These megaliths — large, prehistoric monuments made of stone — may seem mysterious in our modern era, when many people lack a connection with, or even view of, the stars. The site was first discovered in 1974 by a group of scientists headed by Fred Wendorf, an Anthropology Professor … Eventually, there was enough water that people could even dig wells and build homes around them. African megaliths. After all, its stones are so big that they were never buried, and it’s long been easily accessible. Mariff took Wendorf, who he had worked with since the 1960s, out to the site, which sits some 60 miles away from the Nile. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Malville says he too was puzzled when he first looked at maps of the ancient site. This timing had led some scholars to suggest the event sparked a “black genesis” for the cultural development in Egypt. So tracking the Sun’s location could have tipped them off to the coming wet season. However, Romuald Schild, Wendorf's longtime friend and collaborator, remembers the discovery story differently. In addition to the oldest astronomical site, Nabta Playa is also home to the oldest known remains of sorghum, a crop first domesticated in Africa that’s now one of the world’s most important foods, especially in the tropics. Eventually, there was enough water that people could even dig wells and build homes around them. You'll also find 50 pages of astronomy history, tips, and more from experienced Contributing Editor Michael E. Bakich. These early calendars foretold the coming of spring, summer, fall, and winter, helping civilizations track when to plant and harvest crops. That means Europeans have known of nearby Stonehenge for much of its 5,000 year history. RT @Rainmaker1973: The world's first astronomical site, Nabta Playa, was built in Africa and is 2,000 years older than Stonehenge. He says Nabta Playa might not get as much attention as Stonehenge because it is significantly smaller, and up until a few decades ago, it was buried in sand in a remote region of Africa. It’s also the oldest known astronomical site on Earth. Nabta Playa is believed to be older than Stonehenge. Some 1,500 years earlier, the region had dried out, becoming what is now Earth’s hottest desert, the Sahara. The inside story behind the historic first flight on Mars, Space is the place for impossible molecules. Want it all? Trends in research also come and go. But even these primitive sites are at least centuries younger than the world’s oldest known stone circle: Nabta Playa. Nabta Playa was once a large internally drained basin in the Nubian Desert, located approximately 800 kilometers south of modern-day Cairo or about 100 kilometers west of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, 22.51° north, 30.73° east. Trends in research also come and go. The ancient society studied the constellations and understood the movements of the night sky. Located in Africa, Nabta Playa stands some 700 miles south of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. View our Privacy Policy. Did they imagine these stars were gods? Reconstruction of the calendar circle at Nabta Playa. Instead, they dug up cattle bones and an enormous rock seemingly carved into the shape of a cow. Could we steal energy from leaking black holes? Then, during excavations in the early 1990s, Wendorf and a team of excavators, including Polish archaeologist Romuald Schild, uncovered a circle of stones that seemed to be aligned with the stars in some mysterious way. It was then passed across the region, eventually reaching Great Britain. Their analysis was published in the journal Nature in 1998, drawing global headlines about a “Stonehenge in the Sahara.”. “It was like a zen experience to see how this fit together,” he says. It was then that they spotted evidence of the megalithic remains. It was constructed by a cattle worshiping cult of nomadic people to mark the summer solstice and the arrival of the monsoons. Some even hold them up as supernatural, or divined by aliens. Some archaeologists think these people likely traveled south into Nubia, or modern day Sudan, as well as north into Egypt. The first strong evidence for people at Nabta Playa appears around the year 9000 BC. Wendorf himself had a powerful experience that cemented his belief in this idea. The summer solstice would have coincided with the arrival of the annual monsoons. Hundreds of sorghum seeds were found at Nabta Playa, and they appear to be more closely related to domestic sorghum than wild varieties. "What in the world did they think about it? Some even hold them up as supernatural, or divined by aliens. They made jewelry out of cow bones. “People used to be obsessed with pyramids and the historic cultures in North Africa,” Higginbottom says. For the nomadic people who lived in the area, these summer rains were likely sacred. Soon, visitors were defacing the megaliths and standing up nearby stones that changed the site’s alignment. After their study was published in 1998, tourists located the stone circle by plucking the latitude and longitude from the research paper. But between 5000 B.C. Enter the Space & Beyond Box Photo Contest! These giant mirrors will help astronomers see to the edges of the universe, WATCH: SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype, SN11, explodes in midair, Queen guitarist Brian May and David Eicher launch new astronomy book. Nabta Playa: The World’s First Astronomical Site Was Built in Africa and Is Older Than Stonehenge Nabta Playa has been assessed by an inventory of Egyptian archeological sites in accordance with the UNESCO World Heritage Convention as having “theory solar and stellar alignments.” They are the … He wanted to search for the ancient origins of Pharaonic Egypt, away from the Nile River. Continue reading Nabta Playa: The world’s first astronomical site was built in Africa and is older than Stonehenge at Alien UFO Sightings.... Nabta Playa: The world’s first astronomical site was built in Africa and is older than Stonehenge. The Nabta site was discovered several years ago by a team led by Southern Methodist University anthropology Professor Fred Wendorf. Save up to 50% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine. Hundreds of sorghum seeds were found at Nabta Playa, and they appear to be more closely related to domestic sorghum than wild varieties. If these cattle-raising nomads did help establish the Nile Valley's first civilization, Wendorf once told Discover, "it could explain the religious significance that Egyptians attached to the cow and cattle in the Old Kingdom.". The team of archaeologists called it a “well-organized village.”. Last chance to join our 2020 Costa Rica Star Party! Millet, another crop critical to the global agricultural history, was also domesticated in the region. In addition to the oldest astronomical site, Nabta Playa is also home to the oldest known remains of sorghum, a crop first domesticated in Africa that’s now one of the world’s most important foods, especially in the tropics. This kind of celestial navigation would have made Nabta Playa's stone circle a powerful symbol to the ancient nomadic people. He discovered that the stone circle once aligned to Arcturus, Sirius and Alpha Centauri. “They ended up messing up the area, which had been pristine for 5,000 years,” Malville says. Evidence of megalithic remains was lying on the surface. With the shift, African monsoons migrated north relatively quickly, filling up seasonal lakes, or playa, that provided short-lived oases for life. In this article, we journey around the globe and explore 7 wonderful ancient stone formations that are just as awesome and mysterious as perhaps the most famous example – Stonehenge. For the nomadic people who lived in the area, these summer rains were likely sacred. During this era before agriculture had spread across the globe, these nomads survived primarily off of wild resources. Astronomy Magazine Collection 2016-2020 DVD-ROM. These structures were mostly built between 6,500 and 4,500 years ago, largely along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. After their study was published in 1998, tourists located the stone circle by plucking the latitude and longitude from the research paper. “Their experience was rather similar to Polynesian navigators who had to sail from one place to another,” Malville says he suspects. Arecibo radio telescope finally collapses following cable failures, Famed Arecibo radio telescope to be decommissioned after cable failures, Arecibo radio telescope reeling from second cable failure, Four new giant telescopes are about to rock astronomy, Earth’s biggest telescopes reopen after months of COVID closures. By that time, the people who first grew the seeds were gone. Nabta Playa : This 7,000-year-old stone circle tracked the summer solstice and the arrival of the annual monsoon season. Nabta Playa, waaay older than stonehenge. And what kinds of connections did they have with the stars and the stones?”. It was constructed by a cattle worshiping cult of nomadic people to mark the summer solstice and the arrival of the monsoons. One theory — which has been debunked — suggested that the arms of Nabta Playa’s stone circle describe the distances to the stars they aligned with, and that the rock slab beneath the megalith is a map of our Milky Way galaxy. Did they imagine these stars were gods? At first Wendorf thought they were natural formations. Read our privacy policy. They drove across the flat, sandy landscape until they reached a large sand dune beside a dry lake bed, where views stretched out to the horizon. The chronology and extreme similarities between these widespread European sites leads some researchers to think the regional tradition of constructing megaliths first emerged along the coast of France.
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