A new theory claims postholes at Stonehenge encode astronomical alignments dating roughly 500 years before the sarsen stones went up. Archaeologists Jim Leary and Vince Gaffney are skeptical — the site has 48 postholes, yet only two were used for the proposed alignment. The full technical publication hasn't been released yet.
Debate over astronomical alignment predating Stonehenge sarsens
EnglandTheory
Key facts
- A theory proposes astronomical alignments among postholes at Stonehenge dating about five centuries before the sarsen stones were erected.
- Archaeologists Jim Leary and Vince Gaffney are skeptical because the site has 48 postholes and only two were selected for the claimed alignment.
- The full technical publication has not yet been released.
Site mentioned
Sources
Stonehenge | Western Washington Universityastro101.wwu.edu
The most accepted astronomical correlation of the design is the axial alignment of the monument with the summer and winter solstices.
Understanding Stonehenge | English Heritageenglish-heritage.org.uk
Marking the movements of the sun was clearly important to the people who built Stonehenge, as they went to such great lengths to align the monument with them.
Astronomical Research at Stonehenge | Historic Englandhistoricengland.org.uk
Stonehenge's architecture was designed to allow views of the exact points where the summer and winter solstice suns appear or disappear on the ...
Stonehenge and the Geometry of the Skyskyandtelescope.org
Stonehenge is not aligned to a single moment in the year. It is oriented to a system of repeating events in the sky.
Astronomical alignments of Stonehengestonehenge-tours.com
Stonehenge was built the Earth's axis was tilted over slightly more at 24° instead of the 23.5° it is today. This alignment makes use of a ...
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