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A Sky Dome visualisation for identification of astronomical orientations

Submitted by hailstones on Thursday, 06 July 2006  Page Views: 3059

Alternative Archaeology

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In the journal Nature today is an absract on a paper that presents a novel diagram combining archaeological maps with a folded-apart, flattened view of the whole sky, showing the local horizon and the daily paths of the Sun, Moon and brighter stars. By use of this diagram, interesting groupings of astronomical orientation directions, for example, to certain sunrise and sunset points could be identified, which were evidently used to mark certain days of the year.

Orientations towards rising and setting points of a few significant stars very likely indicated the beginning of the agricultural year in the middle neolithic period. Link:Nature.com Under popular searches today:Equinox
Contributor Bio for hailstones: Based in london, contributing since 2005. Favourite site: Tito Bustillo,Asturi. Occupation: archaeology/ student of life.

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Rock Art and the Prehistory of Atlantic Europe, Bradley

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"A Sky Dome visualisation for identification of astronomical orientations" | Login/Create an Account | 5 News and Comments
  
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Re: A Sky Dome visualisation for identification of astronomical orientations by Anonymous on Thursday, 13 July 2006
Hiya,
Yep, many of the rockart places on Earth have sky knowledge references. In the Americas most indigenous languages have a specific word for sky knowledge, and inscripted record places were called by that word or combination of words for traditional knowledge purposes.

The dates of teh inscriptions correspond to events and star placement in the timeperiod. Many in the Americas go back tens of thousands of years, so teh European and other areas reflect teh same things.

Most notably is teh design of teh 8 point grid or "window." Whether in lines on the north west or east wall or in cup/cup and ring on teh ground designs (generally in rows pointing NNE,) the grid symbolizes the big dipper formation...pror to a supernova that created teh dual star system in today's "handle." That star knowledge is mighty old.

This si teh kind of work that will help peole understand the rock inscriptions world wide, since we are all under teh same sky and celestial events. It will be interesting to addin the rockart designs in places that are now desert and have not been inhabited for thousands of years to see what people were up to.
please forgive the spelling
Cordially,
Deb Huglin
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Re: A Sky Dome visualisation for identification of astronomical orientations by hailstones on Thursday, 06 July 2006
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Sorry i've been at my class at Birkbeck. I take it you have got the link from Alun, if not http://www.nature.com. Look to the left side of page and down a bit is popular searches today. The link is Equinox.Otherwise see Alun's
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Re: A Sky Dome visualisation for identification of astronomical orientations by Andy B on Thursday, 06 July 2006
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hailstones, can you post the link here as I can't find it.
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