Researchers have proposed a winter-solstice alignment at Karahan Tepe. In December 2021, Hugh Newman and JJ Ainsworth argued that sunrise light enters a porthole in the Pillar Room and illuminates a carved head for about 45 minutes. The head has an elongated, snake-like neck, a V-shaped neckline and is roughly three times human-head size; Andrew Collins noted that its eyes face the porthole. The proposed scene dates to about 9000 BC within the site's roughly 11,400-year-old occupation. Newman and Ainsworth argue that this represents deliberate solar astronomy, an interpretation not proven by the carvings alone.
Hugh Newman and JJ Ainsworth propose a Karahan Tepe solstice alignment
TürkiyeArchaeoastronomy
Key facts
- In December 2021, Hugh Newman and JJ Ainsworth proposed that the winter-solstice sunrise enters a porthole in Karahan Tepe's Pillar Room and illuminates a carved head for about 45 minutes.
- Karahan Tepe was occupied around 9400–8200 BC; the proposed alignment is reconstructed for around 9000 BC, within the site's roughly 11,400-year-old history.
- The central pillar is carved from bedrock; its stylized head has an elongated, snake-like neck, a V-shaped neckline and is about three times the size of a human head.
- Andrew Collins noted that the head's eyes are oriented toward the porthole.
- The interpretation that the alignment demonstrates deliberate solar astronomy is advanced by Newman, Ainsworth and other proponents; it is not established by the carvings alone.
Sources
megalithomania.co.uk
Linked in video description
Before Karahan Tepe: Winter Solstice in the Palaeolithic ...academia.edu
Karahan Tepe exhibits a winter solstice sunrise alignment similar to other sites like Göbekli Tepe and Jericho, indicating a widespread practice of celestial ...
Reconstructing Karahan Tepe's 11,400-year-old Winter ...megalithomania.substack.com
On the winter solstice in 9000 BC the sunrise would have been at 7.57am; this is an azimuth 121º1'. Ten minutes later at 8.07am the sun would ...
Reconstructing Karahan Tepe's 11400-year-old Winter ...academia.edu
Karahan Tepe features the oldest known winter solstice alignment, predating Stonehenge by 7000 years. The site was actively used from 9400 BC to 8200 BC, with ...
Is Karahan Tepe Aligned to the Winter Solstice?karahantepe.net
Some researchers argue Karahan Tepe's Pillar Room aligns to the winter-solstice sunrise, lighting the carved head through a porthole. Here's the claim ...
Hugh Newman | London Metropolitan Universitylondonmet.academia.edu
Hugh Newman is a researcher at London Metropolitan University focused on Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, and Ancient History. Access 4 research papers ...
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