BOSILIACK ENTRANCE GRAVE – WHERE THE SUN MEETS THE DEAD
Hidden among the prehistoric landscape of West Penwith, Cornwall, lies the small but remarkable Bosiliack Entrance Grave.
Dating to the Early Bronze Age, the monument is only around 5 metres across. Excavation in 1984 revealed cremated human bone, charcoal and pottery within its central chamber. Radiocarbon dating placed the cremated remains at approximately 1690–1500 BC.
But Bosiliack has another intriguing feature.
Its entrance passage is orientated towards the midwinter solstice sunrise. This means that at the shortest days of the year, the rising sun approaches the direction of the tomb's entrance, The starburst was created by my camera's lens aperture setting of f12.
Whether this alignment was deliberately connected with beliefs about the sun, death and renewal cannot be proved. But the positioning is striking, particularly when considered alongside other prehistoric monuments in West Penwith with solar orientations.
Imagine standing here more than 3,000 years ago, watching the first light of the returning winter sun appear over the ancient landscape.
Bosiliack wasn't simply a pile of stones — it was part of a carefully constructed prehistoric landscape where the living, the dead and the movements of the sun may have been deeply connected.
