k: In the center of Europe near the city of Goseck (Germany, Burgenlandkrais district, Saxony-Anhalt) there is an unusual Neolithic structure - the Goseck circle. According to scientists, this is an ancient observatory, supposedly built in 4900 BC and is most likely the first of its kind.
The unique structure was accidentally spotted in 1991 while surveying the area from an airplane. It was then that in the wheat field the pilot saw a mysterious round shape. Unfortunately, time has worn down the preservation of the ancient structure, but the reconstruction has returned it to its original appearance. 1675 oak logs were used for construction, several machines of fine stone to strengthen oak piles and a considerable seven-month painstaking work associated not only with the processing and installation of heavy logs, but also with earthworks to outline the circles.
The excavations were carried out by experts from the University of Halle-Wittenberg in 2002. The researchers were able to establish that the Gosek circle originally consisted of 4 concentric circles with a maximum diameter of about 75 meters, a mound, a ditch and two wooden palisades.
The palisades had three gates facing southeast, southwest and north. During the summer and winter solstices, observers in the center could see the sunrise and sunset through the southeast and southwest gates. According to scientists, the Goseck circle was used for astronomical observations and for compiling the lunar calendar.
Photo: Harald Haefker / flickr.com
The accuracy of the calculation of the circle suggests that the ancient creators of the "celestial calendar" had a fairly good knowledge of astronomy, but its exact use is an inexhaustible source of the most heated debate. In ancient Europe, the "solar cult" was widespread, so there is an opinion that the structure was used in some rituals, perhaps even with sacrifices. During the initial investigation of the Goseck circle, archaeologists found human bones, among which was a decapitated skeleton.
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Ceramic shards with distinctive linear patterns were found inside the circle. This is how the representatives of the culture of prickly ceramics, who lived 7,000 ago, painted their dishes. The find is also often called "German Stonehenge", but the Goseck Circle was built 2-3 thousand years earlier than the British Stonehenge.
It is worth noting that in 1999, 25 kilometers from Gosek, antiquities hunters discovered a bronze disc with a diameter of 30 centimeters using a metal detector. On its surface were images of the Sun, Moon and 32 stars, including the Pleiades cluster. All elements of the firmament were overhead and were made of gold.
Disc from Nebra
The place where he was found was on the top of a 252-meter hill, fenced in ancient times. It was similar to the Goseck circle in the shape of a ring, only smaller in size and younger than it by 14-15 centuries. There is no doubt that the cosmological scheme depicted on the disc is the result of centuries of sky observations, the basis of which was laid in the Goseck circle.
Most archaeologists agree that the Goseck Circle was used for astronomical observations and can be considered the oldest known solar observatory in the world of the Neolithic and Bronze Age.