The monastary ruins at Clonmacnoise and Monasterboice both have examples of high crosses from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. One of the crosses at Monasterboice was particularly intricate and engaging. The monks of the time carved Bible stories into it and used the cross to teach the stories to illiterate people. The details are fascinating and at the bottom there are even signs of the zodiac and one panel had several cats. Otherwise, it depicted Adam and Eve, David, and more. This cross is in a cemetery that surrounds the ruins and round tower. The old crosses and ruins set amid more recent graves has a certain poignancy.
We saw three neolithic sites today -- passage tombs that predate the pyramids. They were Newgrange, Knowth, and the Hill of Tara. Although there are no written records to help understand the meaning and purpose of these places and the artwork they contain, one thing is certain: the design and constrction of these places was done by people who were intelligent and observant. If they could design a structure that aligned with the sunrise (or sunset, as one place did) on a certain day of the year, they had more than a rudimentary grasp of solar patterns.
If I concentrate real hard, I can begin to sort out time periods from Neolithic to Bronze and Iron Ages to early Christian and Medieval times. Many sites contain pieces of numerous eras.
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