The monoliths at the center of the ancient wonder that is
Stonehenge
, massive stones brought from faraway lands to be
arranged with mind-boggling precision
, are once again shrouded in mystery with a
new scientific theory.
At least that is what emerges from a recent study published in
Science Alert
, which seems to reject the theory of the "perpetual calendar" that an archaeologist overturned last year.
The ancient calendar theory
The researchers demonstrated how this prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain
in Wiltshire, England,
helped the ancient Britons keep track of the
days, weeks and months in a 365.25-day solar year.
The tropical solar calendar, with 10-day weeks and additional months.
The tropical solar calendar, with
weeks of 10 days and additional months
, was similar to those used at that time in ancient Egypt.
In this sense, the experts explained that it could be evidence of links between Great Britain and other civilizations,
The Mirror
reported .
Timothy Darvill, an archaeologist and professor at Bournemouth University
, said: "Such a solar calendar developed in the eastern Mediterranean in the centuries after 3000 BCE, was adopted in Egypt as a civil calendar around 2700, and was used widely at the beginning of the Old Kingdom around 2600 BC”.
It is known that for a long time, it was speculated that the formation of the huge 20 ton sarsen stones
could be a form of calendar
, but it was not a puzzle to discover how it worked.
The finding based on analysis of other ancient calendar systems seemed to solve the puzzle that has been
speculated on for centuries
.
The celebration of the summer solstice at dawn in the stone circle of Stonehenge in 2022. Photo: REUTERS
For example, what was analyzed and published in the
Antiquity
magazine concludes that the
winter and summer solstices
would be framed by the same pairs of stones each year.
New theory about Stonehenge
A year later,
the mathematician Giulio Magli
, from the Polytechnic University of Milan, and
the astronomer Juan Antonio Belmonte
, from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, seem to reject Darvill's statement.
For them, they affirm that their research is based on "a series of
forced interpretations, numerology and unsubstantiated analogies
with other cultures."
Both scientists say in the new work published in
Antiquity
that although the alignment of the solstices is quite precise, the slow movement of the sun on the horizon on the days close to the solstices makes it impossible to control the correct functioning of the supposed calendar.
And that this is because the device, made up of huge stones, must be able to
distinguish positions
with an accuracy of a few minutes of arc, Gizmodo reports
.
Stonehenge, always a tourist draw.
Photo: AFP
Also, they point out, attributing meanings to the "numbers" of a monument "is always a risky procedure."
"In this case,
a 'key number' of the supposed calendar, 12
, is nowhere recognizable, as is no means of accounting for the additional epagomenal day every four years, while other 'numbers' are simply ignored ( for example, the Stonehenge portal was made of two stones)", specifies the new study.
And he concludes: "Therefore,
the theory also suffers from the so-called "selection effect"
, a procedure in which only those elements favorable to a desired interpretation are extracted from the material records."
Conclusion
The scientists Magli and Belmonte conclude by arguing that what is shown is that the supposed
“Neolithic” solar precision Stonehenge calendar is a purely modern construction.
Stonehenge, the mystery of the calendar and more doubts.
They point to what
its archaeoastronomical and calendrical bases are defective, although also emphasizing that this does not detract from its
extraordinary, mysterious and fascinating importance.
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