So, this is really cool:
c3200 B.C. during the Neolithic, Newgrange was built in Ireland with a small passageway aligned to let light in on the dawn of the winter solstice. It thought to be a “passage tomb” where remains of the dead were gathered. Edwin Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California, says “the winter solstice is a crucial moment, in that it marks the time the sun has reached the depths of winter—its darkest moment, its death, [and] its rebirth.”
From 12:58am-1:15am, California time (8:58am – 9:15am GMT) the event can be seen via webcast for the first time (they only allow 20 people in to the actual chamber each morning for the next 5 days)! It will cast for the whole 5 days, and you can if you wish watch the “archive” webcasts during your waking hours. Check it out here: http://www.newgrange.com/webcast.htm
To put this megalith in (a very brief) perspective:
31,000-70,000YA: First Cave paintings in Africa and Europe
3,200 YA: Newgrange
2,200 YA: Stonehenge
Enjoy, and Happy Solstice!
Whitney
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061207-winter-solstice.html
