Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-07-12
SKY LIGHTED HISTORY.
How Astronomical Research Has
Eound the Origin Of Stonehense.

uo astronomical Rescarch Has
Eo,ud the Origin of stonehenge.
Following the same line of thought
which be formerly applied to certain
Egvptian temples, Sir Norman Lock-
ver ;s able to show that Stonehenge
was originally built to serve the pur-
pose of a primitive observatory. 1t was
built for the use of the astronomer
priests who perhaps brought the wis
dom of the east to this country many
centuries before It's very name had
emerged into the light of history. The
sun and star worship which forms the
basis of SO many types of primitive re-
ugion was closely lnter1oven with the
practical need of fixed dates In the
wear for the use Of the agriculturist,
who possessed no calendar to tell him
when to SOW his seed and when to ex-
meet his harvest. To this day the
Plelades are known as the "hoeing
stars" In South Africa and take the
Mace of a farming calendar to the
Solomon islanders, Just as their mid
night elimination fixed the beginning
of the feast of Isis at Busiris and regu-
lated the fifty-two-year cycle OF the an
Client Mexieans 1t Is now proved,
| from comparative study Of prehis-
toric monuments and ancient temples
| all over the world, that. one OF the first
| uses Of these edlfices was to enable
the astronomer priests to fix such dates
with ease and Certainty.
Every one knows that the sun rises
at a different point on the horizon daily
| throughout the year and that the time
| of star rising varies night by night
These simple facts sufiiced primitive
man for the determination OF his cal
endar Some Of the Egyptian temples
were carefully oriented SO that
bright star, like Sirius or Campus
was visible down the avenue whlcf
served as the tube Of a telescope a
a particular hour on given night IL
the year. BY far the greater number
of stone circles, of which Stonehengt
Is the best known example, We're *
oriented that the rising sun on mid
summer morning flashed its rays oil
rectly upon the central altar Othe
words. their axis was carefully direct
ed to the point on the horizon Owe
which the sun rose on the longest da.
In the year. There are many other III
stances of different ordinations, eacl
corresponding to the fixed points Il
! some ancient calendar, but StOneheng
!, was certainly solar temple and oh
. servatory.
, Now comes In the bearing OF TIL
fact upon, the history of its building
The point Of midsummer sunrise
not always the same. The procession
of the equinoxes-or the fact that To
; celestial pole Is travelling round vas
circle. which it takes about 25,OOOyear
to completeness secular change
this point. At present the axis of Stone
henge is not directed to the midsun
, mer sunrise, but to point nearly on
, degree away from It. Now we knoN
the rate at which the place OF mi6
summer sunrise changes in cons'
uuence Of procession, and 1t Is a con
paratively simple calculation to dete
mine the date at which the sun mus
have sunrise on midsummer day In
line with the avenue at Stoneheng
: The conclusion is that this remarkaDl
s edifice must have been erected aDo'
r 1850 B. c., the possible error being ~
greater than 200 years on either SIC
of this date. Thus astronomy tells !
that Stonehenge must have been bui
somewhere between 1900 and lot
r. c.. If the assumption of its purpos
} be correct. The general evidence fro
4 similar temples all over the wor
: hardly leaves room for doubt on TIL
head, and thus we obtain what ma
safely be called the first definite Ia
in British history, carrying 1t pax
more than fifteen centuries before OF
islands first came into contact WI
e recorded civilization. 1t is clear tn
= the people who could build Stoneheni
d for such a purpose were far remove
q from mere savagery. - London spe