Several newly discovered megalithic sites in England reflect an arrangement similar to that of the famous ancient British site of Stonehenge, including its archaeoastronomical alignments. The alignments at these sites marking sunrise and sunset at the summer and winter solstices are naturally suggestive of sun worship, which can be found in many cultures globally dating back thousands of years.
For me it is obvious why the ancients would worship the sun, because when the sun comes up in the morning, it changes one’s whole situation. Many of us live in relative comfort today, but imagine being around 5,000 years ago, when homes were not so cozy and comfy. You would be so happy to see and feel the sun in the morning, after a dark, cold and possibly dangerous night!
The video on the page linked below is quiet and unnarrated by a human voice, but to me it demonstrates simply this happy, enlightening time of the day when the sun – which is just about the most cosmic yet third-dimensional agency humans can imagine actually “cares” about them – brings its life-renewing light and warmth to the earth.
Nine recently discovered stone monuments in England predate Stonehenge but share similar construction and alignment with the famous megaliths.
THE GIST:
* Nine megaliths in England share similar construction and alignment with Stonehenge.
* These monuments all mark the rising of the midsummer sun and the setting of midwinter sun.
* Burials and food remains found nearby suggest death-related rituals may have been held at the standing stones….
The Dartmoor megaliths, which were recently carbon-dated to around 3500 B.C., could predate Stonehenge, but both sites feature large standing stones that are aligned to mark the rising of the midsummer sun and the setting of the midwinter sun….
The ancient Brits were not necessarily sun worshippers, however. …
Pitts believes the “solstice alignment phenomenon perhaps has something to do with death.”
As he explains the setting sun and shorter days of winter would have represented the passage into the darkness of the underworld, and the reverse as the days start to lengthen again.
“At Stonehenge,” he continued, “the dark navy-colored bluestones may themselves represent ancestors or spirits from the underworld, while the big orangey-pink (before weathering) sarsens could reflect summer and light.”…
While the ancient Brits may not necessarily have been sun worshippers, it is likely that some of them were at various points and for long periods of time, for the very reasons given above. The astrotheology of these sites is clearly reflected in the fact that they are astronomically aligned and quite likely served as temples or sacred spaces.
Further Reading
The 2010 Astrotheology Calendar
Astrotheology of the Ancients
