Journal of Skyscape Archaeology

An Archaeology of the Sky in Gaul in the Augustan Period

Marco V García Quintela — 2023-02-13

Ancient Gaul was transformed during the reign of Augustus (r. 31 BC–14 AD) through a major programme of city building. The new Roman cities were constructed according to topographic, health and ritual considerations, and we hypothesise that their orientations also reflect distinct celestial conceptions held by the Gauls and by the Roman emperor Augustus. Our study of the orientation of 60 cities verifies the existence of coherent patterns, and distinguishes two dominant schemes: a pattern prevailing in the south and focused on cardinal orientations, possibly related to the dies natalis of Augustus; and a pattern dominant in the north, focused on the dates of the festivities at the beginning of the seasons from the Celtic tradition. We argue that the orientation of the cities was used by the Gallic elites to express the validity of their cultural tradition when they became a part of the Roman Empire.

Alignment Patterns of Romanesque Churches Dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption in Soria, Spain

José M Abril — 2023-02-13

Previous studies have reported that in southern Spain some medieval churches are aligned to sunrise on the canonical equinox, independent of their dedication, and to sunrise on 15th August, for dedications to the Virgin of the Assumption. This paper aims to identify precedents of this tradition in the province of Soria (northeast Spain), where the campaign by Christians to recapture territory held by the Muslims was accomplished in the first third of the twelfth century. This Reconquista was followed by a repopulation process and the building of a large number of rural churches in the Romanesque Repopulation style until the middle of the thirteenth century, many of which are preserved. The paper studies a set of 73 parish churches dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption in Soria, with a subsample of 44 ascribed to the Romanesque. Their azimuths were measured from georeferenced orthophotographs. The normalised sums of probability densities have been computed for azimuths and declinations, and subjected to quantitative statistical assessment by using the confidence envelope curve and total peak area methods. The results reveal that 50% of the churches in the Romanesque subsample have intended alignment patterns. About two thirds of these were aligned toward the “sol aequinoctialis”, which can be evoked by (1) true east (astronomical equinox), and (2) sunrise on 21st or 25th March in the Julian calendar, the dates of the ecclesiastical and canonical equinox, respectively. The remaining third were aligned towards sunrise on 15th August. Data allows discussion on the accuracy in the involved practical methods used for alignments and on some relevant questions on the origin and spread of this tradition.

Figures in the Rock? Experiencing the Avebury Cove at the Midsummer Sunrise

Timothy Darvill — 2023-02-13

Despite published accounts suggesting the absence of solstitial alignments built into the architecture of the stone circle complex within the classic henge at Avebury, north Wiltshire, UK, empirical observations show that the group of stones and the space between them known as the Cove opens towards the midsummer sunrise. Although the window of visibility looking out from the Cove is broad, the sunrise position, on Monkton Down, is central to the field of view. A dip in the henge bank and the presence of a round barrow on the skyline serve to emphasise the point on the horizon where the Sun first appears. Looking inwards, the Cove provides a defined stage-like setting with the shadows of anyone performing there cast sharply onto the massive backstone for a period of about 30 minutes after sunrise. Comparisons are drawn with practices linked to animistic ontologies where rock surfaces become porous doorways into other realms during defined ceremonial observances.

Review of the Skyscape Archaeology Keynote Lecture Series – Season Two: 2021–2022

Christopher A Layser — 2023-02-13

Review of the Skyscape Archaeology Keynote Lecture Series – Season Two: 2021–2022

Editorial

Fabio Silva — 2023-02-13

Dragos Gheorghiu (ed.), Art in the Archaeological Imagination

Ilaria Cristofaro — 2023-02-13

Dragos Gheorghiu (ed.), Art in the Archaeological Imagination
Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2020. Paperback, 144 pp. ISBN: 9781789253528. £36.00.

Akira Goto, Cultural Astronomy of the Japanese Archipelago: Exploring the Japanese Skyscape

Gaynor Sekimori — 2023-02-13

Akira Goto, Cultural Astronomy of the Japanese Archipelago: Exploring the Japanese Skyscape
Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia. London and New York: Routledge, 2021. Paperback, 156 pp. ISBN: 9780367407988. £46.99.

Thomas Gough and Peter Harris, A New Dimension to Ancient Measures and John Hill, The Recumbent Stone Circles of Aberdeenshire: Archaeology, Design, Astronomy and Methods

Liz Henty — 2023-02-13

Thomas Gough and Peter Harris, A New Dimension to Ancient Measures
Elgin, Scotland: Moravian Digital Press, 2021. Paperback, 76 pp. illus. ISBN: 978-1-9196484-0-8. £15.

and

John Hill, The Recumbent Stone Circles of Aberdeenshire: Archaeology, Design, Astronomy and Methods
Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021. Hardback, 212 pp. 53 b/w illus. ISBN: 1-5275-6585-8; ISBN13: 978-1-5275-6585-2. £61.99.

Tomislav Bilic, Land of the Solstices: Myth, Geography and Astronomy in Ancient Greece

Robert Hannah — 2023-02-13

Tomislav Bilic, Land of the Solstices: Myth, Geography and Astronomy in Ancient Greece
BAR International Series 3039. Oxford: BAR Publishing, 2021. 212 pp. ISBN: 9781407358628. £49.00.

Liz Henty, Exploring Archaeoastronomy: A History of Its Relationship with Archaeology and Esotericism

Ronald Hutton — 2023-02-13

Liz Henty, Exploring Archaeoastronomy: A History of Its Relationship with Archaeology and Esotericism
Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2022, 278pp, b/w and colour illus. ISBN 978 1 78925 786 1.

Books

The Editors — 2023-02-13

Notes on the Accuracy of Google Earth Pro Heading Information for Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology Studies

William F Romain — 2023-02-13

Google Earth Pro (GEP) is a powerful tool that can be used for archaeoastronomic and landscape archaeology assessments. Of potential concern, however, is the accuracy of the GEP ruler tool and, in particular, the accuracy of heading information. In the present paper the accuracy of GEP heading information is evaluated. Comparative assessments are made using GEP imagery, airport runway diagrams and ground survey data derived from total station solar observations. These analyses indicate that the accuracy of GEP heading data is largely dependent on spatial resolution of the GEP image and length of the line being measured.

Stellarium: Finally at Version 1.0! And Beyond

Georg Zotti — 2023-02-13

Stellarium: Finally at Version 1.0! And Beyond