Astronomy in Ancient Europe: Insights into Early Celestial Knowledge
Exploring the advanced astronomical knowledge of ancient European civilizations, including their construction of megalithic observatories and their understanding of celestial events.
ASTRONOMY IN ANCIENT EUROPE
The early inhabitants of Europe possessed a remarkable understanding of celestial movements, mathematics, and geometry. They constructed significant edifices for observational astronomy, enabling them to determine solstices and equinoxes, as well as predict eclipses.
The astronomers from megalithic cultures demonstrated impressive knowledge of both the motions of celestial bodies and practical geometry. Evidence of this expertise can be seen in the large upright stone formations (megaliths), some weighing over 25 tons, which were arranged according to regular geometric patterns found across various regions of the world.
Certain stone circles were specifically erected to mark the sunrise and sunset of the Sun and Moon at particular times of the year. They notably indicate the eight extreme positions of the Moon during its declination cycle, which lasts 21 days between full moons.
Many of these ancient observatories have survived to this day, with Stonehenge in England and Carnac in France being among the most renowned. Stonehenge, in particular, has been extensively studied. Constructed in several phases between 2200 and 1600 B.C., it served as an astronomical tool that allowed megalithic peoples to create a relatively accurate calendar and predict celestial events such as lunar and solar eclipses.
Positioned at 51° north latitude, Stonehenge was designed with the understanding that the angle between the summer solstice sunrise and the southernmost moonrise is a right angle. The stone circle, divided into 56 segments, was used to track the Moon’s position throughout the year, as well as to determine the dates of the summer and winter solstices, aiding in the prediction of solar eclipses.
The stone circles provided the megalithic peoples of Europe with a reliable calendar, which was essential for establishing organized agricultural communities following the last glacial period, approximately 10,000 years B.C. Despite their advancements in utilizing the heavens to regulate their lives, early Europeans continued to worship celestial bodies, viewing them as the homes or manifestations of powerful deities that governed all aspects of existence.
Juan Francisco Pareja Arco
