The history of Keynes can be traced back to around 2500 BC, but people think that the site was used much earlier, and the date added later can be traced back to BC. In 2000 BC. The site has been used for more than 1000 years, and there is evidence that the community used it intermittently as a cemetery and ceremony center until 770 AD. Keynes himself has been identified as a tomb, but it was obviously built according to the arrangement of astronomy. Scholars Alwyn and Brinley Rees defined the meaning of sarcophagus:
A sarcophagus is a pile of stones erected on a grave or other places related to other worlds, such as a place where a person dies outdoors or where a coffin is parked. ( 188)
Even so, a stone tablet may represent the whole, especially the whole of a country and a collective nation, such as people in Ireland or Scotland, which have a large number of stone tablets. Scholar Reese discussed the importance of Irish Keynes:
Every honeycomb tomb in Greece is a symbol of the "navel" of the earth; Every stupa (cemetery) in India is the epitome of Mount Sumi, the center of the world. In Yorubaran, Leo Frobenius, an ethnologist, found some small clay worshippers, which consisted of a central cone representing the God of the world order, surrounded by four smaller cones representing the basic point God. Similarly, every mountain in Ireland represents the whole. ( 187- 188)
Similarly, people think that Klava Keynes represents the whole of Scotland, but what is more important is Scotland's specific position in the universe. According to Andis Kaulins of Megaliths.net, "Baal" means "Pole" and "Nualan" means "River of Light", thus connecting this place with the Milky Way, and designating Banalan as the center of celestial bodies, from which the ancients could draw stars. Furness-Nain Valley has 45 other stone tablets, which form a clear pattern corresponding to the planet, but this special place seems to have a special voice with people, which can be proved by the stone tablets built in the original state, which is different from other larger websites.
It used to be not only an observatory, but also the graveyard of the most famous members of the local community.
Scholars on this website agree that it used to be not only an observatory, but also the graveyard of the most prestigious members of the local community. Obviously, the sarcophagus was built to commemorate the dead, but it also commemorates the past of this season and provides a way for people to adjust their calendars. The tomb of the passage is aligned with the winter solstice, and the standing stones are also used for astronomical purposes. But at the same time, these monuments may have spiritual/religious purposes, because the physical evidence of their original luxury buildings and the ring and cup marks on the stones show this.
Keynes of Klava
The excavation of the site began in 1828 and continued from time to time until 1990. Professor Richard Bradley has done a lot of work recently. His book "Good Stone: A New Survey of Keynes in Klava" holds that Keynes's position is not only crucial for astronomical observation, but also important for communication between different communities. Different regions.
Located at the northeast end of the Grand Canyon in the Highlands of Scotland, this site was used by people when they traveled from northern Scotland to the south and west-it still is today. Therefore, Klava Keynes could easily become a meeting place for the tribes in the south. All they have to do is walk north along the Grand Canyon.
Kane in this location is designated as Northeast Kane, Central Kane and Southwest Kane. It is believed that there are at least two other stone tablets in the site that no longer exist. The northeast and southwest of Keynes are passage graves, and the entrance leads to the circular center. The central stone mound completely closed the circular space inside. According to the discovery of CE in11950s, the body may have been cremated here, and evidence of cremation and repeated fire was found.
There is also a fourth poorly preserved building on the site, called the kerb stone mound. Today, it is just a circle of stones near the central pile. Archaeological excavations in A.D. 1950 designated this stone ring as a cemetery, but no human remains were found, which is based on the similarity between the building and Milton's tomb in nearby Klava. The three stone tablets are surrounded by upright, slender and tall stones with slightly different colors.
Although these upright stones have no symbols, some of the stones that make up the stone tablet are engraved with rings and cups. Examples of mysterious circles carved on stones have been found in Britain and other places. No one knows what these circles symbolize to ancient sculptors, but these rock paintings seem to be made of stone tools or antlers.
It is possible-even possible-that the symbols of rings and cups symbolize an unknown trinity god or goddess, appearing in many parts of the Celtic world. These marks may also imply the journey of life, as symbolized by the spiral, which will reflect the structure of the passage grave, just like a maze.
Bradley's excavation
The tombs of the northeast and southwest passages excavated by Professor Bradley at 1990 and the rest of the site are examples of these carvings, but it is not known whether these carvings were carved on stones before or after they were in place. Professor Bradley concluded that the whole site was originally built in one stage, but this only shows that the stone and the sarcophagus were erected at the same time. It is not clear whether the ring cup mark was put in place before or after construction.
The excavation of the site found bone fragments, which showed that the site, like other sites, must be a cemetery. Bradley reports:
During the excavation, some cremated bone fragments were found on the surface of the platform [northeast stone pile], and more than 100 stone tools were recovered during the excavation, and soil micromorphology, pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating were carried out. (Bradley, 1, Historical Environmental Records)
However, it seems that this is the last resting place of a few people, not the cemetery of ordinary people. No complete skeleton remains were found at the scene. It is likely that only one person was buried in each sarcophagus, or there may be only one person at the whole scene.
It is speculated that according to the timely number found near Keynes, they were once decorated with white stones, which made them almost glow, indicating the importance of this site to ancient people. Professor Bradley showed that the gravel was originally used to help fix the larger stones in the stone mound, and then the gravel extended outward to the 1 1 boulder around the site. These smaller rocks and gravel, after the stones of the stone tablet are completely placed, are then spread out to form a flat platform between the structure and the boulder. In this way, together with the stone tablets covered in time, this site will be the most impressive.
Astronomical significance
Professor Alexander Tom finally showed in 1940s that the entrance of the passage tomb is directly aligned, corresponding to the standing stone and pointing to the setting position of the sun in winter. Keynes is now open to the sky, rising to a height of about five feet (1.5 meters), but there is evidence that they are much higher than the ruins we see today, perhaps at least ten feet (3 meters) high, and the inner chamber of each cave is surrounded by roofs.
On the solstice of winter, the sun shines directly into the room of the passage grave, illuminating the room that is in darkness for the rest of the year. In this regard, the history of Scotland observed:
[Northeast corner] is located in the winter solstice. In recent years, this phenomenon has been observed by covering rooms and passages with tarpaulins. This shows that on a clear day, the light of sunset spreads along the passage and divides the room into two halves. A bright light focused on the back wall. The same effect can also be seen in the mountainous areas in the southwest, where the scenery is blocked by modern farmhouses. (Scotland.gov.uk with a long history)
For the ancients, the Midwinter Solstice was regarded as a very important issue, because many early structures aligned with it had been discovered (for example, the famous Mesawi site in orkney Island and the NewGranci site in Ireland, just to mention two examples). Like more famous sites, Keynes in Klava is located in such an accurate location, which clearly shows the astronomical purpose when considering the model with other nearby sites. Scholars John and Julia Kay wrote:
It is noticed that a line passing through the tomb passage of the two passages points to a point on the horizon corresponding to the sunset in the middle of winter. This is unlikely to be accidental, although the importance and significance of alignment is a controversial issue. It seems that Keynes and the stone circles around him are also arranged with complex geometric accuracy, which shows the knowledge of practical mathematics and astronomy. ( 165)
The "controversy" mentioned by Keyes is the interpretation of the site by modern tourists, who often come to the conclusion suspiciously that this stone pier is just a pile of stones removed from the field by farmers. This explanation is untenable when people consider the construction accuracy of stone tombs, their astronomical arrangement and the ritual significance of physical evidence used for a long time in this site. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the stone tablet in Klava forms an identifiable pattern with other historical sites in this area, but it was built on a larger scale, which clearly shows that this site is much more important than other sites. Keith couple noticed:
Because Furness's other sarcophagus implies the regional culture of the Bronze Age, the burial mode of this culture is slightly different from other parts of Scotland. Clava type is very unique, although it combines the same elements found elsewhere-graves, passages, kerbs. ( 165)
The uniqueness of Klava's Keynes undoubtedly has specific significance, but its significance may be unknown. However, it is certain that these Keynes-like other Keynes in Scotland, Ireland, Britain and other places-were built as monuments closely related to memory.
Memory and Klava Keynes
Throughout the ages, people have maintained the vitality of the past through memories. The names and deeds of the dead were engraved on the tombs of ancient Mesopotamia, just like in Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. In fact, in ancient Greece, the commemoration of the dead ensured their survival in the afterlife, while in Egypt, graves were provided for the dead every day. In China and Tomb-Sweeping Day, it has been several centuries. People go to sweep graves on this day, and it continues to this day.
It is quite possible that Klava Keynes is an unforgettable place, no matter what other uses it has. The astronomical positioning of tombs and standing stones will not be separated from these structures, as a memorial to individuals, groups and events, or as a reminder of the essential changes of life and the eternal journey after death. Scholar Rodney castleton wrote:
Long-term memory is a characteristic of the Celtic community. Druids rely entirely on memory. They must devote themselves to their research. Julius Caesar pointed out that druidism "is said to be able to recite a lot of poems". They even refused to write to strengthen their dependence on memory. In Druidism, there is a deep and lasting connection between memory and nature. The earth itself is thought to remember everything; It witnessed history in a way that we can't fully understand. (447)
Anyone who has been to Ireland or Scotland knows the power and power of Celtic memory. According to these ideas, Keynes could have become a monument; Although what they commemorate is still uncertain. Rings and cup marks at the scene continue to challenge interpretation efforts-just as they have done elsewhere-but may mean mysterious concepts of the three laws, among which "multiplying images is a simple way to emphasize it" and "the most common way is to multiply images by 3" (Castleden, 459). In Celtic portraits, God is often depicted as a trio-just as in other places-but ring and cup-shaped symbols may also represent individuals, or the spiral concept may be depicted as a maze like Klava Keynes.
Labyrinth, whether in ancient Egypt or Greece, is related to the journey and afterlife of the deceased, but it is also related to the life before death and the complete journey. The choices people make in the maze either confuse and lead to depression and loss, or strengthen and lead to completion and realization. Castleton observed that "spiral is the simplest form of maze, and there is no choice but to travel." This is a single road, a road leading to the center and the rear "(467). There must be only one choice for Klava Keynes's passage grave, and symbols of rings and cups can be carved to emphasize the inherent life cycle nature of Celtic myths and legends.
In this view, nothing and anyone will die; Everything has changed and become something else. The seemingly linear path between life and death does not actually start with birth or end with death; Everything that dies will come back in some new form, or go on forever. Klava's stone tablet may be to emphasize this understanding and to commemorate those who have entered the next stage in their eternal journey.