<< Feature Articles >> The best sites to visit in New York for an ancient sites enthusiast (Part 2)
Submitted by Andy B on Saturday, 18 November 2017 Page Views: 5393
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The obelisk is 21 metres (69 ft) high and weighs about 200 tons, It has hieroglyphics dating from the reign of Thutmosis III (1479-1425 BCE) with later additions by Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC). It . Of course Central Park and the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art are worth visiting for a multitude of reasons but this is a fantastic obelisk not to be missed.
The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University has weekly public lectures - you can find their current events timetable here. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the huge variety of online talks that are now available to watch online, well the Institute has a growing archive of their own ‘On Demand’ video here. From ancient China and the Silk Road to Turkey and Greco-Roman Astrology, it’s all here.
While in New York you could hire a car and take a trip out into the country to look at some of the intriguing possible megalithic sites in the wider New York state area.
North Salem is a town approximately 50 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. It’s not the same Salem of witchcraft fame, however its claim to ancient sites fame is this huge 16x14x10 foot pink granite boulder balanced on four or five limestone supports. It could be a glacial erratic that ended up there by strange luck, but equally it could be man- made. Before making a judgement, it would be wise to examine the boulder and its supports for yourself. A seldom mentioned feature of the rock is a pronounced striping, most visible in some photos. Some have even speculated that the stone was once painted.
There’s another similar balanced ‘dolmen’ in Kinnelon, New Jersey about 30 miles NW of New York City called - very descriptively - Tripod Rock. According to Nancy Wisser, "other perched and balanced boulders near Tripod Rock seem to form a site complex of a sort familiar to stonework investigators, suggesting either indigenous construction or sentient glaciers" (!).
Before we leave New York City it’s worth mentioning the amazing architecture - the best way to explore is by bus and on foot to take in the different styles from Victorian to Gothic and of course the many modern skyscrapers. An open top sightseeing bus from TopViewNYC.com is an excellent way to see the city in comfort. Many parts of New York are covered - uptown, downtown, the Bronx and Brooklyn, and there are day and night tours, with the lights of the city making for an entirely different experience.
Finally we must mention the phenomenon of Manhattenhenge. What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues? Surely the grid would be presumed to have astronomical significance, just as at Stonehenge. For Stonehenge, the special day is the winter and solstice - for Manhattan, the special day comes twice a year, once in May, then repeated in July.
At these times the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid. It’s a rare and beautiful sight and these two days happen to correspond with Memorial Day and Baseball's All Star break. Future anthropologists might conclude that those people who called themselves Americans worshiped War and Baseball. Surely not?
Here are some photos from the New York Times of the last event, in 2017 and look out nearer the time for the timings of the Manhattenhenge events coming up in 2018. This post was kindly supported by TopViewNYC.com and with many thanks also due to Nancy Wisser for additional research. Check out her excellent blog CloneHenge.
<< The best sites to visit in New York for an ancient sites enthusiast
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