Sunset at Maeshowe, Orkney on a near winter solstice day (winter solstice is in Dec. 22nd, 2007). The still pictures were taken (with permission) from the webcam of Charles Tait: http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/ This project started 10 years ago (December 11th, 1997) as an initiave of Victor Reijs and Charles Tait; with the help of Historic Scotland and many others supporters: http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/maeshowe/

A day in and around Maeshowe, Orkney, Scotland

A documentary film that accompanied my Senior thesis paper on 'Maeshowe', a Neolithic chambered cairn in the Orkneys. Divided into part 1 and part 2.

The reappearing sunlight on December 1st, 1998. The first ever videotaped event.

Part 2 of the documentary film.

The sunset at Maeshowe.

Reappearing sunlight at Maeshowe. There are some clouds in the sky, so once in a while the sunlight is gone due to clouds, but the reappearing is clearly seen at 15:26 GMT (the BST should have been GMT!).

The sunset at Maeshowe.

Exiting the Neolithic Tomb of Maeshowe on Orkney

Impulse responce recorded at Maeshowe, Orkney

Clip of Marissa live at the GreenMan festival

History Channel series "Lost Worlds" features the Pagans of The Orkney Islands. Locations: Tomb of the Eagles and Maeshowe.

For my archaeoastonomy research, a compilation has been made of the OPW internet stream (and also broadcasted by TV3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiULQncpBM ) on December 21st, 2007: http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Solstice2007/ What I did is the following to make it similar presentation* as the webcam at Maeshowe (http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/maeshowe/ ); from the internet stream four separate picture cues were taken, each produced by a different OPW camera: . on the top of Newgrange cairn looking towards the rising sun* . at the middle of the passage looking towards the exit/entrance . in the centre recess [near the ground] looking towards the exit/entrance* and . at the chamber ceiling looking towards the chamber ground*. Other picture cues were present, but these were deleted. Some more information about Newgrange (and plans): http://www.iol.ie/~geniet/eng/newgrang.htm These four picture cues are presented as picture in picture; this reduces the live broadcast from 45 minutes to some 6 minutes. The OPW broadcast was in memory of the witnessing of the sun light through the lightbox at Newgrange 40 jaars ago (1967) by Prof. Michael O'Kelly. The sun light gets into the chamber at 8:58 and around 9:15 GMT no light is in the chamber anymore. OPW is condoning this composite video on YouTube (I got their acknowledgement).

This part features Maeshowe, The Ring of Brogar, The Stones of Stennes and Dunnideer.

The Universe is Within part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

Some views of Orkney from the air

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6kxRLc1yY

This is a re mix of an old favorite. The sound quality is much better as with the photos. I hate to get rid of the old version of this video and lose all the wonderful comments but it has to be done. Enjoy! A stone row or stone alignment is a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones set at intervals along a common axis or series of axes, usually dating from the later Neolithic or Bronze Age.Rows may be individual or grouped, and three or more stones alined can constitute a stone row. "Alignement", a French word , has been used to identify standing stones rows of long 'processional' avenue.Stone rows differ from a prehistoric avenue, in that the stones are always in a broadly straight line rather than following a more curving route. Stone rows can be few metres or several kilometres in length and made from stones that can be as tall as 2m, although 1m high stones are more common. The terminals of many rows have the largest stones and other megalithic features are sometimes sited at the ends, especially burial cairns. The stones are placed at intervals and may vary in height along the sequence, to provide a gradated appearance, though it is not known whether this was done deliberately. Stone rows were erected by the later Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples in the British Isles, parts of Scandinavia and northern France. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. The fortification usually follows the contours of the hill, consisting of one or more lines of earthworks, with stockades or defensive walls, and external ditches. Burial Mounds, Barrows, Cairn A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn.The method of inhumation may involve a dolmen, a cist, a mortuary enclosure, a mortuary house or a chamber tomb. Examples of barrows include Duggleby Howe and Maeshowe.Archaeologists often classify tumuli according to their location, form, and date of construction. A Stone Circle is an ancient monument. Such a monument is not always precisely circular and often forms an ellipse, or a setting of four stones laid on an arc of a circle. The number of stones can vary between four and 60[1] purposely erected standing stones, and often contain burial pits or chambers. A stone circle is different from a henge or isolated monolith, although each of these features is often encountered in a single location. Earlier features, such as the Goseck circle in Saxony-Anhalt, may have served similar religious/calendrical/astronomical purposes, though probably at a much earlier epoch. Stone circles usually date from the late Neolithic / early Bronze Age, that is, c.3000-1500 B.C. Archaeological evidence, coupled with information from astronomy, geology and mathematics[citation needed], suggests that the purpose of stone circles was connected with prehistoric peoples' beliefs, and their construction can be used to infer about ancient engineering, social organisation, and religion. Their precise function will always be open to debate, but a practical purpose could exist in the form of use as astronomical marker points for use in determining calendar-related event timings, and usable methodologies have been suggested. A Henge is a prehistoric architectural structure and is nearly circular or oval-shaped flat area over 20 metres (65 feet) in diameter that is enclosed and delimited by a boundary earthwork that usually comprises a ditch with an external bank. The earthwork permits access to the interior by one, two, or four entrances. Internal components may include portal settings, timber circles, post rings, stone circles, four-stone settings, monoliths, standing posts, pits, coves, post alignments, stone alignments, burials, central mounds, and stakeholes (English Heritage definition). A dolmen (also known as cromlech, anta, Hünengrab, Hunebed, quoit, and portal dolmen) is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones (megaliths) supporting a large flat horizontal capstone (table). Most date from the early Neolithic period (4000 to 3000 BC). Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow, though in many cases that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone "skeleton" of the burial mound intact. "Dolmen" originates from the expression taol maen, which means "stone table" in Breton, and was first used archaeologically by Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne.

The Universe is Within part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zhynK8Frc part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3RfMx0ajiw part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzEE6D-_vw part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO717nM6Mq8 part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiA6leYHk5c part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeii3sqHk3s

Marissa updates an old song in some style

video clip