Pointing at the moon?

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juamei J
juamei Dec 8, 2006 23:06:16

Am reading the English Heritage Bronze Age Britain book by Michael Parker Pearson at the moment & it's thrown up an interesting quote without a reference.

"Recent research on the alignments of Longbarrows and other tombs suggests that, in 90 per cent of cases, their entrances faced not the rising sun but the rising moon."

Anyone know what the research is?

Another factoid I didn't know was that there is a 4th mesolithic post hole (unmarked) in the carpark at the west end of the other 3. They also found 2 more during visitor centre refurbishments. Which is nice.

M moss
moss Dec 9, 2006 07:15:03
Replying to juamei

juamei wrote:
"Recent research on the alignments of Longbarrows and other tombs suggests that, in 90 per cent of cases, their entrances faced not the rising sun but the rising moon."

Anyone know what the research is?

Thinking about this, came up with a solution for research - what we need is hermits, staked out at all longbarrows for a year, it will be a rather miserable troglydite existence for them but at least they could record the comings and goings of the moon ;)
WKLB does face the rising sun, and our own Stoney Littleton also when it comes over the ridge and enters the chamber this month (so I have read).......

S StoneLifter
StoneLifter Dec 9, 2006 07:33:54
Replying to juamei

The range of the rising moon and the rising sun is not very different.

J juamei
juamei Dec 9, 2006 09:27:46
Replying to juamei

juamei wrote:
Another factoid I didn't know was that there is a 4th mesolithic post hole (unmarked) in the carpark at the west end of the other 3. They also found 2 more during visitor centre refurbishments. Which is nice.
At Stonehenge that is.