Newgrange: Ancient Irish tomb not just for social elite
Burial at an ancient Irish passage tomb in County Meath may not have been confined to the social elite, according to a new research paper. It has long been believed that burial at the Newgrange tomb was the preserve of kings and other dignitaries, who represented a dynasty that practised incest.However, the new paper, published by researchers from University College Dublin (UCD), says this may not be the case. Associate Professor of archaeology Neil Carlin said suggestions of "an incestuous ruling elite in Stone Age Ireland did not match our understanding of society at this time, it did not fit the evidence very well."
The tomb is a Neolithic monument constructed by stone age farmers more than 5000 years ago in the Boyne Valley. It is also part of a network of several prehistoric monuments in an area which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No 'King' of Newgrange
"We now have some really great examples of monuments elsewhere in Europe that contain people with very close biological ties - parents, children, grandparents etc," said Associate Professor Jessica Smyth, also from UCD."This sort of aDNA (ancient DNA) evidence is much closer to the idea of a lineage or dynasty. We do not see this evidence in Irish passage tombs."The findings also claim that no other incestuous unions have been identified in Neolithic Ireland and Britain, and that there is a lack of evidence for inbreeding across prehistoric Europe.They also say the evidence found at the site does not support the existence of a 'King' of Newgrange or any hereditary power or dynasty with a shared ancestry."People were definitely being selected for burial in passage tombs - the whole community does not end up in these monuments. "However, we don't know the reasons behind this selection, and why they were thought to be special," said Ms Smyth."Unlike today, bodies don't tend to be buried 'whole' or 'intact' in this time period. Before they end up in megalithic monuments, bodies are broken down, sometimes cremated and even circulated around their communities."
Speaking to BBC News NI, Mr Carlin said some of the materials used to build the tomb came from "distant areas". "We have chemical signatures indicating that some of the burials in some of these passage tombs are coming from beyond the locality," he said."At Newgrange itself, we see the stones coming from as far away as 40 kilometres in and around Dundalk Bay."So, there are all these indications that this is not about biology or lineages, this is about people being chosen as representatives of their community."Newgrange was rediscovered in AD 1699 and its interior had been heavily disturbed prior to its modern excavation in the 1960s, according to the authors"Burnt and unburnt fragments from just five people were recovered from the 1960s excavations of the tomb," said Mr Carlin."Due to the high levels of disturbance in the centuries before that, we don't know if this number was originally much higher."
What is Newgrange?
Newgrange is part of a complex of monuments built along a bend of the River Boyne known collectively in the Irish language as Brú na Bóinne and the sites are managed by Ireland's Office of Public Works in partnership with the National Monuments Services of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.The tomb is a large kidney shaped mound covering an area of over one acre, retained at the base by 97 large kerbstones, some of which are decorated with megalithic art.The 19m (62ft) long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof.The site, which has been reconstructed, was originally constructed about 5,200 years ago (3,200 BC) which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza.Newgrange is also renowned for a winter solstice phenomenon where sunlight penetrates a passage and illuminates an inner chamber, indicating an ancient understanding of astronomy.The light travels 19m, from the roof box at the entrance through the passage and into the chamber.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Google scientist who slept with girl he first met when she was 13 avoids being struck off medical register
A Google scientist who slept with a girl he first met when she was just 13 has avoided being struck off the medical register. Dr Cian Hughes, a leading AI research scientist, first met the besotted schoolgirl when he was a 23-year-old fourth year medical student doing work experience at a hospital. The girl, who was 13 at the time, was admitted for treatment in 2011 and they formed a close relationship, in which he poured deep praise on her poetry skills and was even invited for sleepovers at her family home. They began a sexual relationship in 2015, when she was just 18 and he was 27 having just started working part time for Google DeepMind Health. They broke up in 2018. Hughes, now 37, is currently informatics lead at Google Health and one of the leading global experts on developing the use of Artificial Intelligence in medicine. He was reported to police in 2020 by the woman, now 27, and was quizzed by detectives. He was referred for a disciplinary hearing after no criminal proceedings were taken against him At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) Hughes, from Dublin, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct but escaped with a 12 months suspension - despite calls from the General Medical Council (GMC) for him to be struck off. This week the woman, known only as Patient A, and campaign groups criticised the decision as 'lax and light touch' and said Hughes should have lost his job. In a statement the patient said: 'The penalty feels very light touch and too lax for the impact he's had and the things he has done to me. My confidence in the medical profession is now pretty much non-existent. 'The reason I followed through with this for the last five years has been about making sure that other doctors don't do it to other patients. 'The age gap, my mental health at the time, the way we met, how much I trusted him and my naivety around relationships contributed to a very unhealthy power imbalance. The long-term consequences of his actions for me are potentially going to be lifelong. 'I had always said I wanted to give oral evidence but the process was victim hostile and didn't allow me to have a voice or even be treated as a victim by the MPTS.' The Manchester hearing was told Patient A, who was about to start her GCSEs, had been admitted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in March 2011 for an undisclosed procedure and Hughes - who was then studying medicine at the city's university - was allowed to observe and assist with the surgery. He subsequently visited her on the ward, forwarded her copies of her X-rays from his personal email and after she was discharged swapped emails with the girl over a two year period discussing school, University choices, and her ongoing treatment. During the exchanges Patient A sent Dr Hughes more than 50 poems which she had written asking for his feedback. She told him: 'Think you're probably the only medical person I know who doesn't seem to forget I'm still only 15 sometimes! 'I have to admit that I really miss having you around in meetings and surgical days (honestly I don't mind your cold stethoscope or big arrows) to translate the medical jargon, make me smile/laugh and realise that I'm not superhuman and get nervous about the prospect of future plans and surgery.' In response he said: 'I read your new poems and they are fantastic, you have a real talent. But I'm not sure if I would publish them. I think they are in some ways quite private and personal, once you publish something you can never take it back out of the public domain. 'If I were you I would keep writing and save them, then in the future you could always publish a retrospective selection. But that's just my thoughts, and I'm quite a private person.' He also gave her an iPod touch for Christmas. The girl moved schools to attend sixth form and was 17 when Hughes had completed his medical training and was working as a surgical trainee. In October 2014 he messaged Patient A and asked if she would be interested in a romantic relationship with him and they arranged to meet where they kissed. The hearing was told the relationship then continued with 'extensive messaging on a daily basis and of an increasingly personal and sexual nature.' Over Christmas that year he was invited to stay at Patient A's family home but caused annoyance when they kissed in front of her parents. They also exchanged Christmas presents, including green socks which became an 'in joke' between them. The girl would regularly visit Hughes' flat where they again kissed and engaged in some 'limited sexual activity.' They also sent messages to each other detailing sexual acts and fantasies which they described as 'daydreams'. In May 2015, Hughes attended Patient A's 18th birthday party having been invited by her parents and the following weekend the pair had sex on several occasions and even talked of marriage. But the relationship began to fizzle out and in 2018 he failed to respond to her emails. She reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police in June 2020 and Hughes was quizzed by police in April 2021 and provided a prepared statement. The investigation was closed with no criminal action taken. For the GMC Ms Colette Renton said: 'Patient A and Dr Hughes started communication when was not yet 14. It is hard to quantify the magnitude of the impression that Dr Hughes left on Patient A. 'She grew from an adolescent into a young adult with the constant influence of Dr Hughes over more than six years. Dr Hughes was a formative influence on her life and the abrupt end of the relationship was and continues to be devastating to Patient A. 'She was being placed in very adult situations when she lacked the maturity to be able to deal with the issues that arose.' Hughes, who is currently married, told the hearing: 'Receiving this complaint has been a very traumatic personal experience that has caused me to deeply reflect on my behaviours. I feel deeply personally responsible and sorry for how she feels about our relationship today.' For Hughes Ms Rebecca Harris said: 'Dr Hughes has apologised for the hurt and distress his actions have caused Patient A. 'He has accepted that he opened the door for the inappropriate communication but there can be no suggestion he selected Patient A when she was 13 as someone he wanted to a pursue a relationship with. 'When the relationship progressed Dr Hughes was a very young, naïve, inexperienced, emotionally immature doctor who got it very wrong indeed.' MPTS chairman Mr Duncan Ritchie said: 'Dr Hughes abused his professional position and entered into an improper relationship with a vulnerable patient who he had met in a professional capacity. 'However the Tribunal did not consider he exploited Patient A's vulnerability and the relationship had not developed during Dr Hughes' professional contact with Patient A - had this been the case, the misconduct would have been more serious.' Rebecca Cox, co-founder of campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, which has campaigned against sexual assault within the NHS, said: 'Sadly, this fits with a trend of sanction decisions that do not reflect the severity of the case or distress caused to victims. The MPTS repeatedly fail victims of sexual misconduct and violence.' And Prof Carrie Newlands, a consultant surgeon, and co-lead for the working party on sexual misconduct in surgery at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, said: 'This is yet another case of misconduct by a doctor against someone vulnerable with a significant power imbalance, and where despite the GMC recommending erasure, the MPTS have again given a lesser sanction.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Study casts doubt over theory that Stone Age Ireland was ruled by incestuous ‘god-kings'
Stone Age Ireland was likely not ruled over by incestuous 'god-kings' 5500 years ago, as previously thought, a team of archaeologists has found. A skull fragment unearthed in the tomb chamber of the Stone Age Newgrange monument was previously claimed to have come from a man who was the product of either a brother-sister or parent-child pairing. Coupled with the identification of remains from relatives of this man in other nearby tombs, researchers earlier theorised that incestuous elites ruled Neolithic Ireland. These elites were compared with royal dynasties or "god-kings" who practised incest in other parts of the world, such as the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and leaders of the Inca Empire. Now, a new study published in the journal Antiquity casts doubt on this earlier belief that the kings and other dignitaries unearthed here represented a dynasty that practised incest. Archaeologists from University College Dublin point out that no other incestuous unions have been identified in Neolithic Ireland and Britain, with a lack of evidence for inbreeding across prehistoric Europe. The Newgrange monument is older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, and is believed to have been built by a farming community that prospered in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, 5,000 years ago. Analysis of a skull fragment found in the monument, dating to between 3340BC and 3020 BC, revealed a rare case of incest, which led to widespread claims in 2020 that the individual was a high-status ruler, dubbed a 'god-king'. However, researchers now argue that there is no evidence yet found at the site suggesting the existence of a 'king' of Newgrange or any hereditary dynasty. 'People were definitely being selected for burial in passage tombs – the whole community does not end up in these monuments,' archaeologist Jessica Smyth said. 'However, we don't know the reasons behind this selection, and why they were thought to be special.' Researchers say the previous conclusions made in 2020 relied heavily on unsuitable comparisons with hierarchical societies where incest was limited to ruling families, such as in ancient Egypt, ignoring the possibility of incest in non-elite communities. 'A one-off example of incest is a shaky foundation on which to reconstruct an elite, let alone a specific social [hierarchy],' scientists wrote. The tombs clustered in the passages of Newgrange were most likely of people with distant biological relationships rather than close familial ties, researchers say. Based on this, scientists say the burial practices were not strictly determined by lineage. 'We now have some really great examples of monuments elsewhere in Europe that contain people with very close biological ties – parents, children, grandparents etc. This sort of aDNA (ancient DNA) evidence is much closer to the idea of a lineage or dynasty,' Dr Smyth said. 'We do not see this evidence in Irish passage tombs,' she explained. Archaeologists call for more studies to understand the social structures and activities of the communities that built and used the monument. '[It] doesn't make sense to continue to focus so exclusively on forms of stable, individual rule, in Neolithic Ireland and elsewhere, when the evidence is insufficient to support such claims,' researchers said. 'Doing so perpetuates the myth that only important individual males were socially active, and downplays the contribution made by collective action in the prehistoric past,' they added.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Newgrange: Ancient Irish tomb not just for social elite
Burial at an ancient Irish passage tomb in County Meath may not have been confined to the social elite, according to a new research paper. It has long been believed that burial at the Newgrange tomb was the preserve of kings and other dignitaries, who represented a dynasty that practised the new paper, published by researchers from University College Dublin (UCD), says this may not be the case. Associate Professor of archaeology Neil Carlin said suggestions of "an incestuous ruling elite in Stone Age Ireland did not match our understanding of society at this time, it did not fit the evidence very well." The tomb is a Neolithic monument constructed by stone age farmers more than 5000 years ago in the Boyne Valley. It is also part of a network of several prehistoric monuments in an area which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No 'King' of Newgrange "We now have some really great examples of monuments elsewhere in Europe that contain people with very close biological ties - parents, children, grandparents etc," said Associate Professor Jessica Smyth, also from UCD."This sort of aDNA (ancient DNA) evidence is much closer to the idea of a lineage or dynasty. We do not see this evidence in Irish passage tombs."The findings also claim that no other incestuous unions have been identified in Neolithic Ireland and Britain, and that there is a lack of evidence for inbreeding across prehistoric also say the evidence found at the site does not support the existence of a 'King' of Newgrange or any hereditary power or dynasty with a shared ancestry."People were definitely being selected for burial in passage tombs - the whole community does not end up in these monuments. "However, we don't know the reasons behind this selection, and why they were thought to be special," said Ms Smyth."Unlike today, bodies don't tend to be buried 'whole' or 'intact' in this time period. Before they end up in megalithic monuments, bodies are broken down, sometimes cremated and even circulated around their communities." Speaking to BBC News NI, Mr Carlin said some of the materials used to build the tomb came from "distant areas". "We have chemical signatures indicating that some of the burials in some of these passage tombs are coming from beyond the locality," he said."At Newgrange itself, we see the stones coming from as far away as 40 kilometres in and around Dundalk Bay."So, there are all these indications that this is not about biology or lineages, this is about people being chosen as representatives of their community."Newgrange was rediscovered in AD 1699 and its interior had been heavily disturbed prior to its modern excavation in the 1960s, according to the authors"Burnt and unburnt fragments from just five people were recovered from the 1960s excavations of the tomb," said Mr Carlin."Due to the high levels of disturbance in the centuries before that, we don't know if this number was originally much higher." What is Newgrange? Newgrange is part of a complex of monuments built along a bend of the River Boyne known collectively in the Irish language as Brú na Bóinne and the sites are managed by Ireland's Office of Public Works in partnership with the National Monuments Services of the Department of Housing, Local Government and tomb is a large kidney shaped mound covering an area of over one acre, retained at the base by 97 large kerbstones, some of which are decorated with megalithic 19m (62ft) long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled site, which has been reconstructed, was originally constructed about 5,200 years ago (3,200 BC) which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of is also renowned for a winter solstice phenomenon where sunlight penetrates a passage and illuminates an inner chamber, indicating an ancient understanding of light travels 19m, from the roof box at the entrance through the passage and into the chamber.
