The following will discuss the monuments that these earlier astronomers built and the theories that modern astronomers have come up with to try and explain their origins.
Standing Stones
We can actually look as far back as 3000 B.C. when the first farmers were beginning to understand that some places were better than others for the cultivation of their land. They lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle searching for the place which would best grow their crops and sustain their livestock. It is common knowledge today that certain climates are needed to grow certain crops. Winter back then must have been an extremely unforgiving season. In their search for the ideal climate, they settled in
"the clement southwest coast of Ireland,
and the chalk downs of Southern England."1
Most standing stones are located in England and Ireland and are, for the most part, believed to be ancient calendars. They all have the common feature where they have been aligned in some way toward the rising or setting sun. Stonehenge, for example is aligned toward the rising sun on the summer solstice.
Stonehenge, which is located in the British Isles, has long been the focus of many studies. Among other things, but seemingly the most likely, it is believed to be some form of an ancient calendar. Since it is aligned with the midsummer sunrise, it is understandable how modern astronomers came to the conclusion that it may have been a predictor of the seasons for these farmers. None of this however, has ever been proven and it is likely that Stonehenge will forever remain a mystery.
Pyramids
Pyramids are only located in Egypt and Mexico. Egypt however possess some of the more well known ones. Astronomers today, after many independant studies, have come to the conclusion that(like the standing stones) these pyramids have been astronomically aligned. It has been speculated that when the Giza pyramids in Egypt were built, they were aligned in such a way that they would represent the curvature of the earth. The three pyramids when viewed as a group, are also a perfect reproduction of the three stars of Orion's belt. The three stars of Orion are not perfectly aligned since the smallest of them is slightly offset to the East. This is also true of the pyramids. All three are slanted in a Southwesterly direction and their orientation to the Nile recreates Orion's orientation to the Milky Way. It is evident that this ancient culture knew something of astronomy.
These are only a few of the many monuments that lie in certain parts of our earth. Many, if not all of them will forever be unexplained but historians, archeologists, astronomers, and even hobbyists will continue in their search to find the answers. Please click NEXT to continue so that we may discuss some ancient astronomers and their contributions to modern astronomy.
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1. Hawkins, Gerald S. and White, John B., Stonehenge Decoded, Doubleday and Company, Inc. 1965. Page 35
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