passage graves such as Dowth or Maes Howe in the Orkney
islands, off the coast of Scotland. Current-day visitors to Newgrange are
treated to a re-enactment of this event through the use of electric lights
situated within the tomb. The finale of a Newgrange tour results in every tour
member standing inside the tomb where the tour guide then turns off the lights,
and lights the light bulb simulating the sun as it would appear on the winter
solstice. Anyone visiting the historic site can experience an approximation of
the phenomenon any time of year, and is often the highlight of the tour. A
lottery is held annually for "tickets" to be allowed into the tomb to
view the actual event. The popularity of this event was the reason a lottery
was introduced, and also why the lights were installed.
Disrepair and
beaker settlement
During
the Late Neolithic, it appears that Newgrange was no longer being used by the
local population, who did not leave any artefacts in the passage tomb or bury
any of their dead there. As the archaeologist Michael O’Kelly stated, "by
2000 [BC] Newgrange was in decay and squatters were living around its
collapsing edge." These "squatters" were adherents of the Beaker
culture which had been imported from continental Europe, and made
Beaker-style pottery locally
