Sunday, November 27, 2011

Archaeological Findings Provide Evidence Of A Celestial Procession At Stonehenge

Archaeologists led by the University of Birmingham with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of archaeological exploration have found evidence of two huge holes in the sky is in alignment at Stonehenge. Shedding a new light, a significant association with the monument to the Sun, these wells may contain high levels of stones, poles, or even fire, and subscribe to its growing environment and can be defined in the parade route by farmers to celebrate the stream of the sun in the sky is the summer solstice.




Located in the curriculum path, the steps are in alignment with the output of summer sun and the sunset view from the heel stone, when enigmatic stone outside the entrance to Stonehenge. For the first time, this discovery could be linked directly and celestial phenomena rituals at Stonehenge in the activities in the curriculum.

The international team of archaeological research, led by the University of Birmingham IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre (Vista), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Survey and Virtual Archaeology in Vienna (LBI ArchPro) also found a previously unknown hole the center of the north side of the Cursus, which can be provided at the main entrance and exit point for processions that took place on the road. The extension from west to east, the curriculum is a huge linear pregnant, 100 meters wide and two miles in diameter, north of Stonehenge.

Professor Vince Gaffney, an archaeologist and project manager for IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre, University of Birmingham, said: "For the first time we have seen that in Stonehenge and offers a sophisticated overview of how rituals may have had place in the curriculum and the wider landscape. These exciting findings show that while Stonehenge was ultimately the most important monument in the landscape, sometimes there may have been the only ritual object, or more important, and the area Stonehenge may have been important as a sacred site for a rate much earlier date.

"Other activities have been other ceremonial sites, within walking distance. The results of this new survey will help us to appreciate how complex the activity in question, and how these companies had been intimate with nature. Cursus circumference can be definitely guide the path ceremonial processions, which took place on the longest day of the year. "

Archaeologists have long understood that Stonehenge was designed to mark astronomical events, built by peasant communities whose daily concerns of the culture of plants associated with their daily lives for the passage of seasons, especially the sun, as their livelihood depended. This new evidence raises interesting questions about how complicated rituals in the landscape of Stonehenge were carried out and how long processions or around the course was held at the same time Stonehenge was used.

Professor Gaffney added: "It now seems likely that other ceremonial monuments in the surrounding landscape was directly coordinated with the rituals at Stonehenge It is possible that the parade moved in the course of the pit is at sunrise and continues to the east along the course. and following the path of the sun on the head, and perhaps return to the west when the west pit at sunset to mark the longest day of the year. observers of the ceremony was located at the heel stone, two wells are aligned. "

Dr. Henry Chapman, Professor of Archaeology and viewing notes: "If you measure the distance between the two nostrils, the procession arrived exactly midway at midday when the sun is directly over Stonehenge. This is more than a mere coincidence, indicating that the exact length of the curriculum and placement of the stands are important. "

Stonehenge, then surely the most important monument in the rest of Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape, surrounded by a high concentration of other sacred sites, some of whom were old Stonehenge was built. The team also found a new provision of the horses large pits northeast of Stonehenge, which also may have contained the messages and, with the monument of Stonehenge, as last year and discovered a number of other smaller monuments may have functioned as sanctuaries Minors may serve specific communities to visit the ceremonial center.

Paul Garwood, professor of Prehistory at the University of Birmingham, said: "Our knowledge of ancient landscapes that once existed around Stonehenge is growing rapidly as you explore new geophysical survey results we can see the detail rich not only new monuments, but the entire landscape of past human activity, for thousands of years, kept. under the surface properties, such as pits and ditches. This project is to create an entirely new framework for the study of the landscape of Stonehenge. "

These new findings have come to light as part of the Hidden Landscape Stonehenge, which began in the summer of 2010, when the largest excavations ever virtual world to reveal the latest geophysical imaging techniques, and creates a visually outstanding landscape prehistoric Stonehenge.

Professor Wolfgang Neubauer, director of the Ludwig Boltzmann, adds: "LBI offers the best teachers, technicians and young researchers, a team of 20 people and uses a variety of systems designed for use on projects where the scope of the work was Use a previously unreachable non-invasive techniques provides information about virtual archeology. may be disseminated to the public through the Internet, iPad, or mobile phone. "

Dr. Christopher Gaffney, archaeological geophysics professor at the University of Bradford, said:

"Building our last year we have added more tools and techniques to explore this extraordinary landscape. It 'clear that a technique is not sufficient to study the complexity of the monuments and landscapes of the most important archaeological monument, and the battery of techniques used here is again significantly increased our understanding. "

For more interesting topics related to archaeology, visit archaeology excavations.

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