0
Newgrange is a Stone Age (Neolithic) monument in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, it is the jewel in the crown of Ireland's Ancient East. Newgrange was constructed about 5,200 years ago (3,200 B.C.) which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. Newgrange is a large circular mound 85m (279ft) in diameter and 13m (43ft) high with a 19m (63ft) stone passageway and chambers inside. The mound is ringed by 97 large kerbstones, some of which are engraved with symbols called megalithic art.
Newgrange was built by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Knowth and Dowth are similar mounds that together with Newgrange have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Archaeologists classified Newgrange as a passage tomb, however Newgrange is now recognized to be much more than a passage tomb. Ancient Temple is a more fitting classification, a place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest.
This ancient farmer practice of building huge temples to witness Solstice and celebrate season changes was widely preserved in many temples around the world notably among Egypt Karnak temple, many big Hindu temples, possibly in ancient Anatolia and even among some other cultures. The celebration of phallus and fertility along with rites associated with season changes were followed perfectly by ancient priests and the people were provided expert guidance on subjects like sowing, farming, animal husbandry, family life etc.. in these places
A newly published paper talks about the genome of these people found Newgrange had mostly I2 and some H2 y-dna people.
Nature Published: 17 June 2020
A dynastic elite in monumental Neolithic society
Lara M. Cassidy, Ros Ó Maoldúin, Thomas Kador, Ann Lynch, Carleton Jones, Peter C. Woodman, Eileen Murphy, Greer Ramsey, Marion Dowd, Alice Noonan, Ciarán Campbell, Eppie R. Jones, Valeria Mattiangeli & Daniel G. Bradley
Nature volume 582, pages384–388(2020)
Abstract
The nature and distribution of political power in Europe during the Neolithic era remains poorly understood1. During this period, many societies began to invest heavily in building monuments, which suggests an increase in social organization. The scale and sophistication of megalithic architecture along the Atlantic seaboard, culminating in the great passage tomb complexes, is particularly impressive. Although co-operative ideology has often been emphasised as a driver of megalith construction1, the human expenditure required to erect the largest monuments has led some researchers to emphasize hierarchy—of which the most extreme case is a small elite marshalling the labour of the masses. Here we present evidence that a social stratum of this type was established during the Neolithic period in Ireland. We sampled 44 whole genomes, among which we identify the adult son of a first-degree incestuous union from remains that were discovered within the most elaborate recess of the Newgrange passage tomb. Socially sanctioned matings of this nature are very rare, and are documented almost exclusively among politico-religious elites—specifically within polygynous and patrilineal royal families that are headed by god-kings. We identify relatives of this individual within two other major complexes of passage tombs 150 km to the west of Newgrange, as well as dietary differences and fine-scale haplotypic structure (which is unprecedented in resolution for a prehistoric population) between passage tomb samples and the larger dataset, which together imply hierarchy. This elite emerged against a backdrop of rapid maritime colonization that displaced a unique Mesolithic isolate population, although we also detected rare Irish hunter-gatherer introgression within the Neolithic population.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7116870/
mtDNA of the 44 Samples show major Atlantic seaboard expansion combined with Neolithic groups
Sample Context Coverage (X) and Standard Deviation Haplogroup
SRA62 Mesolithic 3148.40 ± 271.87 U5a2d
KGH6 Mesolithic 1455.51 ± 142.62 U5b2a
ANN1 Neolithic 125.11 ± 28.07 K1a+195
ANN2 Neolithic 44.41 8.28 H4a1a1
ARD2 Neolithic 290.10 ± 36.07 J2b1a
ASH1 Neolithic 180.19 ± 39.32 K2a9
ASH3 Neolithic 284.47 ± 27.79 T2c1d1
BG72 Neolithic 159.00 ± 26.29 K1a4a1
CAK530 Neolithic 217.05 ± 31.56 W5b
CAK531 Neolithic 104.65 ± 16.11 H1
CAK532 Neolithic 207.57 ± 22.87 J1c3
CAK533 Neolithic 109.76 ± 18.49 H
CAK534 Neolithic 3.68 ± 2.74 X2b4
CAK68 Neolithic 158.97 ± 19.29 H
CH448 Neolithic 260.61 ± 42.92 H1
GNM1007 Neolithic 71.97 ± 14.27 K1a+195
GNM1076 Neolithic 99.64 ± 18.45 H1c
JP14 Neolithic 1508.86 ± 160.00 T2c1d1
MB6 Neolithic 122.57 ± 25.18 J1c3
NG10 Neolithic 1955.83 ± 200.86 U5b1+16189+16192
NGZ1 Neolithic 68.12 ± 24.18 X2b+226
PB1327 Neolithic 81.68 ± 14.31 T2b3
PB1794 Neolithic 97.48 ± 15.07 J1c6
PB186 Neolithic 162.90 ± 22.49 X2b+226
PB2031 Neolithic 84.08 ± 25.05 K1a2b
PB357 Neolithic 162.26 ± 31.29 U8b1b
PB443 Neolithic 197.14 ± 24.82 K1b1a1
PB581 Neolithic 217.35 ± 24.90 T2b
PB672 Neolithic 200.16 ± 26.38 T2c1d+152
PB675 Neolithic 1199.30 ± 160.70 H1
PB754 Neolithic 58.11 ± 13.98 U5b2a3
PB768 Neolithic 133.41 ± 20.88 H4a1a1
PN02 Neolithic 140.03 ± 21.36 U5b1c1
PN03 Neolithic 91.62 ± 17.51 K1a1
PN04 Neolithic 112.67 ± 17.92 H1+16189
PN05 Neolithic 126.34 ± 22.78 K1a+195
PN06 Neolithic 176.88 ± 18.89 H
PN07 Neolithic 178.57 ± 20.32 U5b1c
PN107 Neolithic 141.73 ± 26.91 U4a2f
PN112 Neolithic 166.92 ± 30.66 U5b2b
PN113 Neolithic 293.39 ± 40.35 H4a1a1a
PN12 Neolithic 59.31 ± 8.00 H
PN13 Neolithic 96.85 ± 21.44 V
PN16 Neolithic 125.39 ± 16.58 K1b1a1
Bookmarks