Stoney Littleton Long Barrow gets lit by winter solstice sun. Light penetrates down the passage, much like Newgrange in Ireland but smaller. Requires crawling in on hands and knees. Ancient peoples chose remarkable spots.
Stony is a burial chamber located near the village of Stony in Somerset, England
EnglandArchaeoastronomy
Key facts
- Stony is a burial chamber located near the village of Stony in Somerset, England
- Winter solstice alignment: first rays of sun penetrate chamber on winter solstice
- Chamber illumination observed at 9:14 a.m. on winter solstice
- Antiquarian Society conducted expedition for winter solstice observation
- Sunlight bounces off chamber walls in sequence, traveling down entire chamber length
- Comparable to New Grange in Ireland but on smaller scale ('miniature new grange')
- Access requires crawling into chamber on hands and knees
- Effect creates timeless experience matching activities of ancient peoples
- Cloud cover partially obscured observations but solar position still produced alignment effect
Site mentioned
Sources
megalithomania.co.uk
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