8. The Great Stone Circle (B) at Grange, Co. Limerick: A Ceremonial Space for All Seasons?
From the Ground to the Sky - Ten Years of Skyscape Archaeology - Fabio Silva
Frank Prendergast [+]
Dublin Institute of Technology
Frank Prendergast is an archaeologist, archaeoastronomer and geodetic surveyor who has written extensively about the prehistoric monuments in Ireland, with particular reference to the Irish passage tombs tradition. He is a Council member of the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC) as well as being a member of SEAC being instrumental in organising their conference ‘Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape’ and for which he was co-editor of the Proceedings. His forthcoming publications include 'An architectural perspective on structured sacred space - recent evidence from Iron Age Ireland' in F Silva and N Campion(eds.) Skyscapes in Archaeology (Oxbow, in press)and contributions in the forthcoming Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy edited by C L N Ruggles(Springer).
Description
Frank Prendergast considers the character of the stone circle in light of its morphology, landscape setting, ritual function and the broader role of the sky in the past. His approach takes the skyscape into account but concluded that, contrary to popular belief, there is little evidence to support a significant celestial alignment embedded in the design of this unique monument. However, he adds that one could not conclude that the people who built and used this stone circle did not find meaning or attribute a role to the sky.