Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically ConsideredLockyer, Norman, Sir
History
Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically Considered
Lockyer, Norman, Sir
Druids and Druidism; Great Britain -- Antiquities; Stonehenge (England); Sun worship; Temples
As at Merrivale, the avenue has a decided “kink” or change of direction.
The facts as gathered from the 6-inch map are as follows:--
Az. Hills. Dec. N. Star. Date.
S. part of Avenue N. 7° E. 2° 52′ 41° 29′ 10″ Arcturus 2130 B.C.
N. „ „ N. 12° E. 2° 52′ 41° 6′ 20″ „ 2080 B.C.
[Illustration: FIG. 46.--The sight-lines at Trowlesworthy, showing high
northern azimuths. From the Ordnance map.]
This date is very nearly that of the use of the S. circle at the
Hurlers, and it is early for Dartmoor; but it is quite possible that
local observations on an associated avenue a little to the west of the
circle which terminates the N.-S. avenue will justify it. This is not
far from parallel to that at Merrivale, but its northern azimuth is
greater, so that if it turns out to have been aligned on the Pleiades
its date will be some time before that of Merrivale, that is, before
1580 B.C. I can say nothing more about it till I have visited it.
The new features to which I have referred are two tumuli which in all
probability represent more recent additions to the original scheme of
observation, as we have found at Stenness, and show that Trowlesworthy
was for long one of the chief centres of worship on Dartmoor. Their
azimuths are S. 64° E. and S. 49° W., dealing, therefore, with the May
year sunrises in November and February and the solstitial sunset in
December. It is probable that, as at the Hurlers, tumuli were used
instead of stones not earlier than 1900 B.C.
_Stalldon Moor_ (lat. 50° 27′ 45″) I have already incidentally referred
to. The azimuth of the stone row as it leaves the circle, _not_ from its
centre as I read the 6-inch map, is N. 3° E.; as the azimuth gradually
increases for a time, we may be dealing with Arcturus, but local
observation is necessary.
The differences between the Cornish and Dartmoor monuments give much
food for thought, and it is to be hoped that they will be carefully
studied by future students of orientation, as so many questions are
suggested. I will refer to some of them.
(1) Are the avenues, chiefly consisting of two rows of stones, a
reflection of the sphinx avenues of Egypt? and, if so, how can the
intensification of them on Dartmoor be explained?
(2) Was there a double worship going on in the avenues and the circles
at the same time? If not, why were the former not aligned on the
circles? On a dead level, of course, if the avenues were aligned on the
centre of the circle towards the rising or setting of the sun or a star,
the procession in the _via sacra_ would block the view of those in the
circle. We have the avenue at Stonehenge undoubtedly aligned on the
centre of the circle, but there the naos was on an eminence, so that the
procession in the avenue was always below the level of the horizon, and
so did not block the view.
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