This revealing text describes the exciting discovery and deciphering of the 5,000-year-old stone chambers and standing stones of pre-Celtic Ireland. At midwinter sunrise, Martin Brennan and his research partner observed a beam of light shining into the central chamber at Newgrange, illuminating a series of glyphs on the back wall. They went on to observe significant solar and lunar events at other chambers and stone complexes in the Boyne Valley and Loughcrew Mountains. Through a combination of careful observation, analysis of the astronomical alignment of the sites, and personal insight into the meanings of megalithic symbols and carvings, Brennan demonstrates conclusively that the passage mounds and chambers are actually sophisticated calendar devices, and that the abstract wheels, spirals, zigzags, and wavy lines are symbols of solar and lunar timekeeping.
Book Description
This revealing text describes the exciting discovery and deciphering of the 5,000-year-old stone chambers and standing stones of pre-Celtic Ireland. At midwinter sunrise, Martin Brennan and his research partner observed a beam of light shining into the central chamber at Newgrange, illuminating a series of glyphs on the back wall. They went on to observe significant solar and lunar events at other chambers and stone complexes in the Boyne Valley and Loughcrew Mountains. Through a combination of careful observation, analysis of the astronomical alignment of the sites, and personal insight into the meanings of megalithic symbols and carvings, Brennan demonstrates conclusively that the passage mounds and chambers are actually sophisticated calendar devices, and that the abstract wheels, spirals, zigzags, and wavy lines are symbols of solar and lunar timekeeping.
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A pioneering work . . . we may have been given a revelation of the cosmological beliefs of our distant forefathers."
(The Times Literary Supplement )
"One of the most dramatic archaeological detective stories of our time . . . provides one exciting and awesomely beautiful drama in the continuing search for man's intellectual past."
(Alexander Marshack, author of The Roots of Civilization )
"The most complete record of Irish megalithic art ever published . . . calculated to overturn some fundamental doctrines of prehistoric archaeology and initiate an entirely new mode of enquiry."
(John Michell, author of Secrets of the Stones )
"An exciting and fascinating book."
(The Irish Times )
(The Times Literary Supplement )
"One of the most dramatic archaeological detective stories of our time . . . provides one exciting and awesomely beautiful drama in the continuing search for man's intellectual past."
(Alexander Marshack, author of The Roots of Civilization )
"The most complete record of Irish megalithic art ever published . . . calculated to overturn some fundamental doctrines of prehistoric archaeology and initiate an entirely new mode of enquiry."
(John Michell, author of Secrets of the Stones )
"An exciting and fascinating book."
(The Irish Times )
About the Author
Martin Brennan is a New York artist who spent three years of study on prehistoric art in Mexico and a similar period in Japan. Of Irish parentage, he was drawn to Ireland and the Boyne Valley, where he spent six years studying the neolithic stone chambers and their symbolic art before formulating the groundbreaking theories set forth in this book.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The writing on the wall,
By The Square Eye (Ireland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Stones of Time: Calendars, Sundials, and Stone Chambers of Ancient Ireland (Paperback)
Originally published as 'The Stars and the Stones' by Thames and Hudson. Brennan's book is part mythology, part art history, and part astronomy and part detective story. This is a truly great read; Brennan takes the reader with him on a quest to unlock the hidden meaning behind some of the oldest man made marks on the planet found among the oldest buildings. Surviving preserved for over 5 thousand years, (predating the pyramids and Stonehenge) the engravings on what archaeologist have called Irish passage tombs point in a very different direction. Brennan weaves his way through ancient myth, astronomy and finally to an interpretation of the art and how that relates to the function of these mounds. In the process he unlocks the code, and reveals that the builders of Newgrange and older Irish megaliths were adept astronomers who recorded their data on the kerb and passage stones of their buildings. He capably demonstrates that these mounds are in fact calindrical devices. Brennan's discoveries (now 30 years old) are still cutting edge. If you are interested in the early intellectual development of man and are tired of hearing about aliens or graves, then here is a solid fascinating book by a pioneer whose conclusions still challenge modern perceptions. Exceptional writing and story telling makes the subject accessible while still giving real depth. A must read.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
(learn more)
solar construct, satellite mounds, megalithic mounds, megalithic art, passage mound, major mounds, winter solstice sunrise, summer solstice sunrise, entrance stone, astronomical orientation, astronomical alignments, rock engravings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boyne Valley, Carnbane East, Carnbane West, Loughcrew Mountains, Tuatha Dé Danann, Sess Kilgreen, George Coffey, Iron Age, Sir Norman Lockyer, John Michell, Stone Age, George Russell, David Wollner, Triple Spiral Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
solar construct, satellite mounds, megalithic mounds, megalithic art, passage mound, major mounds, winter solstice sunrise, summer solstice sunrise, entrance stone, astronomical orientation, astronomical alignments, rock engravings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boyne Valley, Carnbane East, Carnbane West, Loughcrew Mountains, Tuatha Dé Danann, Sess Kilgreen, George Coffey, Iron Age, Sir Norman Lockyer, John Michell, Stone Age, George Russell, David Wollner, Triple Spiral Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
5
books
cite this book:
- Uriel's Machine: Uncovering the Secrets of Stonehenge, Noah's Flood and the Dawn of Civilization by Christopher Knight on 4 pages
- The Hidden Maya: A New Understanding of Maya Glyphs by Martin Brennan in Front Matter, Back Matter, and page
- Irish on the Inside: In Search of the Soul of Irish America by Tom Hayden in Back Matter
- The Galaxy on Earth: A Traveler's Guide to the Planet's Visionary Geography by Richard Leviton in Back Matter
- Sacred Sites of the Knights Templar by John K Young in Back Matter
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
