Astronomers have discovered what they believe could be "the first astronomical observing tool", used by humans 6,000 years ago to observe the stars.
The tomb's design suggests it may have "enhanced what early human cultures could see in the night sky" and a single aperture, such as a window or doorway, can affect the observation of stars, the team found. Read more: Ancient Mayan observatory was used to track Venus and Mars
The study was focused on passage graves at Carregal do Sal in Portugal, a "type of megalithic tomb composed of a chamber of large interlocking stones and a long narrow entrance". The light from stars would then have been observed by a group of humans who had been "initiated" into what they believed was a sacred practice.
"The orientations of the tombs may be in alignment with Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus," said Fabio Silva, who worked on the project. "To accurately time the first appearance of this star in the season, it is vital to be able to detect stars during twilight."
"We argue that the restricted viewing through the grave passage out of the passage grave allows the viewer to note the appearance of Aldebaran much earlier," co-author Daniel Brown told WIRED. "Here the passage acts to preserve dark adaptation of the eye as twilight during sunrise. Therefore a viewer in the grave would note the star with a brighter sky. So the passage grave act as a viewing enhancement beyond a pure pointer."
"Our work explores how 6,000-year-old passage graves have helped a viewer to spot stars during twilight conditions. You might say this is the oldest instrument to assist a stone age observer."
Other ancient tombs had similar functions – an ancient Mayan observatory was recently found to have been used to track Venus and Mars. The building was "a multifunctional facility" that tracked Venus and Mars through doors and windows in the structure.
The sighting of particular stars would have been seen as a seasonal marker, and would also have been perceived as spiritually significant.
The discovery was presented at the National Astronomy Meeting in Nottingham.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
