Newgrange 26
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Newgrange

Newgrange: quartz and granite wall

tiompan T
tiompan Jul 20, 2016 13:22:39
Replying to CianMcLiam

The limits of where the quartz is predominant in the façade are K18 – K83 but it maintains the height of 3m all the way .

The quartz (was it only quartz ? the only mention I have seen says quartz /granite ) in front of K 79 extends the presence further around the mound but doesn’t contradict the O’Kelly findings of a decrease in volume which isn’t reflected in the reconstruction .
It is also problematic in terms of suggesting that it may have the result of a slip .
If only quartz we are back at the usual findings of quartz at monuments when there is no possibility of a wall , it doesn’t mean there was a 3m high near vertical revetment . Worth noting that the the quartz/granite layer was also found up against K 81 (not apparent in 0'Kelly 1982 but noted in O'Kelly 1983 ) more in keeping with the a platform ,and possibly a later one as there was nothing under collpased K96.

C CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Jul 21, 2016 09:26:10
Replying to tiompan

The talk by Gabriel Cooney was pretty much along the same lines as the 2006 paper, topped up with the new publication from Ann Lynch.

One interesting thing that came up was Muiris O'Sullivan found quartz wedged in between where a kerbstone had split from the top, so at Knockroe this quartz seems to have fallen from the cairn at some point. I knew Muiris had said before that he felt it had been on the cairn but wasn't aware of the particular findings that led to that belief.

He also said that while Ann Lynch's new dates from a cattle tooth and a bronze age flake under the quartz suggested it wasn't there until the Bronze Age, finds of grooved ware on top of the quartz during the O'Kelly campaigns conflicted with this.

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