Archeoastronomy

The man was always fascinated by the sky. There are Astronomical pieces of evidence which dates back to 8000 BC - 9000 BC. And it is interesting to try and find out how those people have understood the Phenomenon in the sky, how they used those and what role the sky played in their cultures. There is a multidisciplinary branch of astronomy that talks about this, and it is Known as Archeoastronomy.

Since Sun and Moon are like most prominent astronomical objects and are easily visible with naked eyes, they play an essential role in understanding ancient cultures. You can find many archaeological sites oriented along with the sun's position on particular day, mostly Solstice and Equinox.

So, what is the solstice, and what is an equinox?  Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. If we consider the northern hemisphere, initially sun stars rising from NE, and in half of the year, the rising points shift to the SE. The day when the sun rises precisely at East and sets precisely at West, we get the same day and night, known as an Equinox. And when the sun rises at extreme SE, then it is the shortest day of the year i.e., Winter Solstice (Fig 1). The rising and the setting point of the sun on the solstice days are known as the solstice Directions.

 

Fig 1: Solstice and Equinox

Our Ancestors observed this and used this knowledge build to massive architectures oriented along the Solstice direction. And you can find many such sites throughout the world. So, let’s talk about a few of them.

1.      Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra, India)

The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in India. They are among the most excellent surviving examples of ancient Indian Culture. There are 28 caves, as shown in Fig 2. The two caves, i.e., cave number 19 and cave number 26, are oriented to the solstice direction so that, on that particular day, the sun will illuminate the stupa in this cave. The location is in the northern hemisphere, so by connecting Fig 1 and Fig 2, we can tell that cave 26 is oriented to Summer Solstice and Cave 19 to Winter Solstice.

Fig 2: Orientation of Ajanta Caves

 

2.       Serpent Equinox (El Castillo, Mexico)

In Maya, culture serpents are considered the vehicles of celestial bodies, such as the sun and stars. Also, they are the symbol of rebirth and renewal. No doubt, ancient Maya people used the knowledge of the motion of the sun to create a spectacular event at Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza is the largest and most impressive of the Mayan ruins. On every equinox, the sun of the late afternoon creates the illusion of a snake creeping slowly down the northern staircase of El Castillo Pyramid, as shown in Fig 3.

Fig 3: Serpent Equinox

3.      Sun Tunnels

Sun Tunnels is the most recent Sun oriented structure. Built-in 1976, The four tubes are made of concrete. The work is made complete by its interaction with the Sun and stars. One axis of the x lines up with the rising and setting of the Sun during the summer solstice, the other with the winter solstice. (Fig 4)

Fig 4: Sun Tunnels

And there are many other structures like the Stonehenge, the temple of the sun in Peru, Ring of Brodgar in Scotland, the great pyramids of Giza to name a few. And these give the evidence for the knowledge of our ancient astronomers and their amazing observational skills.

Do you know any Archaeological site of Astronomical importance, or have you ever visited one of them? Let us know in the comments, and we will talk about them in upcoming blogs. Till then, keep looking up.

 

 © Abhijeet Parkhi