#2 The Oracle Chamber
This chamber is beneath a dirt mound which sits upon the massive stone roof.
The picture above shows the a well lit oracle chamber. Because the chamber is layed out in the shape of a Y, there is no way to photograph the whole area at once.
We will show you both legs of the Y's pathways. In the picture above the white light is one leg of the Y and the red light marks the other leg/path.
This chamber has a chimney with louvers, it has a stone bed fashioned into the wall, many nooks or shelves we call altars, a high corbeled ceiling, small channels carved into the stone floor, an incredible drain that runs 42 feet underground to the outside, a carving of a horse or deer and a six foot stone shaft.
We refer to the six foot stone shaft as a "body chamber."
In the photo below, we are crouched in the very back of the first leg of the chamber's Y (it would be in the white light area of the photo to the left).
Behind us, there is a thick stone shelf where fires were built and above, in the ceiling, there are stone louvers that could control the ventilation. It is extreemly cold inside this chamber and experiments have shown that this chamber could quickly be heated to 80 degrees by building a small fire.
The photo below gives you a more detailed view of the area we have marked as "oracle altar." This area is one of the most important within the Oracle Chamber.
Beginning at the top of this photo, we find the opening for the speaking tube. It is here that Oracle would stand and speak. The Oracle's words would be carried up through the voice tube and exit to the outside just below the huge altar stone (see #8 in the legend).
Finally the area we have marked as "body tube" or the "secret bed," you will find an opening in the side of this wall that is just big enough to slide a person side. Once inside, that person cannot roll or turn, and any movement would be greatly restricted. It is believed that this area in the Oracle Chamber was used as a sacred stone bed and quite possibly for mediative or trance purposes.
The second leg of the Y with in the Oracle Chamber slopes downward and is where the drain is carved into the floor as it drain into a tube opening below the altar #2.
The drain from this chamber runs through six feet of stone wall and exits beneath a large grooved stone outside the dirt mound that is on top of this chamber. It is the discovery of the drain that lead research to the realization that this was to be the first oracle chamber discovered in North America.
These types of chambers are primarily found in the Mediterranean lands. It is known that they were used for religious purposes, though what those purposes are is not agreed upon.
In the photo above, the area to the right of the altar #2 is now an open doorway. It is believed to have originally been closed off or at most housed a small window type opening.
The Deer/Stag/Horse Carving
As compared to another Celtic horse. We helped out with the image above by adding some line to make it easier to see the animal's shape.
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Celtic
Horse
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