Klaipėdos universitetas

A geometrical analysis was performed using CAD (Computer Aided Design) tools on the plans of the nine Tholos Tombs of Mycenae and of the “Treasury of Atreus” in particular. Dedicated parameters were established in order to classify the main common geometrical features of the tombs. The analyses were based on a comparison between the geometrical proportions found on the plans and those of the Squaring Triads. It appears that Mycenaean architects made use of both Perfect (Pythagorean) and Quasi-Perfect combinations of integers. The Treasury of Atreus stands out by exhibiting all the major geometric proportions identifiable with those belonging to a series of Pythagorean Triads reported by Diophantus and known to the Mesopotamians. The unit of length for the Atreus Tholos Tomb coincides with the Lagash Gudea cubit of 0.496 m.

In Eastern Hungary, we find many cemeteries from the Copper Age over an extensive area. One of them, Basatanya, represents the Tiszapolgár culture (Early Copper Age) in its period I, and in period II the Bodrogkeresztúr culture (Middle Copper Age). The directions of the graves fill the angle span of the solar arc, thus the graves point towards where the Sun can rise or set. Westerly orientation (the skull points West) is almost universal in Period I. In Period II, easterly orientation also appears. The cemetery contains 156 graves and may have been used for two centuries.

This paper presents a preliminary study of the orientation of Lithuanian Catholic churches and interactions between Christian and pagan cosmologies in Lithuanian church architecture. We can state that the Christianization of Lithuania involved an interaction of these two systems. It is already known that models of time and space in Christian Europe were reflected in the architecture of Lithuanian Catholic churches. But pagan cosmology also influenced Lithuanian Christian architecture.

The so-called ‘Neo-Pythagorean Basilica’ at Porta Maggiore in Rome is one of the most famous and most discussed hypogeal monuments in Rome. It was certainly in use for a short time during the first half of the first century AD, but its purpose is still far from clear. The most probable interpretation is that it was a temple dedicated to Neo-Pythagorean cults. We describe here the preliminary results of a detailed archaeoastronomical study of the Basilica undertaken in order to contribute to the understanding of the role of this fascinating monument.

This work extends to Mesoamerica researches on archaic geometry previously performed on architectures of the “Old World”. CAD (Computer Aided Design ) tools are used to fit theoretical forms to spatial segments on archaeological plans. The analyses provide quantitative information on the forms, on the numbers involved and on the units of length used. Everywhere, numbers appear mainly to be multiples of 9, 10 and 13, rather than pertaining to Squaring Triads, although these are nonetheless attested in all regions. Three units of length are found: a “Teotihuacán unit” t ≈ 0.58 m, a “Monte Albán unit” ma ≈ 0.50 m and a “Chichen Itza unit” ci ≈ 0.66 m. Units t and ma clearly appear to be linked to the distances between the main monuments, associated with the Tzolkin calendrical numbers 13-20 at Teotihuacán and with the Haab calendrical numbers 18-20 at Monte Albán.

Characteristics of Andean huacas are summarized with examples from Urubamba, Machu Picchu, Llactapata, and Chankillo. We identify the pillars on the ridge above the town of Urubamba as a marker of June solstice sunrise to be viewed from the Palace of Huayna Capac. Both ends of the sightline connecting the pillars and the Palace appear to have been huacas. The large carved Intiwatana stone in the Urubamba canyon symbolically ties together Machu Picchu and the nearby ceremonial center of Llactapata. The astronomically complex site of Chankillo includes evidence for ceremonial observations of the solstices and shamanic ritual, set within a large-scale geometry established by June solstice sunset/December solstice sunrise.

Spread over south-eastern Bulgaria, northern Greece and the European part of Turkey are a large number of megalithic tombs. These dolmens were built from around the twelfth century BC to about the sixth century BC. The monuments were built with well cut slabs, defining a rectangular space with a roof. A small hole marks the entrance. A dromos is also present in some dolmens and all of these structures used to be covered by a tumulus. We present the first results from a series of campaigns devoted to measuring the orientation of these structures. The first campaign was carried out in the Strandja Mountains where 31 dolmens (among other monuments) were measured. The dolmens are not orientated at random, and a particular pattern of orientation has been found for the entrance of these monuments. Several tentative explanations are attempted and supported with information provided by contemporary Greek sources.

This paper focuses on five stones with ancient incised images containing the symbol of a pole with a semicircle or a cross at its top. This symbol had a cosmological meaning and represented a projection of the “heavenly sphere” onto a flat surface. The strict orientation of the stones and the symbols to the north indicates a ceremonial “world axis” directed to North Star. This symbol of the “world axis” was used during funerary rituals at gravestones The Scebiaraky site is an example of Baltic sacred stones (stabas) in the Baltic-Slavic contact zone.