Nabta Playa, Egypt stone circle dated to ~5,000 BC may align with solstice and stars. The stone circle dates to approximately 5,000 BC, roughly 1,000 years before Stonehenge and 2,000 years before the Egyptian Old Kingdom In the late 1990s, astronomer Thomas Brophy analyzed the stone circle's layout The circle's six inner upright stones form two lines pointing toward sunrise and sunset at summer solstice
The Nabta Playa stone circle dates to ~5,000 BC — roughly 1,000 years before Stonehenge! In the late 1990s, astronomer Thomas Brophy proposed that six inner uprights align with summer solstice sunrise/sunset, while outlying megaliths may have mirrored constellations like Orion's Belt around 4,800 BC (his theory, still debated).
Key Facts
- The stone circle dates to approximately 5,000 BC, roughly 1,000 years before Stonehenge and 2,000 years before the Egyptian Old Kingdom
- In the late 1990s, astronomer Thomas Brophy analyzed the stone circle's layout
- The circle's six inner upright stones form two lines pointing toward sunrise and sunset at summer solstice
- Brophy argued certain outlying megaliths aligned with prominent stars as they appeared around 4,800 BC, including Orion's Belt
- Stone circles include paired upright slabs called 'gates' or 'windows' oriented to frame specific sightlines
Related site: Nabta Playa, Egypt — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Scientists Found Something Strange in the Sahara by Michael Button