Ireland

My favourite of the week, I have to admit, is this lovely card of Newgrange. A friend of mine and I did a small archaeological research last year about a local site called Maklavun that is also known as "Istrian Newgrange" so this card is even more special for me. Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in the eastern Ireland, just about a kilometre away of the River Boyne. It was built during Neolithic, more precisely, about 3200 BC. Newgrange is in fact a large circular mound with a stone passageway and chambers inside. There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it has been speculated that it had religious significance – it is aligned with the rising sun and its light floods the chamber on the winter solstice (same happens with "Istrian Newgrange" I did the research about).

Various examples of abstract Neolithic rock art have been found at the site, one of which can also be seen on the postcard above. The meaning of the decoration has been speculated - some archaeologists believed them to be purely decorative, whilst others believed them to have some sort of symbolic purpose, because some of the carvings had been in places that would not have been visible. Many many many thanks to Anna!