various stages of solar eclipse phenomena such as coronal ejections, prominences and possibly Bailey's Beads. Because this annular eclipse very closely mimiced a total eclipse it's quite possible the Neolithics saw this and recorded it, and like its sister Cairn L, sunlight is reflected directly onto some symbols each Spring and Vernal equinox.

Having sunlight directly on the symbols possibly was used to show renewal of life energies as this is a cyclical unending motion.

KEYCODES

The first set of keycodes (see below) show how each glyph which is repeated throughout various stonework (kerbstones, orthostats , entrance stones etc.) has a particular meaning related to astronomical phenomena. The main centre of the artwork is the Boyne Valley because of the concentration of kerbstone artwork there. As you branch out from that location some glyphs change and become modified but do not lose their essential recognition (e.g. Sess Kilgreen, Stone 6 , Co. Tyrone) which is nominally the same as Stone 19 Cairn L (Loughcrew). Gimbutas has a different meaning attached to the backwall of Sess Kilgreen in that it represents the symbolism of the Owl in nature. The owl was regarded as the harbinger of death. When an owl alighted on someone's house it usually signified someone within the household was about to die. The owl has acute nightvision enabling it to pick up small prey (mice) crawling along the forest floor. To the ancient archaic mind this ability may have bestowed a magical aura to the bird because its vision was far in excess of humans. (NOTE 2) An illustration can be seen of Stone 6 Sess Kilgreen in Martin Brennan's book "The Stones of Time" P 89. Brennan himself only draws attention to this stone's similairity to Stone 8 Cairn U at Loughcrew as both stones are highlighted by the Summer Solstice Sunrise.

The second set of keycodes below show symbolism for solar and lunar equinoxes and solstices. When a clockwise and anti-clockwise spiral are joined then all movement of the celestial object is essentially stopped. Again K67 kerbstone at Newgrange is attributed to the owl motif by Gimbutas and certainly it looks antropomorphic. A single line spiral represents lunar movement as opposed to a double line spiral which indicates the sun.

The third keycode representation shows a single kerbstone(K15) at the site 1 Knowth complex next door to Newgrange. This appears to be undoubtedly, in my mind, solid proof that the Neolithics knew something about the lunar Metonic cycle. Only 19 rays emanate from the glyph for an entrance and two depressions can indicate pillars as were discovered during excavation there. 19 is a prime number divisible by itself and one. Other symbols show the prior meanings of spirals. Most imagery on this stone relates to the moon. Brennan designated this particular kerbstone to represent a solar sundial calendar .(NOTE3) Also shown is the unmistakeable glyph for any stellar object which usually has a number of radiating lines coming from it.

The fourth set of keycodes show a counting system involving separate glyphs for both day and night on kerbstone K69 at Knowth Site 1(below) and the glyph for a passageway entrance or tunnel. These appear self explanatory.

Copyright © Paul Griffin 2002 - 2003