the future Discovery of the “passage of the dead”

Archaeologists using Lidar lasers have discovered a collection of rare Neolithic remains hidden in farmland in Ireland. Some archaeologists believe that these structures were dedicated to the dead and were a path for collective mourning or the transfer of the dead to heaven.

A laser lidar survey has revealed hundreds of previously undiscovered prehistoric structures, including five rare ones located in patches of farmland in rural Ireland.

“Live Science” wrote about this new discovery: Archaeologists using laser “lidar” in which a plane flies overhead and a device sends laser vibrations to the ground, archaeologists found structures in “Wicklow” located in the east of Ireland. have discovered These vibrations hit objects and then bounce back, helping researchers to map the topography of the area.

The area studied by the researchers was inhabited during the Early Neolithic (starting around 3700 BC) and the Middle and Late Bronze Age (1400 to 800 BC).

Of course, according to a report published on the 25th of April 2024 in the journal “Antiquity”, evidence of human presence in the 2000-year gap between these two historical periods known as the “Middle Neolithic” period, until this discovery, It was rarely seen.

Despite years of agricultural activity that has damaged some of these ancient remains, Lidar surveys, 3D models of this site full of structures, including several rare historical structures, which are actually long, narrow, earthen, yet large sites. and were used for ritual purposes and are known as “Corsus” (a type of memorial structure in the Neolithic era), revealed.

James O'Driscoll, an archaeologist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, explained to Live Science: “I started exploring this site about 10 years ago as part of my doctoral studies and The initial idea was that the site was the site of the largest Bronze Age hill fort in Ireland. After various researches, we gradually came to the conclusion that in addition to the remains of the Bronze Age, there are also a large number of Neolithic remains. Around 2014, someone accidentally discovered one of these Corsos memorial structures, and after that, research was carried out with the help of Lidar.

This archaeologist said: “Research with laser lidar led to the discovery of four more cases of “Corsos”. That is why this is a very important discovery; Because we wouldn't expect it, because there are no Corsos memorial structures as a group in Ireland. “There may be about 10 in the UK, but in Ireland only about 20, and those were identified individually.”

Although most of these five structures are 150 to 200 meters long, the largest of them is 400 meters long.

Also, considering the fact that people created these structures in the period before the invention of the bulldozer, the construction of such memorial structures is very remarkable.

According to O'Driscoll, given that these structures were built in the Neolithic era, there were no metal tools at that time and people had to use wooden tools.

Archaeologists believe these structures may have been built for a variety of purposes, including those associated with “great solar events,” agriculture, and “passageways for the dead.” For example, four of these ancient structures were built towards the “summer solstice sunrise”.

“Although we don't know exactly what rituals were held there, the evidence suggests that these structures may have served as mass routes for Mourning or a path to transfer the dead to heaven have been used

This expert added: “These monuments help us to understand the way of life of these Neolithic people who were the first generation of farmers.”