Fascinating research, Claire. It amazes me that so many ancient customs had such similar tendencies or roots. The large standing stones remind me of Maya stela, and the alignment for solstices, so absolutely amazing. Of course, if the Polynesians could navigate by the skies, other ancient cultures must well have done the same. Great post! PS- do take care of that precious arm!
Thank you, Jeanine. Solstices and equinoxes and the sun, moon and stars were all so important to ancient peoples. Clearly, they were much more knowledgeable about their effects on winds, tides, the growth of plants, animals and the cycles of our lives than modern people are. Which makes it hard for archeologists to understand and interpret what they are seeing!
Thank you for thinking of my arm, too. The shoulder still hurts a bit, but I have a lot more movement in the arm than before, so progress is being made...
Great about the healing process. Re ancient peoples, I think you are correct so right. They must have had so much knowledge just to stay alive. And with no written history we’ll never know any more about them. Like with the Aboriginies / Australia— all their tales were spoken I saw on documentary. Of course, they go way back and can tell us how they talked story. Even in Hawaii the local Samoans know about their ancestors and the navigation by stars. There were only a handful of young boys willing to learn it 15 years ago. Sad. It had come down through ancestors— family things.
So many stories, traditions and languages are being lost as English and the digital world have taken over. It is very sad, but I'm not sure how it can be stopped. At least here in Ireland, many people are taking the learning of Irish more seriously.
That's good to hear, Clarice. I do remember, a bit along that theme, of a book you've possibly read titled "How the Irish Saved Civilization,” by Thomas Cahill. Apparently scribes in monasteries copied the remnants of classical knowledge that survived from the west when the Roman Empire fell. I haven’t read it for decades—but leave it to the Irish! It was a compelling read. I just googled to get the title right, and it was on the NYT best seller list for 2 years, 1995. So, preservationists for sure, the Irish! And I imagine oral histories are still very important in Ireland.
Oral stories are still important. The thing about the Irish language is that the English tried the best they could to obliterate it. Children in schools were beaten for speaking Irish, and over time the Irish themselves started to become ashamed of it. Only a few sections of the country--especially in rural areas along the west coast--managed to hold on and continued to speak Irish as a first language. These are called "gaeltacht" areas, and I live in one of them. At least the Irish in recent times have made a concerted effort to protect the language and encourage people to learn it again. (It's required in schools.)
What a lot of interesting structures all condensed in the circular area over the years. I've never heard of a Crannog before and it would be fun to learn more about them. At least you had a "fine day" to visit it all!
Fascinating! And what great photos. Reading this is like taking a lovely stroll through the Irish countryside of centuries past. And enjoying the "fine" weather!
Fascinating research, Claire. It amazes me that so many ancient customs had such similar tendencies or roots. The large standing stones remind me of Maya stela, and the alignment for solstices, so absolutely amazing. Of course, if the Polynesians could navigate by the skies, other ancient cultures must well have done the same. Great post! PS- do take care of that precious arm!
Thank you, Jeanine. Solstices and equinoxes and the sun, moon and stars were all so important to ancient peoples. Clearly, they were much more knowledgeable about their effects on winds, tides, the growth of plants, animals and the cycles of our lives than modern people are. Which makes it hard for archeologists to understand and interpret what they are seeing!
Thank you for thinking of my arm, too. The shoulder still hurts a bit, but I have a lot more movement in the arm than before, so progress is being made...
Great about the healing process. Re ancient peoples, I think you are correct so right. They must have had so much knowledge just to stay alive. And with no written history we’ll never know any more about them. Like with the Aboriginies / Australia— all their tales were spoken I saw on documentary. Of course, they go way back and can tell us how they talked story. Even in Hawaii the local Samoans know about their ancestors and the navigation by stars. There were only a handful of young boys willing to learn it 15 years ago. Sad. It had come down through ancestors— family things.
So many stories, traditions and languages are being lost as English and the digital world have taken over. It is very sad, but I'm not sure how it can be stopped. At least here in Ireland, many people are taking the learning of Irish more seriously.
That's good to hear, Clarice. I do remember, a bit along that theme, of a book you've possibly read titled "How the Irish Saved Civilization,” by Thomas Cahill. Apparently scribes in monasteries copied the remnants of classical knowledge that survived from the west when the Roman Empire fell. I haven’t read it for decades—but leave it to the Irish! It was a compelling read. I just googled to get the title right, and it was on the NYT best seller list for 2 years, 1995. So, preservationists for sure, the Irish! And I imagine oral histories are still very important in Ireland.
Oral stories are still important. The thing about the Irish language is that the English tried the best they could to obliterate it. Children in schools were beaten for speaking Irish, and over time the Irish themselves started to become ashamed of it. Only a few sections of the country--especially in rural areas along the west coast--managed to hold on and continued to speak Irish as a first language. These are called "gaeltacht" areas, and I live in one of them. At least the Irish in recent times have made a concerted effort to protect the language and encourage people to learn it again. (It's required in schools.)
It’s so heartbreaking to hear those stories. Only in recent decades has Mayan language usage not been vilified in Guatemala.
What a lot of interesting structures all condensed in the circular area over the years. I've never heard of a Crannog before and it would be fun to learn more about them. At least you had a "fine day" to visit it all!
That's true!
The pics make it look like a lovely walk.
It is!
Excellent well organized post. Thank you!
Thank you, David!
Fascinating! And what great photos. Reading this is like taking a lovely stroll through the Irish countryside of centuries past. And enjoying the "fine" weather!