Klaipėdos universitetas

This paper presents a preliminary approach to the problem of royal tomb orientation in ancient Egypt from the 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 Muluk). This clearly shows that the correct orientation of the monuments, from the earlier mastabas to the later hypogea, was mandatory and that the sky plays a key role in understanding ancient Egyptian funerary monuments.

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.

The relationship between petroglyphs and archaeoastronomy has been treated in several ways in the past. In the present study, we examine a particular motif found among the rock carvings in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula: a large deer with over-sized horns and an unnatural number of tips on each horn. A multidisciplinary approach combining landscape archaeology, comparative history of religions, and archaeoastronomy suggests a coherent interpretation of the motif. It reveals a unique amalgamation of calendrical motives, landscape relationships and lunisolar events. It may also be significant in relation to the Celtic world-view and its artistic manifestation, and to the relationship between time and landscape.