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    Astronomical Alignments and Calendars of The Peak Sanctuary Kokino

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    1. The Kokino sanctuary in North Macedonia was a large Bronze Age religious site with evidence of solar and agricultural rituals from 2100 BC to 800 BC. 2. The site contains stone markers that were used to track the rising positions of celestial objects like the Sun and moon at different calendar dates, related to agricultural activities. 3. Archaeological findings and astronomical alignments at the site indicate it was used as a megalithic observatory to track the solar year and lunar cycles important to rituals and celebrations in the Bronze Age community.

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    Astronomical Alignments and Calendars of The Peak Sanctuary Kokino

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    mad astronomy
    21 views27 pages
    1. The Kokino sanctuary in North Macedonia was a large Bronze Age religious site with evidence of solar and agricultural rituals from 2100 BC to 800 BC. 2. The site contains stone markers that were used to track the rising positions of celestial objects like the Sun and moon at different calendar dates, related to agricultural activities. 3. Archaeological findings and astronomical alignments at the site indicate it was used as a megalithic observatory to track the solar year and lunar cycles important to rituals and celebrations in the Bronze Age community.

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    Astronomical alignments and calendars of the peak sanctuary Kokino

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    1. The Kokino sanctuary in North Macedonia was a large Bronze Age religious site with evidence of solar and agricultural rituals from 2100 BC to 800 BC. 2. The site contains stone markers that were used to track the rising positions of celestial objects like the Sun and moon at different calendar dates, related to agricultural activities. 3. Archaeological findings and astronomical alignments at the site indicate it was used as a megalithic observatory to track the solar year and lunar cycles important to rituals and celebrations in the Bronze Age community.

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    21 views27 pages

    Astronomical Alignments and Calendars of The Peak Sanctuary Kokino

    Uploaded by

    mad astronomy
    1. The Kokino sanctuary in North Macedonia was a large Bronze Age religious site with evidence of solar and agricultural rituals from 2100 BC to 800 BC. 2. The site contains stone markers that were used to track the rising positions of celestial objects like the Sun and moon at different calendar dates, related to agricultural activities. 3. Archaeological findings and astronomical alignments at the site indicate it was used as a megalithic observatory to track the solar year and lunar cycles important to rituals and celebrations in the Bronze Age community.

    Copyright:

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    of 27

    Astronomical alignments and calendars of

    the peak sanctuary Kokino

    Olgica Kuzmanovska
    Department of Physics
    Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Skopje, North Macedonia

    Joint conference of SREAC and BgAS


    Sofia, 4-9 June 2019
    1013 m

    2100 B.C.

     Large extra –urban sanctuary for the Bronze Age agricultural community
    in the region
     Religious practice related with several different cults one of
    which has solar characteristics
    • Archaeological material from
    all stages of the Bronze Age and
    early Iron Age (XXI-VIII c. BC)

    • Offerings - entire or fragmented


    vessels, ceramic weights, stone
    tools deposited in the natural
    fissures in the rocks enclosed with
    earth and small stones (ritual pits)

    • Similarity with the Minoan


    sanctuaries on Crete

    • Stankovski, J., 2007. Thracia, 17,


    259-268)
    • Megalithic observatory (2000 – 1000 BC)
    • Several prominent markers (stone notches) artificially carved into the
    stone blocks
    • Point toward the rising positions of the Sun or other bright objects on the
    sky at particular calendar dates
    • Religious rituals related with the cycle of agricultural activities

     Kuzmanovska-Barandovska O.,
    Stankovski J., 2011, Journal of
    Astronomical History and Heritage,
    14(3), 221-229.

     Kuzmanovska O., Stankovski J.,


    2014; Mediterranean Archaeology
    and Archaeometry 14(3), 259-269.
    Artificial (?) markers

    • Horse-shoe form

    • Angular diameter coincides with


    the sun’s angular diameter

    • Two notches that form a tranche


    (direction) for the sunrays

    • Astronomical alignments that


    coincide with prominent positions
    of the celestial objects
    E

    C
    The ritual platform (A)
    Ritual marker

    = 42 15′ 47″


    = 21 57′ 9″
    A= 76 05′ 10″
    h= 12 01′ 40″

    sin   cos A cos  cos h 


     sin  sin h
    = 4.6′
    = 18.26

    • Declination of the sun in mid-


    May and end of July

    • Declination of the moon at


    Winter Minor Standstill
    End of July (harvest celebrations)
    Divine union of Sun God and Mother Earth

     Stankovski, J., 2007. Thracia, 17, 259-268


     Around the autumn equinox on Crete (Koehl, R.B., 2001, Annales
    d’archéologie égéenne de l’Universite’ de Liege, 237-243)
    Northern terrace
    Circular stone constructions
    • Providing fertility and good health of people and livestock
    The northern platform (E)
    A= 106 58′ 14 (= 2.7′) = 0.14 Equinox points
    h= 18 02′ 42″
    Aldebaran
    = 0.49 (2000 B.C.)
    Marker Azimuth Altitude Refraction Declination Catalogue Year
    No correction () declination (B.C.)
    (′ ) ()

    1 10515′44″ 1740′13″ 3.02 1.03 1.03 1900

    2 10340′44″ 1732′46″ 3.02 2.02 2.10 1700

    3 10106′17″ 1551′49″ 3.32 2.64 2.62 1600

    4 9923′31″ 1456′14″ 3.43 3.21 3.15 1500

    5000-year star catalogue (Hawkins


    and Rosenthal, 1967:147)

     ALDEBARAN (α Tauri)
    Heliacal rising - period of the year when a
    star first becomes visible above the
    eastern horizon, just before sunrise, after
    a period of time when it had not been
    visible

    mid - May

     Kuzmanovska-Barandovska O., Stankovski J., 2011, Journal of


    Astronomical History and Heritage, 14(3), 221-229.
    Kuzmanovska O., Stankovski J., 2014; Mediterranean
    I. „New Archaeology and Archaeometry 14(3), 259-269.
    Year“
    Spring equinox (21.03) from Heliacal rising of
    platform Е Aldebaran
    (mid- May)
    platform Е

    Sun rising (mid-


    May)
    platform А
    II. Moon rituals

    Autumn
    equinox
    (22.09)
    platform E

    =18.26

    Moon rising on winter


    minor standstill
    (between autumn
    equinox and winter
    solstice )
    Platform А
    The astronomical platform (C)
    Winter Winter Summer Summer
    major minor major minor
    standstill standstill standstill standstill
    (M1) (M2) (M4) (M3)

    Declination
    (measurements) 28.3 21.8 -31.1 -20.4
    ()

    Kuzmanovska O., Stankovski J., Apostolovska G.,


    2016; AIP Conference Proceedings, 1722, 040003.
    Declination Declination
    (theoretical 2000 B.C.) (measurements)
    () ()
    Sun summer solstice 23.9 24.1
    Sun winter solstice -23.9 -23.9
    Sun vernal and -0.11 -0.19
    autumn equinox
    Summer solstice
    Winter solstice
    Winter Major Standstill Winter Minor
    (2006) Standstill (2015)
    K- the ritual marker

    1. Sunrise in mid- May (A) and the heliacal rising of Aldebaran (E)
    2. Sunrise on the end of July (harvest) (A)
    3. Moonrise on Winter Minor Standstill (A)

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