Ancient Observatories -- Timeless Knowledge For an expanded pdf of this site: Ancient Observatories For a resource guide to the astronomy of many cultures, see: Unheard Voices Featured Site Bighorn Medicine Wheel  Medicine Wheel Activities for you to do: Activities Explore this and other Medicine Wheels: Medicine Wheels Other Ancient Observatories & Sites Gobekli Tepe -- Carvings on a 12,000-year-old monument in Turkey may mark solar days and years, possibly making it the oldest solar calendar in ancient civilization. See also Indepth article Astronomer Unearths Evidence of Scientific Tradition in Africa -- An article about Thebe Medupe, an ethno- and archeoastronomer and researcher at the South African Astronomical Observatory who has been exploring traditional African peoples' knowledge of astronomy. In his documentary film, Cosmic Africa, Medupe visits remote communities to learn about the form and significance that astronomy takes in their cultures. Newgrange -- world's oldest astronomically-oriented structure! Stonehenge -- ancient standing stones and astronomical site Astronomy in Ancient India Astronomy in Ancient Egypt See also El Kernak Abu Simbel Nabta Playa -- An African Stonehenge Gaocheng -- Chinese observatory for the Emperor Angkor Wat -- Cambodian Temple Gotland Grooves Easter Island Traditions of the Sun -- This site explores Indigenous knowledge systems and their understanding of the Sun Aboriginal Star Knowledge -- how Native Americans observed the Sun and stars. Chaco Canyon -- Chaco Canyon was a major center for the Ancestral Pueblo people (850-1250 CD). The site is known for its momumental architecture and its astrononmical alighnments. Structures and petroglyphs, like the "Sun Dagger" on Fajada Butte, show precise alignments with solar and lunar cycles, indicating advanced astronomical knowledge. The Sundagger (video) -- Anasazi (Native American) marker for solar and lunar cycles. Also check out the Solstice Project Medicine Wheels -- Medicine Wheels are Native American pointers to the Sun, Moon, and stars Why Build Medicine Wheels? Who Built Medicine Wheels, and When? Sunpath in the Stars -- how the Lakota Sioux tracked the Sun's movement against the stars. Machu Picchu and Ancient Observatories -- Machu Picchu Aztec "Sun Stone" or Calendar How the Maya Observed the Sun Mayan Calendar and Solar Cycles: How Time Was Measured Local Discovery of a Solstice Marker -- Even you might be able to find an ancient device! Read this story about a man in Lake County, California who discovered an ancient solstice marker. The Star-Beings and stones: Petroforms and the reflection of Native American cosmology, myth and stellar traditions To learn more about archaeoastronomy, visit The Center for Archaeoastronomy (University of Maryland) Image Credits: Bighorn Medicine Wheel photo by the U.S. Forest Service Bighorn district office, probably taken in the late 1970s. Newgrange image from knowth.com website. Machu Picchu image by Jeff Gilbert, from NASA's Ancient Observatories website. ©2008-2023 by Stanford SOLAR Center | Permitted Uses | Credits