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Archaeo-astronomy: (Prehistoric
astronomers)
For a long time,
the scientific establishment had shown a resistance and even disregard to the idea of
astronomy having been practiced in prehistory. Thankfully, the question of
whether astronomy was practiced is now beyond debate, and the doors are now
open for us to discover the extent of this important part of our past.
The earliest suggestion of an
astronomical record have been suggested in the shape of notched bones, a
finding which A. Marshak and others have interpreted as Palaeolithic lunar counts.
While this theory is by no means substantiated, there are several
ancient structures which have a clear astronomical nature in their
design. The high frequency of association between megaliths and
astronomy suggests an mutual relationship.
A Chronology of Ancient Astronomers:
The first suggestions of human
astronomical observations come from the Palaeolithic period.
35,000 - 33,000 BC
- Decorated baboon fibula with 29 parallel incised notches from Kwazulu
border cave, Africa. (4)
'The oldest image of
a star pattern, that of the famous constellation of Orion, has
been recognised on an ivory tablet some 32,500 years old'.
(BBC - Science/nature)
32,000
BC - Lunar notations
found on remains in W. Siberia.
(Ref: Science CXLVI, Nov 6, 1964).
22,000 BC
- Artefacts to record the solar year and phases of the moon from Ma'alta,
Siberia. (4)
The 'fertility goddess /
mother-earth' figure from Loussel, near Eyzles in France -
(right), holds a crescent-conch shape with 13-lines on it. It has
been suggested that the 13 lines refer to the 13 lunar cycles each
year.
Refer to Alexander Marshak for further
examples.
 
These two images from Lascaux, France are
suggested as showing Pleiades (left), and a lunar count (right).
(Bibliography
of Research Literature on Palaeolithic Notation)
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9,000 -
8,000 BC - Bone plaque with lunar notations from Grotte Dutai,
W. France. (4)
 7,180 -
6,140 BC: Stonhenge, England. - C-14 dates for the 'car park' post holes 250m NW of
Stonehenge circle.
Each once contained a Pine trunk (1.5-2m Diameter),
which align to the positions of the sun and moon with 'extreme
accuracy'.
(5) The presence of these
huge 'Totem'
trunks are often ignored in relation to Stonehenge, but their
existence several thousand years before the stone circle suggests
a significance even at this early time and certainly raises
questions about whether this particular location was deliberately
chosen due to it's astronomical relevance
(At the latitude of
Stonehenge, the sun and moon have their maximum declinations at
right angles to each other).
(More about Stonehenge)
6,850 BC - Tumulus of St. Michael, Carnac - Orientated
east-west. One of seven large tumulus on the Carnac
landscape. The tumulus at Carnac contain burial deposits in sealed
cysts including several large hordes of finely polished axe-heads,
some of extraordinary size, (presumably ceremonial rather than
functional).
The Tumulus was
positioned so that small islands to the east and west could be
used as cardinal marker-points.
(More
about St. Michael)
6,500 BC - Engraved bone with lunar notations from
Ishango, Congo. (4)
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4,500 BC -
France: The
Kerkado passage mound aligned to midwinter sunrise.
Lunar observations at
the original Morbihan,
monument as determined by Prof.
A. Thom.
Also aligned to midsummer sunrise through
the rectangular 'Crucuno'
enclosure which encompasses a 3:4:5 triangle,
with the east - west sides aligned to the
equinox sunrise and sunset, and perhaps more importantly, the
diagonals being aligned to both the solstice sunrise and sunset positions,
a feature similar to the four 'station-stones' at
Stonehenge.
(More about Megalithic
Quadrangles)
4,000 BC - The Sumerians:
(Shumer- 'Shem' - 'points to sky',
'pointed stone marker'),
The Sumerians were one of the first civilisations
to record their observations, and their fascination resulted in
the basis for much of modern astronomy today.
They recorded the sun at the centre of a system surrounded by
several planets. They
considered the New-year to begin at the exact moment when the Sun
crossed the spring equinox.
The 25,000 texts devoted to Astronomy and Astrology found in the
ruins if the Nineveh library of
Ashurbanipal
bear
witness to the Sumerian fascination with the motions of the
celestial sphere.
|
Sumerian |
Translation |
Modern Name |
|
GU.AN.NA
MASH.TAB.BA
DUB
UR.GULA
AB.SIN
ZI.BA.AN.NA
GIR.TAB
PA.BIL (Archer)
SUHUR.MASH
GU
SIM.MAH
KU.MAL
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Heavenly Bull
Twins
Pincers, Tongs
Lion
Her father was Sin
Heavenly Fate
Which claws and cuts
Defender
Goat-Fish
Lord of the waters
Fishes
Field dweller
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Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Aries
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The Sumerians called the twelve
major zodiacal constellations the 'Shiny herd'.
The Sumerians were the first to divide both space and time by
units of six. The modern division of the year into 12 months, the
24 hours of each day, the division of hours into 60 minutes and 60
seconds, and the divisions of the circle/sphere by 360 degrees,
each composed of 60 minutes and 60 seconds of an arc, are all
Sumerian developments. This same division by units of six has been
observed at several of prominent British megaliths.
Aubrey Burl said of it:
'From
Brodgar, where there was
once 60 stones, to the Stripple stones with a probable thirty, the
builders may have counted in multiples of six. Stennes had twelve. The
inner and outer rings at Balfarg have been computed at twenty-four and
twelve respectively. Twenty-four has been suggested for Cairnpappel,
thirty-six for
Arbor Low, and the same number for the devils quoits'.
(3)
Sumerian seal (VA/243).
State museum, East Berlin. (23).
Whichever planets this
image was
intended
to represent, the smaller 'planets' certainly appear to be
surrounding the larger, sun-like object in the centre.
( More
about Sumeria)
3,500 - 3,000 BC - Malta.
Temples orientated
to astronomically significant moments of the solar and lunar cycle
(see Mnajdra). Discovery of pottery
with astronomical marking on. (see below).
(More
about prehistoric Malta)
3 ,300 BC -
Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland - The
Newgrange
passage is aligned to midwinter sunrise.
Knowth and
Dowth passage
mounds similarly aligned and orientated towards important solar
and lunar events creating an observatory capable of calculating
both cycles accurately.
(More about the Boyne Valley)
3,300 BC -
Lochmariaquer, France - Several
monuments in the Carnac area dismantled and re-used for new
constructions. The original monuments were built around 4,500 BC.
It is suspected that at this time, the new monuments were designed
with a solar emphasis , in contrast to the earlier lunar monuments
at Lochmariaquer.
(More about Lochmariaquer)
3,200 BC
-
Stonehenge, England
- The henge
and 56 'Aubrey holes' were placed. (Lunar alignment only).
Each of the 56 'Aubrey holes' had a fragment of Bluestone buried
in it. It is suggested that these 56 holes were used to
calculate the Metonic
cycle of 18.6 years (3 x 18.6 = 55.8). The same system can be used
to calculate tidal motions (based on lunar activity), eclipses,
and ultimately to synchronise the movements of the sun and moon.
(More about Stonehenge)
29th June 3123 BC - A Sumerian clay
tablet has been translated which records an asteroid approach on
collision course is documented by a Sumerian astronomer (the
collision occurred near modern Koefel, Austria). (1)
3,114 BC
(Aug 13) - The Mayan 'long count' begins.
The great cycle was believed to last for 13 baktuns - 1,872,000
days. The present cycle comes to an end on 21st December 2012 AD.
The
Mayans used two calendars with each day having two names, the
first a repeating cycle of 260 days, called a 'tzolkin', and the
second a 'vague' year of 365 days called a 'haab'. The year was
composed of 360 days divided into 18 months of 20 days each plus a
short month of 5 extra days and the intercalary days. Using the
dual calendar system, any specific combination of day names did
not occur for a period of 52 'vague' years (52 x 365 = 18,980 = 73
x 260). The 5+ intercalcular days were considered unlucky. The
'Dresden codex' contains tables for the prediction of eclipses.
3,000 BC - The Giza Complex, Egypt. This
fantastic and enigmatic site has several
fundamental astronomical features, in particular - the orientation of the
pyramids themselves, the polar-shafts in each
pyramid, cut to face the pole-star at the time of construction.
The 'Star-shafts' in Khufu's pyramid, said to align to both Orion
and Sirius, and not forgetting of course the majestic sphinx, which
sits facing the rising sun on the solstices.
According to radio-carbon dating at Giza, the major constructions
begin at the Giza complex at
around this time:
(Radio-carbon dating at
Giza).
2,800 - 2,500 BC
- Metsamor, in
Turkey shows evidence of astronomy and the first ever zodiacal division of
the heavens into 12 equal parts.
2,400 BC - The canons of the Chinese emperor
say, 'In the lifetime of Yao,
the sun did not set for ten full days
and
the entire land was flooded (by an immense wave), that reached the
sky'.
2,137 BC - (April 26) - Two official astrologers of Emperor Chung Kang, who
were paid mainly to predict eclipses so that the population could
be told in advance not to panic, got stone drunk on rice wine on
this day and forgot to give the warning. Neither could they, as
custom required, stand up and shoot arrows at the monster
devouring the sun. So the culprits were decapitated on the spot,
and since then Chinese astrologers drink nothing but water when
eclipses are expected. (13)
2,000 BC -
Callanish,
In the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. An avenue of stones
points to Mount Clisham, where the midsummer moon-set occurs from
Callanish. Because the complex lies only 1.3 degrees south of the
Arctic latitude for the moon, so that ancient observers would have been
able to see the moon appearing to stand still about one degree
above the horizon. This 18.6 year cycle is the same as that
recorded at Stonehenge. Both avenues of stones allowed ancient
astronomers to observe what is called the 'moon's wobble', a small
amplitude ripple of the moons declination at extreme positions. It
is possibly significant that with both sites having key
observation stones with similar geometry, and with Callanish
situated at a latitude where the moon appears to skim the horizon,
while at Stonehenge, the extreme positions of the moon appear at
right angles to the Sun; it makes Earth's curvature obvious and
from that the calculations necessary to determine its size. (9).
The Star Chart at Thebes. - Shows the Goddess 'Nut' surrounded by the
12 signs of the Zodiac. It also depicts the 12 hours of the day
and night. The top portrays the Planets Mercury and Venus side by
side with the sun. Earth, Moon and Jupiter sit in their barques on
the left. The right side shows the planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
and Pluto in their correct sequences. Above the head of the
Goddess is an extra planet with a large trajectory.
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Greek Astronomy to Present: |
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4th Cent BC - A belief existed at the
time of Aristotle that a comet had once joined the solar
system as a planet. This theory was later expanded by Velikovsky,
who believed the story to be a reference to the appearance of
Venus.
3rd Cent BC - Aristarchus
of Samos suggests that the motions of the heavenly bodies could
better be explained if the Sun - and not the Earth - was in the
centre.
2nd
Cent BC - Hipparchus,
who lived in Asia Minor, discussed 'the displacement of the
solstice and equinoctial signs'. (23) A clear reference to the
phenomena called the
precession of the equinoxes, which some people suggest was
understood a long time before this.
1st
Cent BC - Diodorus
Siculus,
the historian, states that...'the Chaldeans named the
planets…in the centre of their system was the Sun, the greatest
light, of which the planets were offspring'. (23).
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The fossilised Astrolabe.
 83 BC -
A Mechanical device for working out the
motions of the sun, moon and planets
(based on number and relationship of over 30 gears).
Found underwater off Antikythera Island, Greece, 1901 (Current
Location:
National museum, Athens). Examined by Derek De Solla Price with
x-ray. It is made of different metal alloys with 1/10 mm precision
teeth.
Ref: (Readers digest into the unknown, 1981. ISBN 0-89577-098-9
(+13)
(More about
the Antikythera Mechanism) |
2nd
Cent AD - Ptolemy
in Alexandria states categorically that the Sun, Moon and five
planets rotated around the Earth. A belief that lingers for over
1000 years.
c.
900 AD. Chaco canyon
- (The 'Sun
dagger')
 In what is now the state of New Mexico
in an area known as Chaco Canyon are the remains of an elaborate
development of the Anasazi people who lived in the region from about 500
to 1300 AD. Some 120 meters (400 feet) above the canyon floor near the
top of an outcropping known as Fajada Butte, three slabs of sandstone
are leaning against a rock wall creating a shaded space. Carved into
this shaded wall are two spiral petroglyphs, one large and one small.
Sunlight passes over them at various times throughout the year as it
streams through chinks between the sandstone, but it was not until the
1970s that their true purpose was literally illumined.
(More about the
Chaco-canyon sun-dagger)
1543 AD -
Nicolaus Copernicus
suggests / re-discovers that the we are part of a Heliocentric system.
(23).
(Return to the top) |
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Astronomy and the European Megaliths: |
For
a long time, megaliths were considered to have had primarily
funerary purposes, which is reflected in the names given them
such as 'Chamber tombs', 'Burial-mounds', 'Passage graves',
'Gallery graves' etc. This assumption is now in doubt...
 The idea that
pre-historic people might have been knowledgeable in the field
of astronomy is still received with the greatest of caution.
However, the accurate astronomical orientation of so many
ancient megaliths leaves no doubt as to the importance of
astronomy to the builders.
Sir N. Lockyer pioneered many fields of research, one of which
was the idea of astronomically aligned ancient megaliths and
temples. His realisation that many temples showed several
different adjustments to their alignments, with records to date
the changes, ultimately leading to the creation of the field of
science which we now know as archaeo-astronomy.
Astronomy at Stonehenge.
One of the
strongest pieces of evidence in favour of Stonehenge serving an
astronomic purpose is the location of the site itself, as it is
along this latitude at which the sun and the moon have their
maximum declinations at right angles to each other ,
in addition to which
the latitude of Stonehenge (51°
10' N), is one of only two latitudes in the world at which the full moon
passes directly overhead on the maximum zenith. The
other (38°
33′ N),
is perhaps coincidentally on the
same as the latitude of the oldest stone-circle in Europe, at
Almendres in Portugal.
In
addition:
"Analysis
of the positions of these fifty-three post holes, in eleven rows
of six, which were discovered by Colonel Hawley, has offered
convincing evidence that, even during the first phase, it was
being used for precise and constant observation and the recording
of the extreme northerly risings for a hundred years or more".
(Extract From:
'Stonehenge and It's Mysteries', by Sir Fred Hoyle).
The 56 Aubrey
holes were suggested by Prof. G. Hawkins, to have been used for
calculating the phases of the moon and also for predicting the
month of the year in which eclipses would take place. The same
design can also be used to predict the tides and is one of the
many facts which combine to suggest that Stonehenge was an
'instrument' designed to calculate astronomical cycles. (3)
Although
the orientation of the 'Avenue' is commonly believed to be in line
with the summer solstice, there are indications that the
orientation was originally lunar...
Extract from Burl
- 'The heel-stone is popularly thought to stand in line with the
midsummer sunrise but it does not and never did...astronomical analysis
has shown instead that the stone is in-line with rising of the moon
halfway between its northern minor and major positions' (11).
The angle of orientation of both the 'Avenue' and the geometry of the
'Station-stones', mirror the sites latitude of
51° 10' N.
(More about Stonehenge)
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Maltese Astronomers.
3,500 - 3,000 BC - Malta. Temples orientated
to astronomically significant moments of the solar and lunar cycle
(see Mnajdra). Discovery of pottery
with astronomical marking on. (see below).
Stones From Hagar-Qim
(left), and Tal Qadi (right). Both apparently astronomical in
nature.
(More about Malta)
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The Boyne Valley Complex.
3 ,300 BC -
Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland - The
Newgrange
passage is aligned to midwinter sunrise.
Knowth and
Dowth passage
mounds similarly aligned and orientated towards important solar
and lunar events creating an observatory capable of calculating
both cycles accurately.
The
Boyne-Valley Complex incorporates several important lunar and
solar orientations.
BBC News Article:
Thursday, 22 April, 1999
A map of the Moon 10-times older than anything
known before has been claimed to be found carved into stone at one of Ireland's
most ancient and mysterious Neolithic sites.
It has been identified by Dr Philip Stooke, of
the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He spends most of his
time preparing maps of asteroids based on spacecraft observations,
but he has also prepared detailed maps of the Moon.
What puzzled him greatly was that there was no
recorded map of the Moon older than about 500 years. "I simply
could not believe this," he told BBC News Online. "I felt there
just had to be an older map somewhere."
So he began looking in old manuscripts and
history books as well as in the records of excavations of the
Neolithic sites on the British Isles.
Then he found one. It took the eye of an expert
to see it for what it was. It was carved into a rock in one of
Ireland's most remarkable prehistoric tombs at Knowth, County
Meath.
"I was amazed when I saw it. Place the markings
over a picture of the full Moon and you will see that they line
up. It is without doubt a map of the Moon, the most ancient one
ever found," said Dr Stooke.
"It's all there in the carving. You can see the
overall pattern of the lunar features, from features such as Mare
Humorun through to Mare Crisium."
Before this discovery, the oldest known map of
the Moon was by Leonardo da Vinci, drawn about 1505. The Knowth
map is 10-times older. Knowth is already a major focus of research
into understanding prehistoric man. Now, it will become one of the
most important scientific sites in the world.
"The people who carved this Moon map were the
first scientists," said Dr Stooke. "They knew a great deal about
the motion of the Moon. They were not primitive at all."
The passage tomb at Knowth is estimated to be
about 5,000 years old. It was obviously built by men who had a
sophisticated understanding of the motions of the Sun, Moon and
stars.
It is known that many stone circles and ancient
tombs are aligned with the Sun but less attention has been paid to
possible lunar alignments. This is despite the fact that at
certain times the Moon can rise or set at any location on the
horizon that the Sun can.
Investigations at Knowth almost 20 years ago
showed that at certain times moonlight could shine down the
eastern passage of the tomb. Remarkably, the moonlight would also fall on
the Neolithic lunar map.
During excavations, the stone in question was
named Orthostat 47. Its right-hand section contains a series of
arcs.
The circular limb of the moon is not included
in the carving. Dr Stooke believes that it may have been drawn on
the rock with chalk or with coloured paint.
(Ref:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/325290.stm)
The Boyne Valley engravings - It is
important to realise that while the Boyne valley (Knowth in
particular), has one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric art
in Europe - none of it is anthropomorphic. The Boyne Valley art is
clearly geometric in nature, it is composed of spirals, zig-zags,
lozenges and various other geometric shapes. It has been noted before
that although there are only a handful of engraved kerb-stones at
Newgrange, they all conform with astronomically significant
alignments.
Knowth Kerbstone (Many of Knowth's kerbstones are
carved on both sides, showing evidence of either re-use, or perhaps a
symbolic significance
(More about the Boyne Valley
complex,
Ireland)
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The Evora complex, Portugal.
Portugal has some of the earliest
megalithic remains in Western Europe, including both the
Almendres
stone-circle and the Zambujeiro
passage-mound. The fact that Almendres is the oldest circle in
Europe, and Zambujeiro has the largest worked-stones of any
passage-mound in Europe, makes it all the more interesting that
they are also form part of a 50km alignment that runs directly
towards the original location of the cromeleque da Xarez, near
Monsaraz. The orientation of Zambujeiro and the alignment both
follow the azimuth of the full-spring moon, at 110°.
As mentioned above, the latitude
of Stonehenge (51° 10' N), is one of only two latitudes at which the full moon
passes directly overhead on its maximum zenith. The other (38°
33′ N),
is on the
same as the latitude of the oldest stone-circle in Europe, at
Almendres in Portugal.
(More
about the Evora complex) |
The 'Metonic Cycle':
The Metonic cycle is attributed to the Greek
mathematician/astronomer
Meton
(4th cent. BC). Who identified the synchronous cycles of the Sun
and Moon over a period of 18.6 Solar years, during which the Moon has
235 Lunations, with an error of only two hours.
(Exactly corrected for over a period of 1116 solar years or 14,100 lunations)
It is noted that at
Stonehenge, in England, there are
56 Aubrey holes (3 x 18.6 = 55.8). The
largest menhir in France (now fallen),
Le Grande Menhir Brise, was once a
part of a huge construction consisting of 19 menhirs of decreasing size, and
the large stone in the back of the adjacent
La Table des Marchands has 19
crescent shapes scored on either side of it. All suggestive of an early
awareness of the Metonic
cycle.
How far back the Metonic cycle was recognised is
still a matter of debate, but there is no doubt that the European megalithic
builders were measuring both lunar and solar cycles at the same time, as
testified by Stonehenge and the great Boyne Valley
complex, where all the minor and major setting points of both cycles
were determined through orientations and alignments of the three great
passage mounds Newgrange,
Knowth and Dowth.
Robin Heath (3), suggested that the Megalithic
yard was linked to the Metonic cycle, (in which the earth orbits the sun 19
times and the moon has 235 lunation's). He Proposed that if the measurement
of time is transferred to the measurement of space (i.e. each day = one
Megalithic Inch 'MI'), then the difference between the solar and lunar
cycles over a three year solar period amount to a deficit of 1.104812
lunation's, which amounts to 32.625 days: which if transferred into
Megalithic Inches 'MI' (one MI = one solar day), equals 2.7188 ft. A figure
extremely close to Thom's estimate of 2.72 ft.
(More about the Megalithic yard)
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Scottish Recumbent
Stone Circles.
 Scotland is home to hundreds of 'Recumbent' stone circles.
These circles are usually fairly small, the largest being (Innesmill
(B5/1 at 110 ft diameter). Recumbent circles in the Grampians of Scotland have been shown to have a primary
association with the observation of the extreme setting points on the lunar
cycle. They are defined by a prominent 'recumbent' stone, positioned
horizontally, so that the moon sets behind it at both extremes of its cycle,
and upon which stones cup-marks are often found.
In Aberdeenshire, with a mean
latitude of 57° 30's, the moon at its maximum, will rise at 155°
SSE, and set at 205° SSW. Of the 48
recumbent's where it is possible to plot their
axis, 45 have recumbent between these limits. The remaining were placed at 230°,
231° and 232°, the min moon setting. (Ref: Burl. Stone circles).
It is an interesting fact that the only
recumbent circles found outside of Scotland, are in the Ross-Carbery area of
Ireland, which places them too far south to make them any use as lunar
observatories, and have in fact been shown to be solar in their
orientation. Cope (4), makes note of the
Drombeg RSC, where the sun has been observed setting at midwinter
(solstice), directly into a notch in the landscape behind the recumbent
stone.
The largest recumbent stone in Scotland is at
Old Keig, Aberdeenshire, which at an
estimated 53 tons, and still sitting perfectly horizontally, is a testimony
to the engineering skills of the builders. The Old Keig recumbent was
positioned so that its length (5m), was such that the moon rose at its
minimum and maximum settings (over the 18.6 yr cycle) from behind the left
and right 'flankers', gliding along the surface of the recumbent (due to its
specific latitude).
(Prehistoric Scotland Homepage)
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The Megalithic yard:
Prof Alexander Thom determined the presence of both
geometry and astronomy at hundreds of prehistoric sites across Europe. His
findings confirmed the accuracy of numerous astronomically
orientated megalithic sites, and also revealed the use of geometry in the
design of megalithic circles, including the use of 3:4:5 triangles and the 'megalithic yard', a
common unit of measurement, which he suggested was used throughout
prehistoric Europe.
It is suggested that the Megalithic yard is a natural product of
astronomical observation.
(More about Alexander Thom and the Megalithic
Yard)
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Prehistoric
Egyptian Astronomers:
At approximately the
same time as Europe was undergoing the conversion from
Mesolithic to Neolithic, Egypt was undergoing dramatic changes of its own.
 The Giza complex
in Egypt
shows numerous geometric and astronomical references in its design. Pi (л) in
the exterior dimensions of the Great pyramid, the 3:4:5 triangle in the
dimensions of the 'Kings chamber' of the 'Great pyramid', and the sacred
mean (0.618) in the overall layout of the site. In addition, The structures at Giza have several
astronomical features built into them. In particular, the almost exact
cardinal orientation of the pyramids, the polar-shafts in each pyramid, cut
to face the pole-star at the time of construction. The 'Star-shafts' in Khufu's pyramid, said to align to both Orion
and Sirius, and not forgetting of course the majestic sphinx, which
sits facing the rising sun on the solstices.
(More about the 'star shafts' in
the Great pyramid)
Davidson
(7),
showed how the shadow cast by the Great pyramid could have been used to
measure the solstice, equinoxes and quarter periods of the year.
(More about The Giza complex)
In ancient Egypt, religion and
astronomy were irrevocably entwined,
resulting in the complex mythological tapestry as seen in the 'Book of the
dead' and the so called 'pyramid texts', which simultaneously describe both
the journey of the sun in its daily cycle and of the soul passing into the
underworld. These texts are found first in fifth dynasty pyramids before
which time,
pyramids
appear to have been unadorned.
(More about Egyptian Astronomy)
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The Precession of the Equinoxes: |
The precession
of the equinoxes refers to the celestial phenomena that appears in the
skies over a period spanning 25,920 years, during which time the constellations
appear to rotate around the heavens, taking turns at rising on the horizon before
the rising sun on the vernal equinox.
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The Precession of the equinoxes = 25,920 yrs = (360°)
The sky is divided into 12
constellations:
(25,920 / 12 = 2,160)
A New sign appears on the horizon each
2,160 yrs (30°)
Note: (2 x 2,160 or 12 x 360 =
4,320 yrs)
Therefore
to
move 1°
on the horizon = 72 yrs.
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This remarkable cycle is due to a synchronicity between the speed of the
earth's rotation around the sun, and the rotational speed of the galaxy.
It has been observed that certain myths, sacred
texts and ancient buildings have these figures ‘stored’ within them, as numerical units which are
common throughout the ancient world.
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Light-boxes: Form and Function: |
Light-boxes
are a megalithic design feature employed so as to restrict
the entrance of light into a chamber or passage. They are a Neolithic construction feature that
have so far only been recorded at four (possibly five) sites
in the UK, with the two in Ireland (Newgrange
and
Carrowkeel)
both having the same design, two on the
Orkneys (Maes
Howe and
Crantit) in Scotland and one in
Wales (Brynn-Celli-Ddu).
Newgrange at the Boyne Valley, possesses one of the finest known examples of
'Light-boxes'.
The incorporation of light boxes into megaliths is one of the
few direct proofs of the link between megaliths and astronomy, as
their purpose was the manipulation of light into the passage mounds at
certain times of the year only. In Egypt, the earliest pyramids all contain
'polar-shafts', on Malta, the 'Temples' orientated towards the solstices and
equinoxes and in Britain, all the known passage-mounds containing
light-boxes were also aligned with solar events, (i.e. the equinoxes
or solstice)
-
Newgrange - Ireland, (Winter Solstice, Lunar Standstill)
-
Crantit
Tomb Orkneys - (start and end of winter..?)
Carrowkeel
- Ireland, (Summer and winter solstice, Lunar standstill)
Maes Howe - Orkneys, (Winter
solstice).
Bryn Celli Ddu - Anglesey, (Summer
solstice, Lunar standstill)
(More about Lightboxes)
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We can see how astronomical information is
still recorded into everyday terminology such as the names of the days
of the week.
|
Latin |
French
|
English
(Norse/Germanic) |
|
Lunae (Moon) |
Lundi - (Lunar-day) |
Monday - (Moons day) |
|
Martis (Mars) |
Mardi - (Mars-day) |
Tuesday - (Tīw's
day) |
|
Mercurii (Mercury) |
Mercredi - (Mercury-day) |
Wednesday - (Wodin's-day) |
|
Jovis (Jupiter) |
Jeudi - (Jupiter-day) |
Thursday - (Thor's -day) |
|
Veneris (Venus) |
Vendredi - (Venus-day) |
Friday - (Freya's-day) |
|
Saturni (Saturn) |
Samedi - (Sabado/Sabbath) |
Saturday - (Saturn-day) |
|
Solis/Dominicus (Sun) |
Dimanche - (Domingo) |
Sunday - (Sun-day) |
Why the particular order of the
days of the week ?
If you order the "planets" according to
either their average distance from Earth (assuming
the Earth to be the centre of the universe) or their
period of revolution around the Earth, you arrive at
this order:
Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Now, assign (in reverse order) these planets to the
(24) hours of the day:
1=Saturn, 2=Jupiter, 3=Mars, 4=Sun, 5=Venus,
6=Mercury, 7=Moon,
8=Saturn, 9=Jupiter, etc. etc etc, until 24=Mars
The next day will then continue where the old day left
off:
1=Sun, 2=Venus, etc., until 24=Mercury
And the next day will go...
1=Moon, 2=Saturn, etc.
If you look at the planet assigned to the first hour
of each day, you
will note that the planets come in this order:
Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus.
Which gives the order of the associated
week days...
(Who
works these things out anyway...?)
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According to Dr Richard L. Thompson (Mysteries of the sacred
universe), The Bhagvata Purana, contains a body
of astronomical knowledge. He looks at the Blue Mandala,
which consists of circles and intersecting spheres of precise,
very large, dimensions. He argues that the Blue Mandala is an
accurate map of the solar system and as a planar projection map of
the earth. He points out correlations with dimensions given in the
texts and those of the planetary orbits within the solar system.
(Ref: Hancock, Underwater kingdoms)
We have mentioned the astronomical phenomenon called the ' Precession
of the equinoxes'
above, and it appears likely that there was a working
understanding of this great cycle in prehistoric times. Before the
written word, information and knowledge would have been
transferred verbally, and there are several myths which are
suspected of incorporating observations of astronomical events.
Apart from the numerous references to
fiery dragons
and a war between
the gods in heaven,
there are also more specific myths that come from unrelated
sources which appear to share similar descriptions of an event. It
is in these myths that we can begin to view mythology as an
historical narrative rather than a purely imaginative one. But
what should we make then, of the 'The
day the sun stood still',
a myth found independently around the ancient world...
(More about Mythology)
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