- Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio
Avda. de Vigo s/n
15705 Santiago de Compostela
Spain - 981590962
- Archaeoastronomy, Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, Cultural Theory, History, and 27 moreHumanities, Physics, Archaeological Science, Roman History, Egyptology, Egyptian Archaeology, Megalithic Monuments, Galaxy Formation and Evolution, TRB culture, Simulations of galaxy formation, Fundamental plane, Disk Galaxy Rotation Dark Matter, Religion, Culture, Church History, Mediterranean archaeology, Ritual, Iron Age, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Archaeoastronomy, Cultural Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy SEAC, Landscape Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Celtic Studies, Cultural Astronomy, and Phoenician Punic Archaeologyedit
Seminar at the Institute of Heritage Sciences (Incipit, Spain) about the celestial relations on the orientation and location of megalithic monuments in Spain and Beyond. Talk delivered in Spanish.
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Two years ago, the Incipit designed and organized an exhibition, entitled “Diverse: Archaeology from Incipit beyond Europe”. This exhibition was based on different archaeological and ethnoarchaeological projects carried out by the Incipit... more
Two years ago, the Incipit designed and organized an exhibition, entitled “Diverse: Archaeology from Incipit beyond Europe”. This exhibition was based on different archaeological and ethnoarchaeological projects carried out by the Incipit around the world. The common elements in all of these projects were, and still are, a community perspective and a sense of scientific practice as being inseparable from political work with citizens everywhere, along with the aim of making this perspective visible to our own community.
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(ENG) The landscape is a product of each particular society’s ways of being, thinking and acting. The landscape we see in Galicia today is the result of our ways of being, thinking and acting, but also those of the people who lived here... more
(ENG) The landscape is a product of each particular society’s ways of being, thinking and acting. The landscape we see in Galicia today is the result of our ways of being, thinking and acting, but also those of the people who lived here in the past. Many of the things that we consider to be the most typical elements of the Galician landscape are a product or effect of human action, and not only of what we refer to as “nature”. This book is a kind of archaeological “atlas” of the cultural landscapes of Galicia, and here we say ‘a kind’ because it is not an atlas in the conventional sense, containing a series of maps: instead, what this book does is to describe the different types of landscape that appeared over much of the history of what is now Galicia, from late prehistory (beginning of the Neolithic) to mediaeval times. The story begins with what we know as the traditional landscape. It identifies its typical elements that are present or missing from the landscapes that preceded it, and which helped to create it. And so, archaeological landscapes are something that does not exist; their remains are either largely incorporated in subsequent forms of the landscape, or lie lost and forgotten (“invisible”) beneath them. It is precisely for this reason that we refer to them as “archaeological landscapes”. The narrative we present here is a human story from the Anthropocene period, a concept that defines a new geological stage marked by human influence of the Earth’s different systems, a stage in which sociocultural action has actively altered the world, replacing a natural environment with an increasingly artificial cultural environment. THIS PDF DOCUMENT IS A SELECTION OF SOME PAGES OF THE TEXT TO GIVE AN OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE BOOK CONTENTS.
(SP): El paisaje es un producto de las formas de ser, de estar, de pensar y de actuar propias de cada sociedad. El paisaje gallego actual es el resultado de nuestras formas de ser, estar, pensar y actuar. Pero también lo es de las de todas aquellas personas que nos precedieron en el tiempo. Muchas cosas que consideramos características del paisaje de Galicia son el producto o el efecto de la acción humana, no sólo de eso que llamamos “naturaleza”. Este libro es una especie de “atlas” arqueológico de los paisajes culturales de Galicia. Y decimos “una especie” porque no es un atlas en el sentido convencional de conjunto de mapas. Lo que hace este libro es describir las diferentes formas de paisaje que se sucedieron a lo largo de una parte de la historia de lo que hoy llamamos Galicia, en concreto desde la prehistoria reciente (desde el inicio del periodo que se denomina “neolítico”) hasta la época medieval. El relato parte del paisaje tradicional de Galicia para, a continuación, descubrir los elementos típicos de este paisaje y ver cuáles estaban presentes –o ausentes- en los paisajes que lo precedieron y que contribuyeron a su conformación. Los paisajes arqueológicos son algo que no existe. Sus restos, o bien se incorporaron en gran medida a las formas posteriores de paisaje, o bien subyacen relictos y olvidados (“invisibilizados”) bajo éstas. Por eso precisamente llamamos a esos paisajes “arqueológicos”. La historia que hacemos aquí es una historia humana del antropoceno, un concepto cada vez más utilizado para definir una nueva etapa geológico que está marcada por la dominación humana de los sistemas de la Tierra, una etapa en la que la dinámica socioecultura modifica activamente el mundo y sustituye un medio natural por un medio cultural y cada vez más artificial. ESTE DOCUMENTO PDF ES UNA SEPARATA CON LA SELECCIÓN DE ALGUNAS PÁGINAS DEL LIBRO PARA DAR UNA IMPRESIÓN GENERAL DE SUS CONTENIDOS Y FORMATO.
(SP): El paisaje es un producto de las formas de ser, de estar, de pensar y de actuar propias de cada sociedad. El paisaje gallego actual es el resultado de nuestras formas de ser, estar, pensar y actuar. Pero también lo es de las de todas aquellas personas que nos precedieron en el tiempo. Muchas cosas que consideramos características del paisaje de Galicia son el producto o el efecto de la acción humana, no sólo de eso que llamamos “naturaleza”. Este libro es una especie de “atlas” arqueológico de los paisajes culturales de Galicia. Y decimos “una especie” porque no es un atlas en el sentido convencional de conjunto de mapas. Lo que hace este libro es describir las diferentes formas de paisaje que se sucedieron a lo largo de una parte de la historia de lo que hoy llamamos Galicia, en concreto desde la prehistoria reciente (desde el inicio del periodo que se denomina “neolítico”) hasta la época medieval. El relato parte del paisaje tradicional de Galicia para, a continuación, descubrir los elementos típicos de este paisaje y ver cuáles estaban presentes –o ausentes- en los paisajes que lo precedieron y que contribuyeron a su conformación. Los paisajes arqueológicos son algo que no existe. Sus restos, o bien se incorporaron en gran medida a las formas posteriores de paisaje, o bien subyacen relictos y olvidados (“invisibilizados”) bajo éstas. Por eso precisamente llamamos a esos paisajes “arqueológicos”. La historia que hacemos aquí es una historia humana del antropoceno, un concepto cada vez más utilizado para definir una nueva etapa geológico que está marcada por la dominación humana de los sistemas de la Tierra, una etapa en la que la dinámica socioecultura modifica activamente el mundo y sustituye un medio natural por un medio cultural y cada vez más artificial. ESTE DOCUMENTO PDF ES UNA SEPARATA CON LA SELECCIÓN DE ALGUNAS PÁGINAS DEL LIBRO PARA DAR UNA IMPRESIÓN GENERAL DE SUS CONTENIDOS Y FORMATO.
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Este es el texto publicado en 2016 de los cursos de introducción a la astronomía cultural, para estudiantes avanzados de grado y estudiantes de postgrado, dictados en el marco de la Primera Escuela Interamericana de Astronomía Cultural,... more
Este es el texto publicado en 2016 de los cursos de introducción a la astronomía cultural, para estudiantes avanzados de grado y estudiantes de postgrado, dictados en el marco de la Primera Escuela Interamericana de Astronomía Cultural, realizada en La Plata Argentina, en 2012, organizada por la Sociedad Interamericana de Astronomía en la Cultura (SIAC). El curso fue financiado por el aporte de la RECIAC, en el marco del programa CYTED.
Editores: Sixto Giménez Benítez y Cecilia Gómez.
Autores: César González-García, Juan Antonio Belmonte, Mosalam Shaltout, Magdi Fekri y Yasser Abdel-Hadi, Gonzalo Pereira Quiroga, Johanna Broda, Priscila Faulhaber y Alejandro López.
This is the published text of the introductory course of Cultural Astronomy for advanced undergraduate students and post-grade students, taught in the framework of the Primera Escuela Interamericana de Astronomía Cultural (First Inter-American School of Cultural Astronomy), held in La Plata, Argentina, in 2012, organized by the Sociedad Interamericana de Astronomía en la Cultura (Interamerican Society of Astronomy in Culture), SIAC. The course was funded by the contribution of the RECIAC, under the CYTED program.
Editors: Sixto Giménez Benítez y Cecilia Gómez.
Authors: César González-García, Juan Antonio Belmonte, Mosalam Shaltout, Magdi Fekri y Yasser Abdel-Hadi, Gonzalo Pereira Quiroga, Johanna Broda, Priscila Faulhaber y Alejandro López.
Editores: Sixto Giménez Benítez y Cecilia Gómez.
Autores: César González-García, Juan Antonio Belmonte, Mosalam Shaltout, Magdi Fekri y Yasser Abdel-Hadi, Gonzalo Pereira Quiroga, Johanna Broda, Priscila Faulhaber y Alejandro López.
This is the published text of the introductory course of Cultural Astronomy for advanced undergraduate students and post-grade students, taught in the framework of the Primera Escuela Interamericana de Astronomía Cultural (First Inter-American School of Cultural Astronomy), held in La Plata, Argentina, in 2012, organized by the Sociedad Interamericana de Astronomía en la Cultura (Interamerican Society of Astronomy in Culture), SIAC. The course was funded by the contribution of the RECIAC, under the CYTED program.
Editors: Sixto Giménez Benítez y Cecilia Gómez.
Authors: César González-García, Juan Antonio Belmonte, Mosalam Shaltout, Magdi Fekri y Yasser Abdel-Hadi, Gonzalo Pereira Quiroga, Johanna Broda, Priscila Faulhaber y Alejandro López.
Research Interests: Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Archaeoastronomy, Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Astronomy, and 27 moreAncient Astronomy, Astronomy, Historia de la Astronomía, Arqueoastronomia, Archaeoastronomy, Cultural Astronomy, Antropología, Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy, the archaeological site of Copan, Honduras, Astronomía, Astronomia, Astronomía Cultural, Etnoastronomía, Cultura Guaraní, Etnoastronomia, Arqueoastronomia. Divulgación de la astronomía., Arqueoastronomía, Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy, Anthropology of Religion, Cosmovisión Andina y arqueoastronomía, Etnoastronomy, Ensino de Astronomia, Astronomia Archeologia Cultura Prehispanicl, Astronomia Cultural, Archaeoastronomy SEAC, Interculturalidad arqueo astronomía ecología de saberes economía solidaria, Enseñanza De La Astronomia, Andean archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy, Didáctica de la Astronomía, and Australian Aboriginal cultural astronomy
This paper analyses a number of archaeo-graphic elements at the rocky acropolis of the Baroña Hillfort (Porto do Son, A Coruña) that suggest their identification as ‘ambiguous architecture’. We present several solar alignments, in... more
This paper analyses a number of archaeo-graphic elements at the rocky acropolis of the Baroña Hillfort (Porto do Son, A Coruña) that suggest their identification as ‘ambiguous architecture’. We present several solar alignments, in particular with the petroglyph area in Monte Gurita, prominent in the skyline of Baroña. In this area, there is a possible solar representation and further solar alignments were identified. All these facts suggest the possibility that the acropolis could have been considered as a sanctuary. According to this hypothesis, the elements investigated are interpreted as the materialization of an Indo-European and Celtic cosmology that considers the world divided into three layers –sky, land and oceanic netherworld-. Given its topography, the hillfort occupies the intersection among these layers, perhaps suggesting that the whole area may be identified as a hillfort-sanctuary. This proposal must be framed within the archaeological studies that identify complex intellectual processes in the material record and, in such case, with particular key ideas for social life on the order of time and space.
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Resumen La orientación de las iglesias cristianas es un elemento distintivo de su arquitectura que repite patrones desde época paleocristiana. Se ha medido la orientación de un total de 30 iglesias antiguas de la isla de Lanzarote... more
Resumen La orientación de las iglesias cristianas es un elemento distintivo de su arquitectura que repite patrones desde época paleocristiana. Se ha medido la orientación de un total de 30 iglesias antiguas de la isla de Lanzarote edificadas con anterioridad a 1810, así como algunos ejemplos más de época posterior. La muestra indica que se siguió un patrón de orientación determinante en la isla, pero, al contrario que la norma encontrada hasta ahora en el resto del orbe cristiano, este prototipo es doble. Por un lado, aparece la representativa orientación a levante (o poniente), pero la muestra tiene además un patrón marcado de orientaciones hacia el norte-noreste exclusivo, por ahora, de Lanzarote. Se analiza el porqué de esta ex-traña regla, considerándose varias posibilidades desechadas en su mayoría. Encontramos que la explicación puede ser muy prosaica, de forma que, a veces, las necesidades terrenales resultan más relevantes y decisorias que las necesidades del culto.
Palabras clave: orientación de iglesias, templos cristianos, astronomía.
Abstract «The orientation as a sign of cultural identity: the historic churches of Lanzarote».
The orientation of Christian churches is a well-known distinctive feature of their architecture. We have measured the orientation of a total of 30 old churches of the island of Lanzarote built prior to 1810, as well as a few buildings of later times, nearly a complete sample of all the island Christian sanctuaries. The analysis of this sample indicates that a definite orientation pattern was followed on the island but, unlike the standard one often found in most of the Christian world, this prototype is twofold. On the one hand, the representative orientation to the east (or west) is present. However, the sample has also a marked orientation towards the north-northeast, which is as far as we know a pattern exclusive of Lanzarote. We analyze the reasons for this rule and suggest that one posible explanation could be a rather prosaic one, namely, that sometimes earthly needs are more relevant than religious beliefs.
Palabras clave: orientación de iglesias, templos cristianos, astronomía.
Abstract «The orientation as a sign of cultural identity: the historic churches of Lanzarote».
The orientation of Christian churches is a well-known distinctive feature of their architecture. We have measured the orientation of a total of 30 old churches of the island of Lanzarote built prior to 1810, as well as a few buildings of later times, nearly a complete sample of all the island Christian sanctuaries. The analysis of this sample indicates that a definite orientation pattern was followed on the island but, unlike the standard one often found in most of the Christian world, this prototype is twofold. On the one hand, the representative orientation to the east (or west) is present. However, the sample has also a marked orientation towards the north-northeast, which is as far as we know a pattern exclusive of Lanzarote. We analyze the reasons for this rule and suggest that one posible explanation could be a rather prosaic one, namely, that sometimes earthly needs are more relevant than religious beliefs.
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The Cathedral of Santiago (Spain) is one of the three most sacred sites in Christendom together with Saint Peter in Vatican and Jerusalem, and it is the focal point of a pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages. The present Cathedral of... more
The Cathedral of Santiago (Spain) is one of the three most sacred sites in Christendom together with Saint Peter in Vatican and Jerusalem, and it is the focal point of a pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages. The present Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the result of a long-lasting effort of building and reconstruction with two main break-points, the erection of the Romanesque building in the 12th and 13th centuries and its reform during Baroque times (s. XVII). Built at the site of a previous Roman and later Germanic cemetery, its orientation is fully compatible with the canonical rule for the Middle Ages in Spain and indicates an attempt to follow a given date in the Julian calendar, March 25th. This is one of the three calendar dates that are related to the Apostle according to the Codex Callistinus, a writing describing the pilgrimage to Santiago from the XIIth century, the other two being July 25th and December 30th. In the present essay we investigate how the different dates related to this Saint have been incorporated in the original design of the Cathedral and its transformation through time, either through the orientation or by illumination effects, particularly in the Romanesque and the later Baroque reform.
Research Interests: Christianity, Cultural Studies, Archaeology, Architecture, Medieval History, and 13 moreGalician Studies, Medieval Studies, Pilgrimage, Pilgrimage Routes, Architectural Lighting, Medieval Archaeology, Sacred (Religion), Archaeoastronomy, Church History, Cultural Astronomy, Lighting Design, Sacred Architecture, and Archaeology of pilgrimage
¿Cuál es la orientación de las Iglesias cristianas?¿Necesitan estar orientadas de alguna manera? ¿Se cumple esa necesidad?¿Cómo?¿Reflejan las orientaciones diferentes eventos de la vida política y religiosa? En principio, para ir... more
¿Cuál es la orientación de las Iglesias cristianas?¿Necesitan estar orientadas de alguna manera? ¿Se cumple esa necesidad?¿Cómo?¿Reflejan las orientaciones diferentes eventos de la vida política y religiosa? En principio, para ir respondiendo a todos estos interrogantes me centraré en la información textual, en lo que nos dicen los cánones eclesiasticos sobre cómo se deberían orientar las iglesias de forma que el sacerdote y los fieles recen en la dirección adecuada. Este repaso nos llevará desde el comienzo de la Iglesia en los siglos III y IV hasta la Edad Media. Luego repasaré los trabajos que se han realizado para estudiar la orientación en Europa y en la Península Ibérica. Finalmente trataré dos casos particulares que son ilustrativos de cómo la orientación de las iglesias y la cristianización del paisaje reflejan eventos que ocurren en distintas épocas del a historia en la Península Ibérica.
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RESUMEN La orientación de las iglesias cristianas es un elemento distintivo de su arquitectura que repite patrones desde época paleocristiana. Existe una tendencia general a orientar sus ábsides en el rango solar, con una predilección de... more
RESUMEN La orientación de las iglesias cristianas es un elemento distintivo de su arquitectura que repite patrones desde época paleocristiana. Existe una tendencia general a orientar sus ábsides en el rango solar, con una predilección de las orientaciones cercanas al este geográfico (equinoccio astronómico), aunque las alineaciones en sentido opuesto, con el ábside a poniente, si bien resultan excepcionales pues no siguen el patrón canónico, no son inusuales. El caso de las iglesias construidas en el noroeste de África antes de la llegada del Islam resulta paradigmático en este sentido y pudiera reflejar tradiciones anteriores. El Archipiélago canario representa el extremo occidental de esa koine cultural norteafricana, por lo que se ha considerado relevante abordar un estudio de un conjunto compacto de iglesias antiguas en alguna de las islas, eligiendo el de Lanzarote. Se ha medido la orientación de un total de 30 iglesias edificadas con anterioridad a 1810, así como algunos ejemplos más de época posterior. La muestra indica que se siguió un patrón de orientación determinante en la isla, pero al contrario que la norma encontrada hasta ahora en el resto del orbe cristiano, este prototipo es doble. Por un lado, aparece la representativa orientación a levante (o poniente), pero la muestra tiene además un patrón marcado de orientaciones hacia el norte-noreste exclusivo, por ahora, de Lanzarote. Se analiza el porqué de esta extraña regla, considerándose varias posibilidades desechadas en su mayoría. Encontramos que la explicación puede ser muy prosaica, de forma que, a veces, las necesidades terrenales resultan más relevantes y decisorias que las necesidades del culto. ABSTRACT The orientation of Christian churches is a well-known distinctive feature of their architecture. There is a general tendency to align their apses in the solar range, favoring orientations close to the east (astronomical equinox), although the alignments in the opposite direction, namely, with the apse towards the west, are not unusual. The case of the churches built in northwest Africa before the arrival of Islam is paradigmatic in this regard, and may reflect earlier traditions. The Canary Islands is the western end of this North African cultural koine, so we thought it would be relevant to study a compact set of old churches in one of the islands of the archipelago, choosing to start our project with Lanzarote. We have measured the
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Se muestran los resultados de la labor de medida de las orientaciones de los ábsides y cabeceras de 25 iglesias prerrománicas analizadas hasta el momento en Galicia. Si bien el trabajo es aun preliminar ya se pueden extraer un número de... more
Se muestran los resultados de la labor de medida de las orientaciones de los ábsides y cabeceras de 25 iglesias prerrománicas analizadas hasta el momento en Galicia. Si bien el trabajo es aun preliminar ya se pueden extraer un número de interesantes resultados y conclusiones. Las iglesias de nuestra muestra presentan características comunes a las de los templos de la misma época del resto de la Península. Aparece una tendencia generalizada a mostrar una orientación de la iglesia hacia puntos ligeramente hacia el norte respecto al equinoccio astronómico. Esta tendencia es consistente con un uso de la salida del sol el 25 de Marzo para la época de construcción como guía para tal fin. Un caso paradigmático de tal uso y de su pervivencia en el tiempo puede ser la propia catedral de Santiago. Existen excepciones a tal regla, siendo las más características la presencia de orientaciones a poniente entre las iglesias identificadas como las más antiguas. Es interesante que en algún caso el uso de las orientaciones permite ratificar la posible conexión entre la iglesia de San Xes de Francelos con el grupo de iglesias asturianas.
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The orientation of Christian churches is a distinctive feature of its architecture, repeating patterns from early Christian times that show a general tendency to orientate their apses in the solar range, with a predilection for... more
The orientation of Christian churches is a distinctive feature of its
architecture, repeating patterns from early Christian times that show a general
tendency to orientate their apses in the solar range, with a predilection for orientations
near the astronomical equinox. We measured the orientation of a total of 167
churches built prior to A.D. 1086. A comprehensive statistical analysis of the
sample indicates a decisive orientation pattern, with a clear tendency to orientate
according to the standard tradition, albeit with certain particularities. Three subsamples
are examined to find the tendencies at each different historical time. This
exercise indicates that the main group of orientations seem to relate to the Canonical
equinox on 25 March, while popular ‘expected’ orientations, such as that of the
rising sun on the day of the patron saint of the church, are completely absent. Other
groups of orientations are specific to each period, such as that towards sunrise on
Saint James’s day, important only after the discovery of the saint’s tomb in the ninth
century.
architecture, repeating patterns from early Christian times that show a general
tendency to orientate their apses in the solar range, with a predilection for orientations
near the astronomical equinox. We measured the orientation of a total of 167
churches built prior to A.D. 1086. A comprehensive statistical analysis of the
sample indicates a decisive orientation pattern, with a clear tendency to orientate
according to the standard tradition, albeit with certain particularities. Three subsamples
are examined to find the tendencies at each different historical time. This
exercise indicates that the main group of orientations seem to relate to the Canonical
equinox on 25 March, while popular ‘expected’ orientations, such as that of the
rising sun on the day of the patron saint of the church, are completely absent. Other
groups of orientations are specific to each period, such as that towards sunrise on
Saint James’s day, important only after the discovery of the saint’s tomb in the ninth
century.
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The symbolic landscapes of three different areas of the western part of Ourense province are studied. They belong to twod ifferent periods. Firstly we study three big hill-forts (oppida) of the Second Iron Age, their continuity under... more
The symbolic landscapes of three different areas of the western part of Ourense province are studied. They belong to twod ifferent periods. Firstly we study three big hill-forts (oppida) of the Second Iron Age, their continuity under Roman Empire and their relation with relevant solar orientations that bring into the argument another kind of archaeological entities defined as sanctuaries. We detect, then, a dual model of territorial appropriation formed by the hill-fort and the sanctuary linked by solar relations. Secondly we study the earlier testimonies of evangelization available for every case, and we notice how evangelization reads, in some way, the previous local cultural landscapes and use them following a common Christian inspiration with different manifestations. Finally we will try to outline a historical characterization of these observations, we want to stress the fact that we have left multiple questions opened around a study whose relevance we are, in fact, proposing now: how is a landscape evangelized?
Key words: Galice – Iron Age – Early Middle Age – evangelization – landscape –archaeoastronomy.
Key words: Galice – Iron Age – Early Middle Age – evangelization – landscape –archaeoastronomy.
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Recent observations show that inner discs and rings (IDs and IRs, henceforth) are not preferably found in barred galaxies, a fact that points to the relevance of formation mechanisms different to the traditional bar-origin scenario. In... more
Recent observations show that inner discs and rings (IDs and IRs, henceforth) are not preferably found in barred galaxies, a fact that points to the relevance of formation mechanisms different to the traditional bar-origin scenario. In contrast, the role of minor mergers in the formation of these inner components (ICs), while often invoked, is still poorly understood. We have investigated the capability of minor mergers to trigger the formation of IDs and IRs in spiral galaxies through collisionless N-body simulations. We have run a battery of minor mergers in which both primary and secondary are modelled as disc-bulge-halo galaxies with realistic density ratios. A detailed analysis of the morphology, structure, and kinematics of the ICs resulting from the minor merger has been carried out. All the simulated minor mergers develop thin ICs out of satellite material, supported by rotation. A wide morphological zoo of ICs has been obtained (including IDs, IRs, pseudo-rings, nested IDs, spiral patterns, and combinations of them), but all with structural and kinematical properties similar to observations. The existence of the resulting ICs can be deduced through the features that they imprint in the isophotal profiles and kinemetric maps of the final remnant, as in many real galaxies. The realistic density ratios used in the present models make the satellites to experience more efficient orbital circularization and disruption than in previous studies. Combined with the disc resonances induced by the encounter, these processes give place to highly aligned co- and counter-rotating ICs in the remnant centre. Therefore, minor mergers are an efficient mechanism to form rotationally-supported stellar ICs in spiral galaxies, neither requiring strong dissipation nor the development of noticeable bars (abridged).
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Early-type dwarf galaxies are the most common type of galaxies observed in the Universe. The origin of this kind of systems is still not well understood. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the different locations of dwarf... more
Early-type dwarf galaxies are the most common type of galaxies observed in the Universe. The origin of this kind of systems is still not well understood. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the different locations of dwarf galaxies with respect to ellipticals in the face-on view of the fundamental plane could be due to the transformation of bright disc galaxies in low-mass systems by harassment. We have run high-resolution N-body numerical simulations to test the tidal stripping scenario of the dE galaxies. The present simulations modelled several individual tidal stripping events on initial disc-like galaxy models with different bulge-to-disc mass ratios. Tidal stripping is a very efficient mechanism for removing stars and dark matter particles from galaxies. The particles of the disc and halo components were easily stripped, while the bulge not. Thus, the scale length of the discs were 40-50% shorter than the initial ones. Prograde tidal interactions create tidal features like stable bars in the discs of the galaxies. After several tidal interactions the galaxy remnants looks like a dwarf spheroidal system. Simulated galaxies with initial large B/D ratios are closer to the face-on view of the fundamental plane defined by bright E and bulges of early-type galaxies. Nevertheless, galaxies with initial small B/D ratio are located, after four fast tidal encounters, at the position of dE galaxies in the face-on view of the fundamental plane. We conclude that fast galaxy-galaxy interactions are efficient mechanisms for transforming bright galaxies in dwarf ones. Indeed, the different location observed between Es and dEs in the face-on view of the fundamental plane can be explained by the formation of dwarf galaxies by harassment of late-type bright ones.
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Context: .Satellite accretion events have been invoked for mimicking the internal secular evolutionary processes of bulge growth. However, N-body simulations of satellite accretions have paid little attention to the evolution of bulge... more
Context: .Satellite accretion events have been invoked for mimicking the internal secular evolutionary processes of bulge growth. However, N-body simulations of satellite accretions have paid little attention to the evolution of bulge photometric parameters, to the processes driving this evolution, and to the consistency of this evolution with observations. Aims: .We want to investigate whether satellite accretions indeed drive the growth of bulges, and whether they are consistent with global scaling relations of bulges and discs. Methods: .We perform N-body models of the accretion of satellites onto disc galaxies. A Tully-Fisher (M∝ V_rotα_TF}) scaling between primary and satellite ensures that density ratios, critical to the outcome of the accretion, are realistic. We carry out a full structural, kinematic and dynamical analysis of the evolution of the bulge mass, bulge central concentration, and bulge-to-disc scaling relations. Results: . The remnants of the accretion have bulge-disc structure. Both the bulge-to-disc ratio (B/D) and the Sérsic index (n) of the remnant bulge increase as a result of the accretion, with moderate final bulge Sérsic indices: n = 1.0 to 1.9. Bulge growth occurs no matter the fate of the secondary, which fully disrupts for α_TF=3 and partially survives to the remnant center for α_TF = 3.5 or 4. Global structural parameters evolve following trends similar to observations. We show that the dominant mechanism for bulge growth is the inward flow of material from the disc to the bulge region during the satellite decay. Conclusions: .The models confirm that the growth of the bulge out of disc material, a central ingredient of secular evolution models, may be triggered externally through satellite accretion.
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Modern kinematic diagnostics from high-S/N spectroscopy provide useful tests on the collisionless merger hypothesis for the formation of elliptical galaxies. Bender, Saglia & Gerhard (1994) show that the skewness of the line-of-sight... more
Modern kinematic diagnostics from high-S/N spectroscopy provide useful tests on the collisionless merger hypothesis for the formation of elliptical galaxies. Bender, Saglia & Gerhard (1994) show that the skewness of the line-of-sight velocity distributions (LOSVD) has opposite sign to the rotation velocity and follows a distinct pattern. Previous N-body experiments (Bendo & Barnes 2000, Naab & Burkert 2001) disagree as to whether the relation is reproduced by the models.
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We have run high resolution N-body models simulating the encounter of a dwarf galaxy with a bright elliptical galaxy. The dwarf absorbs orbital angular momentum and shows counter-rotating features in the external regions of the galaxy. To... more
We have run high resolution N-body models simulating the encounter of a dwarf galaxy with a bright elliptical galaxy. The dwarf absorbs orbital angular momentum and shows counter-rotating features in the external regions of the galaxy. To explain the core-envelope kinematic decoupling observed in some dwarf galaxies in high-density environments requires nearly head-on collisions and very little dark matter bound to the dwarf. These kinematic structures appear under rather restrictive conditions. As a consequence, in a cluster like Virgo ~1% of dwarf galaxies may present counter-rotation formed by harassment.
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We analyse the skewness of the line-of-sight velocity distributions in model elliptical galaxies built through collisionless galaxy mergers. We build the models using large N-body simulations of mergers between either two spiral or two... more
We analyse the skewness of the line-of-sight velocity distributions in model elliptical galaxies built through collisionless galaxy mergers. We build the models using large N-body simulations of mergers between either two spiral or two elliptical galaxies. Our aim is to investigate whether the observed ranges of skewness coefficient (h3) and the rotational support (V/sigma), as well as the anticorrelation between h3 and V, may be reproduced through collisionless mergers. Previous attempts using N-body simulations failed to reach V/sigma ~ 1-2 and corresponding high h3 values, which suggested that gas dynamics and ensuing star formation might be needed in order to explain the skewness properties of ellipticals through mergers. Here we show that high V/sigma and high h3 are reproduced in collisionless spiral-spiral mergers whenever a central bulge allows the discs to retain some of their original angular momentum during the merger. We also show that elliptical-elliptical mergers, unless merging from a high-angular momentum orbit, reproduce the strong skewness observed in non-rotating, giant, boxy ellipticals. The behaviour of the h3 coefficient therefore associates rapidly-rotating disky ellipticals to disc-disc mergers, and associates boxy, slowly-rotating giant ellipticals to elliptical-elliptical mergers, a framework generally consistent with the expectations of hierarchical galaxy formation.
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A lunar standstill, also named a lunistice in resonance of the solar ‘solstice’ (the Sun standing still), is the moment of the lunar month when the Moon is seen farthest north or south with respect to other positions of that particular... more
A lunar standstill, also named a lunistice in resonance of the solar ‘solstice’ (the Sun standing still), is the moment of the lunar month when the Moon is seen farthest north or south with respect to other positions of that particular swinging motion from a given position on Earth. As Lionel Sims indicates in his paper, these extremes are not completely fixed, due to the receding motion of the line of nodes, and thus, the extremes vary between a major and a minor extreme in an 18.6-year period (or 9.3 years if we take the period between a major and a minor extreme).
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On the basis of a recently updated data base of Sardinian Megalithic monuments, we perform two independent statistical analyses on several groups of these structures and confirm the existence of differences between the southern and... more
On the basis of a recently updated data base of Sardinian Megalithic monuments, we
perform two independent statistical analyses on several groups of these structures
and confirm the existence of differences between the southern and northern halves of
Sardinia, indicating that there seem to be different traditions of orientation in these two
parts of the island. We then compare the orientation of these groups with other groups of
contemporaneous sacred monuments in the central Mediterranean basin. The differences
observed in Sardinia could be related to differences in the orientation customs between
the north and south shores of the Western Mediterranean
perform two independent statistical analyses on several groups of these structures
and confirm the existence of differences between the southern and northern halves of
Sardinia, indicating that there seem to be different traditions of orientation in these two
parts of the island. We then compare the orientation of these groups with other groups of
contemporaneous sacred monuments in the central Mediterranean basin. The differences
observed in Sardinia could be related to differences in the orientation customs between
the north and south shores of the Western Mediterranean
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Orientation studies have recently received considerable attention in the archaeological domain as a source of information that may shed light on a number of anthropological issues such as beliefs systems or landscape and territory... more
Orientation studies have recently received considerable attention in the archaeological domain as a source of information that may shed light on a number of anthropological issues such as beliefs systems or landscape and territory apprehension by past cultures. This is especially important in those cultural contexts, such as the ‘megalithic’ phenome-na, where there are no written additional sources (Hoskin, 2001; González-García and Belmonte, 2010). This is the case of the Hafit and Umm en Nar cultures that dominated the eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula during the Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age (EBA, third millennium BC), in the so-called land of Magan (present day Oman and the Emirates). In a field campaign in January 2012 several ancient EBA necropolises of the region were visited and (when possible) measured in an attempt to shed some light on the orientation customs of these ancient people. This paper presents the data for about seventy monuments, and the first outcomes of the fieldwork show that certain customs were present in the data that are far from being easily understood. This is the first sys-tematic archaeoastronomical approach ever conducted in the Arabian Peninsula.
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This article presents the results of an archaeoastronomical study on the orientation of the prehistoric funerary mounds of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain, in the easternmost Mongolian Altai mountain range. After introducing the results of the... more
This article presents the results of an archaeoastronomical study on the orientation of the prehistoric funerary mounds of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain, in the easternmost Mongolian Altai mountain range. After introducing the results of the measurements taken in the field, we hypothesise that the localisation pattern of mounds could be connected to an alignment with a specific mountaintop that is visible in the south eastern horizon, in coincidence with a specific lunar event: the southern major lunistice. In order to build a significant interpretative framework, we also examine several folk rituals from Central Asia that could be associated with the Mongolian traditional lunar calendar, as well as other moon-related celebrations.
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Located in the southern part of the Levant, the territory of present day Jordan functioned as a cultural crossroad since times immemorial. The state of preservation of the different remains and the quantity of the different stages makes... more
Located in the southern part of the Levant, the territory of present day Jordan functioned as a cultural crossroad since times immemorial. The state of preservation of the different remains and the quantity of the different stages makes Jordan a perfect area to perform a study on the evolution along time of the orientation customs. During our field campaign in December 2011, we collected data on a number of different cultic structures throughout the country, from Bronze Age temples, to megalithic monuments, Iron Age Nabataean monuments, Roman and Hellenistic cities and temples and Byzantine churches with a small number of Muslim mosques. This sample of over 300 structures of different periods allows a diachronic comparison of the orientation of cultic buildings for the last 5000 years in this area of the Levant. We find a consistency to orientate the cultic structures in accordance to similar areas of the horizon. This similarity is striking when comparing the megalithic monuments found along the whole country with the Nabataean monuments of nearly 2000 years later. This consistency appears despite the chronological gap, the cultural differences and also possibly the different ethnic components of these societies. The consistency seems to be broken after the Roman conquest, especially with the introduction of Christianity and definitely after the expansion of Islam. A comparison with other neighboring areas of the Near East is sketched in order to compare with contemporary monuments for each epoch.
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The OAS Project has been run with the support of the Spanish research funding agencies during the last dozen years. Within its framework, research on cultural astronomy has been developed for a series of ancient civilizations, from the... more
The OAS Project has been run with the support of the Spanish research funding agencies during the last dozen years. Within its framework, research on cultural astronomy has been developed for a series of ancient civilizations, from the Atlantic Islands to the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, with the Meditterranean Sea as the principal axis of action of the project. A catalogue of studies has been performed in a set of cultures such as the Megalithic Phenomenon (González-García and Belmonte, 2010; Belmonte; González-García and Polcaro, 2013a), ancient Egypt (Belmonte and Shaltout, 2009; Belmonte, 2012), Middle East Bronze Age (notably on the Hittites: González-García and Belmonte, 2011) and Iron Age (notably on the Nabataeans: Belmonte, González-García and Polcaro, 2013b) civilizations and the Roman World (e.g. González-García, Rodríguez-Antón and Belmonte, 2014), among many others. In this essay a general scope of the project and a series of most interesting highlights will be presented. The evolutionary ties of the megalithic monuments of the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere, the pattern of orientation of Egyptian temples and skyscaping practices within the Hittite or Nabataean cultures, among others, will be briefly explored; including a comprehensive, statistical and comparative study of the orientation patterns of thousands of ancient monuments of the Mediterranean region (González-García and Belmonte, 2014). Finally, a sketch of our most recent, still ongoing, research will be a compelling and promising closing remark of our analysis.
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This chapter presents a preliminary approach to the problem of royal tomb orientation in ancient Egypt from early dynastic mausoleums at the necropolis of Umm al Qab to the impressive subterranean chambers of the tombs at the Valley of... more
This chapter presents a preliminary approach to the problem of royal tomb orientation in ancient Egypt from early dynastic mausoleums at the necropolis of Umm al Qab to the impressive subterranean chambers of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings (Biban al Maluk) and beyond. This work clearly shows that a correct orientation of the monuments, from early mastabas to later hypogea, was mandatory and that the sjy played a highly relevant role in understanding of ancient Egyptian funerary monuments in most periods.
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This chapter presents a preliminary approach to the problem of royal tomb orientation in ancient Egypt from early dynastic mausoleums at the necropolis of Umm al Qab to the impressive subterranean chambers of the tombs at the Valley of... more
This chapter presents a preliminary approach to the problem of royal tomb orientation in ancient Egypt from early dynastic mausoleums at the necropolis of Umm al Qab to the impressive subterranean chambers of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings (Biban al Maluk) and beyond. This work clearly shows that a correct orientation of the monuments, from early mastabas to later hypogea, was mandatory and that the sjy played a highly relevant role in understanding of ancient Egyptian funerary monuments in most periods.
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Within the framework of the project Orientatio ad Sidera II, of the Spanish MICINN, the geographical, historical and anthropological context of a possible interest about the heavens by the Hittites has been scrutinized (González García &... more
Within the framework of the project Orientatio ad Sidera II, of the Spanish MICINN, the geographical, historical and anthropological context of a possible interest about the heavens by the Hittites has been scrutinized (González García & Belmonte 2011). Special care is devoted to analysing the Hittite religion within its Anatolian context, notably the solar cults and the festival calendar. Contemporaneous with the Egyptian New Kingdom, the inhabitants of the Hittite Empire and their masters, the kings of the land of Hatti, produced a most sophisticated society, heir to a long Anatolian cultural tradition lasting for several millenian, However, cultural astronomy studies in this area and particular period have been practically non-existent, altough preliminary analyses of some Hittie sites, such as Yazilikaya (Belmonte 2000: 89; Krupp 2005: 413) or Sarissa (Müller-Karpe, Müller-Karpe & Schrimpf 2009: 141), and of a few written sources had shown certain clues to a possible interest in the sky. It is not the aim of this short essay to produce a review on Hittie religion but rather to concentrate on those aspects of the cult that could ve of interest to our work. Thse are the solar, and other astral, divinites the sacred space and its administrators, the calendar of festivals -i.e., Hittite sacred time- and, finally, the dead cult and related spaces and topography. To our knowledge, this is the first project dedicated to cultural astronomy studies of the Hittite civilization. In this respect, we have abalysed in depht bibliographical sources, including some original texts. The importance of solar cults has been clearly emphasized, and certain hints on the Hittite sacred time have been established with a certain degree of certitude. This will be useful for a later comaprison with the data provided by the archaeoastronomical research.
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The possible astronomical or topographical orientations of Hittite monuments have remained inexplored until recently. This would provide us with an importnat insight into how the temporality and sacred spaces were imprinted in the... more
The possible astronomical or topographical orientations of Hittite monuments have remained inexplored until recently. This would provide us with an importnat insight into how the temporality and sacred spaces were imprinted in the landscape by this culture, The analysis of a statistically significant sample of Hittite temples -and a few monumental gates- demonstrates that Hittite monuments were not ramdomly orientated as previously argued. On the contrary, there are well-defined patterns of orientation that can be interpreted within the context of Hittite culture and religion. This is the first intensive fieldwork dedicated to archaeastronomical studies of the Hittite culture. Our data confirm the textual evidence and show the relevance of solstitial and "equinoctial" orientations that could be explained within the context of Hittite solar cult. Indeed, Hattusa has shown a striking and highly interesting astronomical and topographical landscape, where potential relationship between astronomical phenomena, built structures such as temples and monumental gates, and different elements of the local landscape can be observed. Our intention has been to put archaeoastronomy on the correct footing it deserves within Hittitological studies.
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The idea of temporality and how this concept is introduced in the ritual domain could be investigated in past cultures through measurements of the orientation of cultic build-ings, provided that such orientations are linked with... more
The idea of temporality and how this concept is introduced in the ritual domain could be investigated in past cultures through measurements of the orientation of cultic build-ings, provided that such orientations are linked with particular astronomical events. Hel-lenic societies, among those of the Mediterranean Iron Age, had a need to regulate time through a calendar. The orientation of Hellenic temples in present day Greece and the South of Italy have recently been shown to be somewhat dissimilar, despite the obvious cultural links. In the present paper we verify if the samples of orientations of Hellenic temples in five distinct geographic areas are consistent with each other from a statistical point of view. Then we compute the internal variability among these groups by compar-ing them with other samples of temples across the Mediterranean, both for the Iron and Bronze ages, in order also to find possible long duration effects on the orientation of tem-ples. Despite apparent discrepancies when directly comparing the Hellenic samples, a clear similarity among these groups of temples appear when we compare them with temples from other societies. Such comparison links closer the temples in Greece with those in Lycia and perhaps Cyrene, and the ones in Sicily with those of Magna Graecia. As a by-product, we find other possible concordances among sacred building orienta-tions across the Mediterranean that may deserve further exploration in the future.
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Although the final definition of Archaeoastronomy is still under debate, what is clear is that this discipline offers a different approach to the knowledge of ancient cultures than traditional archaeology has done so far. Archaeoastronomy... more
Although the final definition of Archaeoastronomy is still under debate, what is clear is that this discipline offers a different approach to the knowledge of ancient cultures than traditional archaeology has done so far. Archaeoastronomy considers the sky as an inseparabe part of the environment and thus an element of the transformed landscape with highly symbolic content. In the case of the Roman culture, the great colonizing activity involved continuous spatial transformations and the skyscape should be considered as a piece of the created urbanized spaces. For this reason, a number of fieldwork campaigns were conducted in several Roman cities across different regions of the ancient Roman Empire in order to study the configuration of those landscapes and the possible integration of the sky during the buiding processes. At the present, our group has the largest sample of orientations of Roman settlements so far, and here it is shown the preliminary results of an statistical analysis which may offer new answers to the various still open questions in Roman urbanism, often faced from conservative views.
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Las investigaciones arqueológicas en Cartagena –la antigua Qart Hadašt púnica, posterior Carthago Nova romana– evidencian la existencia de elementos topográficos, urbanísticos y rituales, susceptibles de ser analizados desde la... more
Las investigaciones arqueológicas en Cartagena –la antigua Qart Hadašt púnica, posterior
Carthago Nova romana– evidencian la existencia de elementos topográficos, urbanísticos y rituales, susceptibles
de ser analizados desde la perspectiva de la Astronomía Cultural. Por ello, en octubre de 2013 un equipo
interdisciplinar de astrofísicos y arqueólogos realizó una campaña de mediciones de los principales hitos
topográficos y arqueológicos de la ciudad púnica y romana. Metodológicamente, para cada ítem se estableció
el criterio básico de orientación y se tomó su azimut utilizando tres tándems de brújula de precisión más
clinómetro. Los datos obtenidos demuestran la relevancia en la ciudad antigua de una serie de orientaciones
hacia la salida y la puesta del sol en el solsticio de verano, cuya significación se integra plenamente en el
contexto del ritual fenicio-púnico. Dicho sentido pudo incorporarse y reinterpretarse en el contexto de las
posteriores refundaciones romanas y de sus sucesivos programas urbanísticos y arquitectónicos, en particular
el del período augústeo, cuando determinadas orientaciones astronómicas pudieron servir para afianzar la
imagen de Roma y el princeps como restauradores de la paz y garantes de un nuevo orden fundado en elementos
cosmológicos.
Abstract: Archaeological investigations in Cartagena –the ancient Punic Qart Hadašt, Roman Carthago
Nova– have manifested the existence of ritual, urban and topographical elements that could be analyzed from
the perspective of Cultural Astronomy. Therefore, in October 2013, an interdisciplinary team of astronomers
and archaeologists conducted a field campaign of the main topographic and archaeological landmarks of the
Punic and Roman periods of the city. Methodologically, a basic guide criterion was established for each particular
element, measuring its corresponding azimuth(s). Three tandems, including precision compasses and
clinometers, were used to take the measurements. The data obtained have demonstrated the relevance, within
the ancient city, of a series of orientations towards sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice, whose significance
could be fully integrated within the context of the Punic ritual. This skyscaping was merged and reinterpreted in
the framework of the subsequent Roman appropriation of the city landscape, including their successive urban
and architectural programs, in particular that of the period of Emperor Augustus, when certain astronomical
orientations could serve to strengthen the image of Rome and the ‘Princeps’ as restorers of peace and guarantees
of a new order based in cosmological elements.
Carthago Nova romana– evidencian la existencia de elementos topográficos, urbanísticos y rituales, susceptibles
de ser analizados desde la perspectiva de la Astronomía Cultural. Por ello, en octubre de 2013 un equipo
interdisciplinar de astrofísicos y arqueólogos realizó una campaña de mediciones de los principales hitos
topográficos y arqueológicos de la ciudad púnica y romana. Metodológicamente, para cada ítem se estableció
el criterio básico de orientación y se tomó su azimut utilizando tres tándems de brújula de precisión más
clinómetro. Los datos obtenidos demuestran la relevancia en la ciudad antigua de una serie de orientaciones
hacia la salida y la puesta del sol en el solsticio de verano, cuya significación se integra plenamente en el
contexto del ritual fenicio-púnico. Dicho sentido pudo incorporarse y reinterpretarse en el contexto de las
posteriores refundaciones romanas y de sus sucesivos programas urbanísticos y arquitectónicos, en particular
el del período augústeo, cuando determinadas orientaciones astronómicas pudieron servir para afianzar la
imagen de Roma y el princeps como restauradores de la paz y garantes de un nuevo orden fundado en elementos
cosmológicos.
Abstract: Archaeological investigations in Cartagena –the ancient Punic Qart Hadašt, Roman Carthago
Nova– have manifested the existence of ritual, urban and topographical elements that could be analyzed from
the perspective of Cultural Astronomy. Therefore, in October 2013, an interdisciplinary team of astronomers
and archaeologists conducted a field campaign of the main topographic and archaeological landmarks of the
Punic and Roman periods of the city. Methodologically, a basic guide criterion was established for each particular
element, measuring its corresponding azimuth(s). Three tandems, including precision compasses and
clinometers, were used to take the measurements. The data obtained have demonstrated the relevance, within
the ancient city, of a series of orientations towards sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice, whose significance
could be fully integrated within the context of the Punic ritual. This skyscaping was merged and reinterpreted in
the framework of the subsequent Roman appropriation of the city landscape, including their successive urban
and architectural programs, in particular that of the period of Emperor Augustus, when certain astronomical
orientations could serve to strengthen the image of Rome and the ‘Princeps’ as restorers of peace and guarantees
of a new order based in cosmological elements.
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Résumé Le débat sur l’interprétation de la fête du Concilium Galliarum, le 1er août, à Lugdunum, oppose les tenants d’une position « celtisante » inaugurée par d’Arbois de Jubainville à ceux d’une position « romaniste » fondée par... more
Résumé Le débat sur l’interprétation de la fête du Concilium Galliarum, le 1er août, à Lugdunum, oppose les tenants d’une position « celtisante » inaugurée par d’Arbois de Jubainville à ceux d’une position « romaniste » fondée par Jullian. Les auteurs envisagent la nécessité de son dépassement en actualisant des aspects de l’agenda d’Audin. Ils étudient le
tracé urbain de la colonie et du sanctuaire municipal du culte impérial en constatant son orientation vers le lever du Soleil au 1er août. De plus, les animaux mentionnés dans le mythe de fondation de Lugdunum sont migrateurs et présents dans la région pendant l’hiver et l’été. En conclusion, ils proposent d’aller au-delà du débat entre assimilation et résistance à la romanisation en mettant l’accent sur l’interaction entre les cultures. Le premier prêtre de l’autel, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos, est un représentant de cette réalité complexe.
Abstract The debate over the interpretation of the festival of Concilium Galliarum (1 August) in Lugdunum sets supporters of the Celtizing position instated by Arbois de Jubainville against that of the Romanists established by Jullian. The authors consider it necessary to move on from this stand-off by reconsidering aspects of Audin’s calendar. They study the urban traces of the colony and the municipal sanctuary of the imperial cult, noting the latter’s orientation towards the rising sun on 1 August. In addition, the animals mentioned in the foundation myth of Lugdunum are migrating creatures and present in the region during winter and summer. In conclusion, the authors propose moving beyond the debate on assimilation and the resistance to Romanization, and place emphasis on the interaction between the two cultures. The
sanctuary’s first priest, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos, is representative of this complex reality.
Zusammenfassung. In der Debatte über die Interpretation des festlich begangenen Concilium Galliarum am 1. August
in Lugdunum stehen sich die Vertreter der von Arbois de Jubainville begründeten „keltisierenden“ Theorie und die
Vertreter der von Jullian begründeten „romanistischen“ Theorie gegenüber. Die Autoren erwägen die Notwendigkeit,
Audins Kalender einer neuen Betrachtung zu unterziehen und die Debatte damit abzuschließen. Sie untersuchen
den Grundriss der Kolonie und das städtische Heiligtum für den Kaiserkult und stellen deren Orientierung auf den
Sonnenaufgang am 1. August fest. Darüber hinaus handelt es sich bei den im Gründungsmythos von Lugdunum
erwähnten Tieren um migrierende Spezies, die sich jeweils im Winter oder im Sommer in der Region aufhalten.
Abschließend schlagen die Autoren vor, über die Debatte hinauszugehen, welche die Anhänger der Assimilation und
des Widerstandes gegenüber der Romanisierung miteinander konfrontiert und setzen den Akzent auf die wechselseitige
Beziehung zwischen der römischen und gallischen Kultur. Der Oberpriester des Bundesaltars, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos,
ist ein Repräsentant dieser komplexen Realität.
tracé urbain de la colonie et du sanctuaire municipal du culte impérial en constatant son orientation vers le lever du Soleil au 1er août. De plus, les animaux mentionnés dans le mythe de fondation de Lugdunum sont migrateurs et présents dans la région pendant l’hiver et l’été. En conclusion, ils proposent d’aller au-delà du débat entre assimilation et résistance à la romanisation en mettant l’accent sur l’interaction entre les cultures. Le premier prêtre de l’autel, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos, est un représentant de cette réalité complexe.
Abstract The debate over the interpretation of the festival of Concilium Galliarum (1 August) in Lugdunum sets supporters of the Celtizing position instated by Arbois de Jubainville against that of the Romanists established by Jullian. The authors consider it necessary to move on from this stand-off by reconsidering aspects of Audin’s calendar. They study the urban traces of the colony and the municipal sanctuary of the imperial cult, noting the latter’s orientation towards the rising sun on 1 August. In addition, the animals mentioned in the foundation myth of Lugdunum are migrating creatures and present in the region during winter and summer. In conclusion, the authors propose moving beyond the debate on assimilation and the resistance to Romanization, and place emphasis on the interaction between the two cultures. The
sanctuary’s first priest, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos, is representative of this complex reality.
Zusammenfassung. In der Debatte über die Interpretation des festlich begangenen Concilium Galliarum am 1. August
in Lugdunum stehen sich die Vertreter der von Arbois de Jubainville begründeten „keltisierenden“ Theorie und die
Vertreter der von Jullian begründeten „romanistischen“ Theorie gegenüber. Die Autoren erwägen die Notwendigkeit,
Audins Kalender einer neuen Betrachtung zu unterziehen und die Debatte damit abzuschließen. Sie untersuchen
den Grundriss der Kolonie und das städtische Heiligtum für den Kaiserkult und stellen deren Orientierung auf den
Sonnenaufgang am 1. August fest. Darüber hinaus handelt es sich bei den im Gründungsmythos von Lugdunum
erwähnten Tieren um migrierende Spezies, die sich jeweils im Winter oder im Sommer in der Region aufhalten.
Abschließend schlagen die Autoren vor, über die Debatte hinauszugehen, welche die Anhänger der Assimilation und
des Widerstandes gegenüber der Romanisierung miteinander konfrontiert und setzen den Akzent auf die wechselseitige
Beziehung zwischen der römischen und gallischen Kultur. Der Oberpriester des Bundesaltars, C. Iulius Vercondaridubnos,
ist ein Repräsentant dieser komplexen Realität.
Research Interests:
The longstanding debate about the interpretation of the Concilium Galliarum, celebrated at Lugdunum on Augusts 1st has been traditionally divided among those in favor of a ‘Celtic’ tradition and those advocating for a ‘Roman’ praxis. We... more
The longstanding debate about the interpretation of the Concilium Galliarum, celebrated at Lugdunum on Augusts 1st has been traditionally divided among those in favor of a ‘Celtic’ tradition and those advocating for a ‘Roman’ praxis. We advocate, following the works by Audin, that the study of the urban layout may shed light into this controversy. We find that this Roman grid has a remarkable orientation consistent with the orientation towards the rising sun on days close to this festivity. The location of the main sanctuaries of the city, the municipal sanctuary devoted to the imperial cult and the Three Gaul sanc-tuary, situated on both sides of the river, reveals interesting astronomical relations. These could be interpreted as an attempt at the time of the early Empire to include the Augus-tus and Rome cult even in areas with a strong pre-existent tradition, like the Gaul.
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Despite the fact that ancient writings indicate a clear necessity to orient Roman towns according to the path of the sun (Hyginus Gromatius, Constitutio, 1), Le Gall (1975) in an early work made clear that there was no clear preferred... more
Despite the fact that ancient writings indicate a clear necessity to orient Roman towns according to the path of the sun (Hyginus Gromatius, Constitutio, 1), Le Gall (1975) in an early work made clear that there was no clear preferred orientation pattern. However, Le Gall’s analysis was done by taking into consideration a sparse number of Roman towns from widely different latitudes, ranging from England to Algeria. However, recent re-sults show that when a restricted geographic area is considered, some patterns of orienta-tion do arise (Magli 2008, González-García and Costa-Ferrer 2011). We present the pre-liminary results from a survey to obtain a statistically significant sample of the orienta-tion of Roman cities in Hispania. This region was where the greatest number of cities were founded in the western part of the Roman Empire, both during the Republic and the Empire (Laurence, Esmonde Cleary & Sears, 2011), and it provides a perfect test bed for ideas on the orientation of Roman towns. So far, we have measured 43 Roman settle-ments in Hispania, and we can already verify some of the ideas on how Roman towns were oriented. The orientation of Roman towns in Hispania do seem to follow an astro-nomical pattern, with certain directions perhaps connected to particularly important dates of the Roman calendar.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A recently accomplished systematic study of 271 architectural orientations measured at 87 archaeological sites in the Maya Lowlands led to several conclusions about the underlying astronomical motives. In order to test these proposals, we... more
A recently accomplished systematic study of 271 architectural orientations measured at 87 archaeological sites in the Maya Lowlands led to several conclusions about the underlying astronomical motives. In order to test these proposals, we have performed a number of statistical analyses, employing kernel density estimations (KDEs) and cluster analyses without preconceived ideas on the directionality of the different buildings. Since most buildings have roughly rectangular ground plans, both north-south and east-west orientation axes were analyzed. Our KDE analyses, in which the errors assigned to alignment data were considered, are based on the assumption that the direction in which a particular orientation group was astronomically functional is indicated in histograms by narrower maxima with larger amplitudes. The distribution of azimuths and declinations suggests that the orientations were functional predominantly in the east-west direction, largely referring to the Sun, but the existence of alignments to the major extremes of Venus and the Moon on the horizon is also highly likely. The analyses of the distribution of sunrise and sunset dates corresponding to solar orientations, as well as of the intervening intervals, support the idea that the orientations recorded the dates separated by multiples of 13 and 20 days, allowing the use of easily manageable observational calendars intended to facilitate a proper scheduling of agricultural activities and the associated rituals. As revealed by cluster analyses, the East Coast and the Usumacinta basin share similar orientation trends, which are, however, notably different from those in the rest of the Maya Lowlands, probably reflecting regional variations observed also in other cultural elements.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Review by A. César González-García, Journal for the History of Astronomy (Nov. 2014). For more information visit: www.universeisland.com.
Research Interests:
In some of the Iron Age hillforts of the northwest Iberian Peninsula (“Gallaecia”, in an-tiquity), public buildings used as saunas have been found. So far some twenty examples are known, in different states of conservation. These are... more
In some of the Iron Age hillforts of the northwest Iberian Peninsula (“Gallaecia”, in an-tiquity), public buildings used as saunas have been found. So far some twenty examples are known, in different states of conservation. These are distributed between two sepa-rated regional clusters, northern and southern. The southern cases display a single pedra formosa (“beautiful stone”) to define the entrance to the sweat room. In some cases these are richly decorated with “astral” motives. This fact, and the longitudinal pattern of the layout of the buildings, invites a search for eventual astral alignments. 21 saunas (10 northern and 11 southern) were measured. The results confirm the regional difference also in this respect: Only three of the northern saunas show solstitial orientations, but four of the southern are oriented towards the southern lunar standstill and three others towards dates compatible with the mid-season Celtic feasts.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
En el presente trabajo partiremos de tres grandes castros del occidente de la provincia de Ourense (San Cibrán de Las, Castromao y Armea) con un número significativo de rasgos comunes en el período durante el que estuvieron activos desde... more
En el presente trabajo partiremos de tres grandes castros del occidente de la provincia de Ourense (San Cibrán de Las, Castromao y Armea) con un número significativo de rasgos
comunes en el período durante el que estuvieron activos desde la Edad del Hierro hasta entrado el período de dominio romano, pero también en la forma en que el cristianismo los utilizó en el momento de su triunfo. Esos rasgos apuntan a la existencia de un patrón regional de transformación simbólica del espacio que lleva a configurar un paisaje que podemos calificar como »cristiano« construido, como veremos, a partir de la reinterpretación en
clave cristiana de elementos materiales y simbólicos de la Edad del Hierro con un especial relieve de una serie de alineaciones solares.
comunes en el período durante el que estuvieron activos desde la Edad del Hierro hasta entrado el período de dominio romano, pero también en la forma en que el cristianismo los utilizó en el momento de su triunfo. Esos rasgos apuntan a la existencia de un patrón regional de transformación simbólica del espacio que lleva a configurar un paisaje que podemos calificar como »cristiano« construido, como veremos, a partir de la reinterpretación en
clave cristiana de elementos materiales y simbólicos de la Edad del Hierro con un especial relieve de una serie de alineaciones solares.
Research Interests:
There is increasing evidence to suggest that cosmological factors were applied in the planning and orientation of Roman towns, at least under Augustus. Among others, this is the case of Colonia Augusta Praetoria Salassorum (Aosta) in... more
There is increasing evidence to suggest that cosmological factors were applied in the planning and orientation of Roman towns, at least under Augustus. Among others, this is the case of Colonia Augusta
Praetoria Salassorum (Aosta) in Italia, Colonia Urbs Iulia Nova Carthago (Cartagena) in Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis, Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (formerly Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, Lyon) in Gallia Lugdunensis, Colonia Augusta Treverorum (Trier) in Gallia Belgica, and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (formerly Ara Ubiorum, Cologne) in Germania Inferior. For the sake of strengthening the sample of cities studied, and identifying orientation patterns from a chronological and astronomical perspective, a number of public structures from Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) in Germania Inferior were measured. This town was a Roman colony, founded in A.D. 98 by Trajan with a contingent of veteran soldiers and a group of Germanic people. The result was the establishment of a typical Roman settlement with an orthogonal urban grid, whose planning and orientation took cosmological factors into account. In this case, in contrast to the
previous examples, we propose that the decumanus maximus was not oriented directly according to the solar arc, but that instead it was possibly linked with other celestial bodies. In addition, the Gallo-Roman temple supposedly dedicated in this town to the Matronae or the Matres was oriented according to the major lunar standstill (“lunistice”). Therefore, this study aims to present the first results regarding the urban orientation of Colonia Ulpia Traiana according to a non-solar pattern, and attemps to provide a preliminary explanation for it from a cultural perspective.
Praetoria Salassorum (Aosta) in Italia, Colonia Urbs Iulia Nova Carthago (Cartagena) in Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis, Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (formerly Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, Lyon) in Gallia Lugdunensis, Colonia Augusta Treverorum (Trier) in Gallia Belgica, and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (formerly Ara Ubiorum, Cologne) in Germania Inferior. For the sake of strengthening the sample of cities studied, and identifying orientation patterns from a chronological and astronomical perspective, a number of public structures from Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) in Germania Inferior were measured. This town was a Roman colony, founded in A.D. 98 by Trajan with a contingent of veteran soldiers and a group of Germanic people. The result was the establishment of a typical Roman settlement with an orthogonal urban grid, whose planning and orientation took cosmological factors into account. In this case, in contrast to the
previous examples, we propose that the decumanus maximus was not oriented directly according to the solar arc, but that instead it was possibly linked with other celestial bodies. In addition, the Gallo-Roman temple supposedly dedicated in this town to the Matronae or the Matres was oriented according to the major lunar standstill (“lunistice”). Therefore, this study aims to present the first results regarding the urban orientation of Colonia Ulpia Traiana according to a non-solar pattern, and attemps to provide a preliminary explanation for it from a cultural perspective.
Research Interests:
The towns of Aventicum (Avenches, Switzerland) and Augusta Raurica (Augst, Switzerland) were the main Roman towns of the Civitas Helvetiorum in the province of Gallia Belgica (and later shifted to Germania Superior). Both were probably... more
The towns of Aventicum (Avenches, Switzerland) and Augusta Raurica (Augst, Switzerland) were the main Roman towns of the Civitas Helvetiorum in the province of Gallia Belgica (and later shifted to Germania Superior). Both were probably founded ex–nihilo, the first at the time of Claudius (mid first century AD), the second by Caius Munatius Plancus around 44 BC and was refounded soon after the 15 BC . The layout of both towns conforms to all Roman standards with an urban grid in orthogonal shape and with several public buildings to hail the splendor of Roman society. Also the orientation of such grid seems to conform to most Roman standards. The archaeoastronomical study of both towns is contextualised following two paths.
Firstly, we consider the orientation of the layout of some other regional Roman foundations as Vesontio (Besançon, France), Iulia Equestris (Nyon, Switzerland), Forum Claudii (Martigny, Switzerland), and Vindonissa (Windisch, Switzerland).
Secondly, we realize that the sacred areas (including temples, sanctuaries and often theaters) of this two towns seem to break the general layout in both of them: these appear to bear orientations skewed several degrees with respect to the general grid. In both cases a Roman theater seems to feature some kind of relation with the temple as in other areas in the Roman Empire. Notably, the orientation of these temples share similarities to other sacred precincts in the region possibly built prior to the Roman conquest. This duality in orientations, with a grid with an orientation different to that of some of the main public buildings may be a witness to a period when a compromise, negotiation, or resistance either implicit or explicit, took place between conquered and conquerors. Interestingly, similar cases have recently been reported in the Roman towns of Augusta Treverorum (present day Trier, Germany) or Augustodum (modern
day Autun, France).
Firstly, we consider the orientation of the layout of some other regional Roman foundations as Vesontio (Besançon, France), Iulia Equestris (Nyon, Switzerland), Forum Claudii (Martigny, Switzerland), and Vindonissa (Windisch, Switzerland).
Secondly, we realize that the sacred areas (including temples, sanctuaries and often theaters) of this two towns seem to break the general layout in both of them: these appear to bear orientations skewed several degrees with respect to the general grid. In both cases a Roman theater seems to feature some kind of relation with the temple as in other areas in the Roman Empire. Notably, the orientation of these temples share similarities to other sacred precincts in the region possibly built prior to the Roman conquest. This duality in orientations, with a grid with an orientation different to that of some of the main public buildings may be a witness to a period when a compromise, negotiation, or resistance either implicit or explicit, took place between conquered and conquerors. Interestingly, similar cases have recently been reported in the Roman towns of Augusta Treverorum (present day Trier, Germany) or Augustodum (modern
day Autun, France).
Research Interests:
The small Iron-Age hillfort of Baroña (Porto do Son, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain) was inhabited during the last centuries BC and is in a singularly hostile environment on a small peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean at the western end of the... more
The small Iron-Age hillfort of Baroña (Porto do Son, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain) was inhabited during the last centuries BC and is in a singularly hostile environment on a small peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean at the western end of the Muros-Noia estuary. The habitat is composed by a mere twenty houses defended by a stunning complex of three lines of massive walls. A large rocky acropolis with faint but clear signs of human activity hangs over the habitat. The study of the acropolis reveals the possibility that they include awareness of the surrounding landscape and relevant moments of the solar cycle. A monumental stairway adjacent to the acropolis leads towards the cliff overlooking the sea and seems aligned with the winter solstice sunset happening on the ocean beyond. Over the acropolis, the rock that dominates the area presents carved basins and slender petroglyphs related with winter and summer solstice sunrises while the eastern horizon is dominated by Mount Enxa that signals 1st May sunrise as seen from the acropolis. Finally, summer solstice sunrise seen from the acropolis coincides with a little hill some 2.5 kilometer away on which slope a panel with petroglyphs presents the only carved representation of the sun known in Galicia and the panel itself is related to some astral calendric relations. We argue that the hillfort‟s location seems to be a special place chosen to be a cross-road between the sky, the land, and the sea, i.e. the three elements constituting the Cosmos according to the Celtic tradition and shared by other Indo-European traditions.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT – In this paper, we report on three areas of the Iberian Peninsula that were occupied at least during the Iron Age and the early stages of Romanisation, where observations of astronomical phenomena in the landscape, rock... more
ABSTRACT – In this paper, we report on three areas of the Iberian Peninsula that were occupied at least during the Iron Age and the early stages of Romanisation, where observations of astronomical phenomena in the landscape, rock carvings, and Latin inscriptions point to a particular method of time reckoning. All of these sites have previously been connected with the Celtic culture. The knowledge of the natural world that Classical sources assigned to these peoples need not have been reflected in a monolithic calendrical system used by all Celtic communities on the Continent. In fact, such
a ‘Celtic calendar’ may have had different expressions in different areas, expressed in different ways, although sharing some common characteristics such as the particual use of the lunar and solar cycles.
a ‘Celtic calendar’ may have had different expressions in different areas, expressed in different ways, although sharing some common characteristics such as the particual use of the lunar and solar cycles.
Research Interests: Celtic Studies, Landscape Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Celtic Archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), and 9 moreIberian Prehistory (Archaeology), Celtiberian History, Romanisation, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Iron Age, Celtic Art, Rock Art, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, and Gallaecia
The roman colony of Lugdunum was oriented towards August the 1st since its foundation 43 BC, 31 years before the inauguration of the altar of the Three Gauls, whose feast was celebrated the same day. The present article follows the... more
The roman colony of Lugdunum was oriented towards August the 1st since its foundation 43 BC, 31 years before the inauguration of the altar of the Three Gauls, whose feast was celebrated the same day. The present article follows the footsteps of C. Iulius Vercondaridubnus, the first priest of the cult of Lugdunum to see if the historical context of the transfer of the capital of the Aedui from Bibracte to Augustodunum during the reign of Augustus shows comparable situations. We measured the orientation of public spaces of both places visible today. We have detected different situations (buildings and spaces oriented towards mid season Celtic feasts
at Bibracte, solstitial orientation at Augustodunum), and singular continuities between the temple of Janus in Augustodunum and some religious structures of Bibracte. These results justify the continuation of this type of research on comparable sites.
at Bibracte, solstitial orientation at Augustodunum), and singular continuities between the temple of Janus in Augustodunum and some religious structures of Bibracte. These results justify the continuation of this type of research on comparable sites.
Research Interests:
There is a long-lasting debate, started in the nineteenth century by d " Arbois de Jubainville and Jullian, among others, regarding the pan-Celtic nature of the mid-season (or rather, start of season) feasts known from the Mediaeval... more
There is a long-lasting debate, started in the nineteenth century by d " Arbois de Jubainville and Jullian, among others, regarding the pan-Celtic nature of the mid-season (or rather, start of season) feasts known from the Mediaeval Ireland (set on 1 st November, February, May and August). D " Arbois indicated that one of these feasts coincided with the festival celebrated during Roman times at Lugdunum (Lyon) on August 1 st from 12 BC onwards. We recently verified that the orientation of the earlier parts of this Roman colony were laid out facing the sunrise on this date since its foundation in 43 BC, prior to any possible link with Augus-tus. This fact prompted us to investigate the orientation of other Roman cities in Gaul, particularly those named Lugdunum which still contain Roman buildings capable of being measured. The most complex of these is Lugdunum Conuerarum (present-day Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges). With a Celtic name and mixed Aquitaine-Latin culture, it is oriented towards the sunrise on February 1 st. Other cities in Gaul and Hispania have also been considered, which have similar orientations. We therefore verify the pan-Celtic character of the mid-season feasts. Finally, we present the hypothesis that the conversion of these feasts from a luni-solar calendar to the solar Julian calendar took place in the centre of Gaul at some time between the reigns of Cae-sar and Augustus. At a later stage, this model would be exported by early Christianity into Ireland, then serving as an interpretative inspiration for scholars such as d " Arbois de Jubainville and others.
Research Interests:
The variety of standing stone forms and their geographical locations hint that their uses also differed widely. But is this true? How do the associations of megaliths, menhirs and miniliths differ? What material cultural elements do they... more
The variety of standing stone forms and their geographical locations hint that their uses also differed widely. But is this true? How do the associations of megaliths, menhirs and miniliths differ? What material cultural elements do they share and where are they placed? What of circular and linear monuments? Apart from form, in what other ways do these differ, if at all, and what does the difference in form actually mean? Is it really about tectonics and stereotomics (Ingold 2012, 2015)? Or are these forms part of notions of circularity versus rectangularity (Bradley 2012)? What happens when they exist together? In this session, we invite papers that can help answer some of these questions through any kind of comparative assessment or those that use innovative approaches to discern differences in standing stone use or meaning, such as: the inclusion of natural megaliths, digital simulation methods that incorporate palaeo-environmental reconstructions around different site types, entire visualscapes at monuments above and below the horizon, or detailed dating and genetic work. Together, these comparative and innovative approaches should help us to begin to track which peoples were doing what, where, and how their interaction with their natural worlds and their monuments changed over time and possibly why. As well as the usual question time for individual speakers after their presentations, the session leaders will create an overview of the talk themes and results and engage with everyone in further discussion. Please feel free contact either or both us if you have any queries. We look forward to you joining us: gail.higginbottom@anu.edu.au a.cesar.gonzalez-garcia@incipit.csic.es
For those who wish to submit an abstract for consideration please go to https://www.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2017/
For those who wish to submit an abstract for consideration please go to https://www.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2017/
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, 3D GIS, Palaeoenvironment, Pottery (Archaeology), and 87 moreLandscape Archaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Ritual, Cultural Landscapes, Funerary Archaeology, History of Astronomy, Archaeological GIS, Neolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Archaeology, Prehistoric religion and r ritual a, Religion and ritual in prehistory, Landscapes in prehistory, 3D visualisation, Prehistoric Settlement, Megalithic Monuments, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Aegean Prehistory (Archaeology), British Prehistory (Archaeology), Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Andean Prehistory (Archaeology), Late Bronze Age archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Anthropology of Death, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), Iron Age Gaul (Archaeology), Ritual Theory, Balkan prehistory, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Neolithic Transition, Megaliths (Archaeology), Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Ancient DNA Research, Neolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Bayesian Radiocarbon Dating, Ritual theory and practice (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Iron Age (Archaeology), Eurasian Prehistory, Middle Bronze Age, Archaeology of Ritual, North African prehistory (Archaeology), 14C dating (Archaeology), European Prehistory (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Prehistory, Palaeogenetics, Anatolian Prehistory, Prehistoric Rock Art, Neolithic, Iron Age, Astronomy, Aegean Prehistory, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Early Iron Age, Funerary Practices, Bronze Age, Early Bronze Age, Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Prehistoric Archeology, Cultural Landscape, Late Bronze Age, Neolithic of the Balkans, Megalithism, Megalithic Art, Early Neolithic, Prehistoria, Ancient DNA, Archaeology of death and burial, 3D Laser Scanning (Archaeology), Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Pottery studies, LiDAR for Landscape Archaeology, Monuments, Megaliths, Standing Stones, Ritual Practices, LiDAR for Archaeology, Culture and death, Megalithic Culture, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Please feel free contact either or both us if you have any queries: gail.higginbottom@anu.edu.au a.cesar.gonzalez-garcia@incipit.csic.es Proposals open on the 31st January 2017, please go to the following page for this:... more
Please feel free contact either or both us if you have any queries:
gail.higginbottom@anu.edu.au
a.cesar.gonzalez-garcia@incipit.csic.es
Proposals open on the 31st January 2017, please go to the following page for this: http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl/. On the day a link will be available for people to submit their proposals.
The variety of standing stone forms and their geographical locations hint that their uses also differed widely. But is this true? How do the associations of megaliths, menhirs and miniliths differ? What material cultural elements do they share and where are they placed? What of circular and linear monuments? Apart from form, in what other ways do these differ, if at all, and what does the difference in form actually mean? Is it really about tectonics and stereotomics (Ingold 2012, 2015)? Or are these forms part of notions of circularity versus rectangularity (Bradley 2012)? What happens when they exist together? In this session, we invite papers that can help answer some of these questions through any kind of comparative assessment or those that use innovative approaches to discern differences in standing stone use or meaning, such as: the inclusion of natural megaliths, digital simulation methods that incorporate palaeo-environmental reconstructions around different site types, entire visualscapes at monuments above and below the horizon, or detailed dating and genetic work. Together, these comparative and innovative approaches should help us to begin to track which peoples were doing what, where, and how their interaction with their natural worlds and their monuments changed over time and possibly why. As well as the usual question time for individual speakers after their presentations, the session leaders will create an overview of the talk themes and results and engage with everyone in further discussion.
gail.higginbottom@anu.edu.au
a.cesar.gonzalez-garcia@incipit.csic.es
Proposals open on the 31st January 2017, please go to the following page for this: http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl/. On the day a link will be available for people to submit their proposals.
The variety of standing stone forms and their geographical locations hint that their uses also differed widely. But is this true? How do the associations of megaliths, menhirs and miniliths differ? What material cultural elements do they share and where are they placed? What of circular and linear monuments? Apart from form, in what other ways do these differ, if at all, and what does the difference in form actually mean? Is it really about tectonics and stereotomics (Ingold 2012, 2015)? Or are these forms part of notions of circularity versus rectangularity (Bradley 2012)? What happens when they exist together? In this session, we invite papers that can help answer some of these questions through any kind of comparative assessment or those that use innovative approaches to discern differences in standing stone use or meaning, such as: the inclusion of natural megaliths, digital simulation methods that incorporate palaeo-environmental reconstructions around different site types, entire visualscapes at monuments above and below the horizon, or detailed dating and genetic work. Together, these comparative and innovative approaches should help us to begin to track which peoples were doing what, where, and how their interaction with their natural worlds and their monuments changed over time and possibly why. As well as the usual question time for individual speakers after their presentations, the session leaders will create an overview of the talk themes and results and engage with everyone in further discussion.
Research Interests: Religion, Genetics, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, and 105 moreNear Eastern Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Indigenous Studies, Historical Archaeology, Human Genetics, 3D GIS, Pacific Island Studies, Japanese Religions, Landscape Archaeology, Anatolian Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Population Genetics, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Mesolithic Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Australian Indigenous Archaeology, Cultural Landscapes, Early Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, Ancient Religion, Archaeological GIS, Neolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, South Asian Archaeology, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Bronze Age Archaeology, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Viking Age Archaeology, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Megalithic Monuments, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Greek Archaeology, Ancient Greek Religion, Archaeological Theory, Indigenous Peoples, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Anthropology of Death, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), Geo-spatial analysis with GIS and GPS, Ceramics (Archaeology), Burial Practices (Archaeology), Megaliths (Archaeology), Ancient DNA Research, Neolithic Europe, Mesolithic Europe, The Neolithic Revolution, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Pacific Archaeology, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Anatolian Archaeology (Archaeology), Archeologia, Mediterranean archaeology, Middle Bronze Age, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Burial mounds (Archaeology), Cultural Astronomy, Funerary Architecture, Ancient Astronomy, Prehistoric Rock Art, Neolithic, Iron Age, Astronomy, Rock Art, Archaelogy, Early Iron Age, Archaeology of burials, Funerary Practices, Ceramics, Bronze Age, Early Bronze Age, African Archaeology, Archeologia medievale, Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Prehistoric Archeology, Japanese archaeology, Cultural Landscape, Late Bronze Age, Indian subcontinent, Archeologie, Ancient DNA, Archaeology of death and burial, Archéologie, Burial Customs, Ancient Indian Archaeology, Archeologia dell'architettura, Arqueología romana / Roman archeology, Archeologia Classica, Megaliths, Pollen analysis, Rock art research, Landscape and Rock Art, Standing Stones, Culture and death, Roman Archaeology, Archeology, Rituais Funerário, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
This paper explores the potential significance, in archaeological, archaeoastronomical, and symbolic terms, of a NW/SE oriented row of 54 stone cairns, locally known as ‘the path of the spirits’. The row of 54 cairns, which is apparently... more
This paper explores the potential significance, in archaeological, archaeoastronomical, and symbolic terms,
of a NW/SE oriented row of 54 stone cairns, locally known as ‘the path of the spirits’. The row of 54 cairns,
which is apparently oriented towards the setting of the sun at the summer solstice, also displays a suggestive
spatial proximity to an outstanding Late Bronze Age funerary complex. The row of cairns, which has been
originally documented in the arid high mountain landscape of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain, Eastern
Mongolian Altai, does not seem to feature in the archaeological literature of Mongolia. Nevertheless, both
these characteristics, namely a NW/SE orientation and a spatial proximity to a Late prehistoric funerary
mound, can be also observed in a row of 9 stone cairns documented in the satellite imagery a few kilometres
away, on the southern slope of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain. In this paper, besides the description of such
archaeological features, the hypothesis that the articulation of rows of cairns with a powerful orientation and
numerical symbolism could be rooted in ancient and traditional Eurasian cosmologies and could play an
important role in the local sacred and funerary geographies is discussed.
of a NW/SE oriented row of 54 stone cairns, locally known as ‘the path of the spirits’. The row of 54 cairns,
which is apparently oriented towards the setting of the sun at the summer solstice, also displays a suggestive
spatial proximity to an outstanding Late Bronze Age funerary complex. The row of cairns, which has been
originally documented in the arid high mountain landscape of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain, Eastern
Mongolian Altai, does not seem to feature in the archaeological literature of Mongolia. Nevertheless, both
these characteristics, namely a NW/SE orientation and a spatial proximity to a Late prehistoric funerary
mound, can be also observed in a row of 9 stone cairns documented in the satellite imagery a few kilometres
away, on the southern slope of the Ikh Bogd Uul Mountain. In this paper, besides the description of such
archaeological features, the hypothesis that the articulation of rows of cairns with a powerful orientation and
numerical symbolism could be rooted in ancient and traditional Eurasian cosmologies and could play an
important role in the local sacred and funerary geographies is discussed.
Research Interests: Landscape Archaeology, Cosmology (Anthropology), Inner Asian Studies, Central Asian Studies, Mongolian Studies, and 15 moreFunerary Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy, Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhism, Chinese archaeology, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Mongolian Shamanism, Sacred Landscape (Archaeology), Burial mounds (Archaeology), Cultural Astronomy, Funerary Practices, Mongolia, Old Turkic Culture, Mongolian and Central Asian Studies, Mongolian Archaeology, and Turkic & Altaic Studies
In a previous work based on different oral traditions collected at the beginning of the XX Century we verified that inside the cathedral of Saint James different illumination effects take place over the figure of Saint James located at... more
In a previous work based on different oral traditions collected at the beginning of the XX Century we verified that inside the cathedral of Saint James different illumination effects take place over the figure of
Saint James located at the main altar, in particular at important dates related with Christianity and the own Saint. However, despite the fact that illumination effects occur and therefore suggest that they were sought and not a coincidence, we should ask how the builders of the cathedral could “create” them during the baroque reform of the cathedral. This is precisely the objective of this paper, to show how they could create this project of illumination or how they readapt a previous tradition that took place in the Romanesque building.
To do that we count with different primary sources such as texts, drawings, ethnographic resources and cross-references. On a more methodological level, this is a study that deals with very different methods from diverse disciplines, such as archaeoastronomy or cultural astronomy, archaeology, architecture and ethnography. It is important to take into account, that the cathedral is an architectural project where the
builders thought and planned a structure suitable for people in which the Christian imaginary had to be present, and therefore this illumination effects would play a very important role. However, such project was
a living organism that evolved through time by the different reforms. Such reforms not only involved changes in the architectural styles but also in the concepts behind such styles. In particular it is important for
our study how the concept and use of light within the temples changed along these centuries and how the light phenomenology was incorporated with a different meaning in the subsequent reforms. Finally, we recreate the possible method that the builders used based on architectural treatises.
Saint James located at the main altar, in particular at important dates related with Christianity and the own Saint. However, despite the fact that illumination effects occur and therefore suggest that they were sought and not a coincidence, we should ask how the builders of the cathedral could “create” them during the baroque reform of the cathedral. This is precisely the objective of this paper, to show how they could create this project of illumination or how they readapt a previous tradition that took place in the Romanesque building.
To do that we count with different primary sources such as texts, drawings, ethnographic resources and cross-references. On a more methodological level, this is a study that deals with very different methods from diverse disciplines, such as archaeoastronomy or cultural astronomy, archaeology, architecture and ethnography. It is important to take into account, that the cathedral is an architectural project where the
builders thought and planned a structure suitable for people in which the Christian imaginary had to be present, and therefore this illumination effects would play a very important role. However, such project was
a living organism that evolved through time by the different reforms. Such reforms not only involved changes in the architectural styles but also in the concepts behind such styles. In particular it is important for
our study how the concept and use of light within the temples changed along these centuries and how the light phenomenology was incorporated with a different meaning in the subsequent reforms. Finally, we recreate the possible method that the builders used based on architectural treatises.
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We present the results of our analysis of two singular Neolithic monuments and two prominent megalithic groups in Galicia. The two singular monuments are the dolmen of Dombate (Baio, Coruña county), perhaps the largest megalithic chamber... more
We present the results of our analysis of two singular Neolithic
monuments and two prominent megalithic groups in Galicia. The two singular monuments are the dolmen of Dombate (Baio, Coruña county), perhaps the largest megalithic chamber in Galicia (or at least the most investigated and well-known) that houses an elaborate decorative program with engravings and paintings, and Forno dos Mouros (Bocelo mountains, Coruña county), also housing paintings and belonging to a bigger group aligned along an historical path following the mountain ridge. Both chambers house interesting illumination effects. The group analysis concerns the Barbanza (Coruña county) and Leboreiro, (Ourense county and borderland with Portugal) necropoleis. There, we find that apart from chamber orientation, location and spatial relations of the monuments within the landscape, the monuments incorporate skyscape associations that complemented and dialogued with that of the chamber orientations. Besides, if the particular directions that we find are related to the movements of the sun and/or moon they may indicate the appropriate ritual time for the dead. Of course, skyscape is not the only or the main factor to explain the location of the mounds within the necropolis but are part of a complex system of relations making those monuments part of a cultural landscape. When taking all factors into consideration a complex picture emerges where we can envisage the ways of construction of social time and space in the megalithic period.
monuments and two prominent megalithic groups in Galicia. The two singular monuments are the dolmen of Dombate (Baio, Coruña county), perhaps the largest megalithic chamber in Galicia (or at least the most investigated and well-known) that houses an elaborate decorative program with engravings and paintings, and Forno dos Mouros (Bocelo mountains, Coruña county), also housing paintings and belonging to a bigger group aligned along an historical path following the mountain ridge. Both chambers house interesting illumination effects. The group analysis concerns the Barbanza (Coruña county) and Leboreiro, (Ourense county and borderland with Portugal) necropoleis. There, we find that apart from chamber orientation, location and spatial relations of the monuments within the landscape, the monuments incorporate skyscape associations that complemented and dialogued with that of the chamber orientations. Besides, if the particular directions that we find are related to the movements of the sun and/or moon they may indicate the appropriate ritual time for the dead. Of course, skyscape is not the only or the main factor to explain the location of the mounds within the necropolis but are part of a complex system of relations making those monuments part of a cultural landscape. When taking all factors into consideration a complex picture emerges where we can envisage the ways of construction of social time and space in the megalithic period.
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A. C. GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA, A. RODRÍGUEZ ANTÓN, D. ESPINOSA ESPINOSA, M. V. GARCÍA QUINTELA and J. BELMONTE AVILES (2019): "Establishing a New Order: The Orientation of Roman Towns Built in the Age of Augustus", in G. Magli et al. (eds.), Archaeoastronomy in the Roman World, Cham, Springer, pp. 85-102.more
Urbanism in most areas of Western Europe occurred at the time of the Roman Empire when several hundred new towns were founded, notably under Augustus. Those towns were planned to incorporate astronomical phenomena as images of propaganda... more
Urbanism in most areas of Western Europe occurred at the time of the Roman Empire when several hundred new towns were founded, notably under Augustus. Those towns were planned to incorporate astronomical phenomena as images of propaganda of their rulers, or to connect the city to the gods. The visual effect of the Sun rising in line with the orientation of the city at a given moment in its yearly movement was thus sought and incorporated for its ritual meaning. Special moments allegedly related to Augustus were considered, in particular Winter Solstice and Autumn Equinox.