Newgrange.com versus Neolithic Mound Case Study

(Anon, n.d.)

Our group is currently conducting a case study project on the majestic megalithic Neolithic burials mounds in Ireland,  specifically analyzing funerary significance of the construction of passage tombs, changes in ritual use of the mounds, and ritual surrounding the winter solstice  in relation to the tombs. We are creating a website to present the information we have found and in so doing, analyzed other sites' depiction of information of the mounds and related it to how our own website could be critiqued according to our grading rubric.  Links to part 1 and 2 to our group project rubric can be found at the following links.

 Neolithic Case Study Rubric Part 1

 Neolithic Case Study Rubric Part 2

Addressing of the main points, presentation, mechanics and clarity, research, and synthesis of information was considered in the Newgrange.com website, a UNESCO World Heritage resource website, as well as how it related to our own material.

The Newgrange website's main points, to give the public an introduction and background on the site and related mound passage tombs nearby, as well as current related projects, and inspire tourists to visit, were initially well addressed, supported with pertinent information. The layout, with multitudes of links to other pages with more information on the subject, however, began to overwhelm the viewer. The website made good use of different kinds of media, such as beautiful moody pictures, like the one below and links to videos, one of which can be found at the end of this post, without the media dominating the page and detracting from the information.

The Winter Solstice at Newgrange (Anon., n.d.)

The writing, for the most part, was clear and free of typos, although in some sections, such as those on the winter solstice and related pages, at times, it sounded superficial, playing to touristy commercialism. This may be due to the mainstream audience, which must be considered, as tourism can be a main money maker for an archaeological site. While the Newgrange website made use of good academic resources, such as archaeological books regarding the site by Michael O'Kelly and archaeological reports, as well as others. Unfortunately the website did not employ in-text citation or footnotes to indicate which sources the information came from. Newgrange.com, was a wealth of information, with one page easily transitioning to another, contributing to the main topics.

The Newgrange.com website demonstrated good ways to integrate media into our website, different ways of organizing our information into separate pages while maintaining cohesiveness, and how important in-text or footnote referencing is to validating information. The website also gave the reminder that too much information can take away from your message and to keep material condensed and centralized, not spread out into multitudes of adjoining pages.

How the Newgrange.com website Ranked according to our Rubric -
Thesis and Depth of information - 10 out of 10
Presentation - 4 out of 5
Mechanics and Clarity - 4 out of 5
Research - 5 out of 10
Synthesis of Information - 9 out of 10
Total   32 out of 40 = 80%


National Geographic video on Newgrange from Newgrange.com-

Newgrange ( n.d.). [online] Available at: http://www.newgrange.com/ [Accessed March 8, 2012]