Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies 2014, 2(1), 89-100
DOI: 10.24411/2310-2144-2014-00011
Topographic proof of the archaeoastronomic hypothesis about the underground well temple of Sardinian type in Bulgaria
Lyubomir Tsonev1
1Department of Optics and Spectroscopy, Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko chaussee blvd., BG-1784, Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria; e-mail: lyubo@issp.bas.bg
Abstract
In the previous paper about the well temple near Garlo village in Bulgaria we proposed a ritual hypothesis which interprets the temple as a marker of the sun culmination in winter solstice. Unfortunately, the dense forest and the protecting building existing today around the temple prevent any attempt to verify the hypothesis by direct measurements. We carried out a preliminary analysis only to estimate the "observation window" for the observer No 2 in the tholos. There from we concluded that our hypothesis is permissible in principle. In the present publication we use topographical analysis as an instrument for more reliable proof. A topographical map representing the relief in sufficient detail gives the opportunity to estimate how the observer No 3 on the terrain at the temple would see the contour of the surrounding mountains if the dense forest and the protective building around the temple were missing. The reconstruction of the visible mountain contour confirmed our hypothesis and demonstrated the usefulness of the topographic analysis itself. Our approach consists of the following steps. At the beginning we find the GPS coordinates of the temple itself and of several well defined points in the vicinity of the temple. So we can exactly plot the temple on the topographic map. Fixing the temple as a common starting point we draw a fan of radius-vectors directed towards the horizon sector between azimuths 180o and 150o. Moving along the radius-vector of azimuth A we find all the points where it crosses lines of equal height above the sea level; in this manner we obtain the terrain profile in direction A. In every profile A we find the point MA of maximum height above the sea level and determine its coordinates MA(r,t). Dividing the height of this point t(A) by its distance to the temple r(A) we find the inclination angle h(A) at which the point MA is visible from the temple h(A) = arctg{t(A)/r(A)}. The totality of all the angles h(A) represents the contour of the mountain relief surrounding the temple if the observer No 3 stays on the terrain at the temple, if the mountains are barren and if the protective building does not exist. At the end we combine the relief contour visible by the observer No 3 staying on the terrain at the temple with the observation window for the observer No 2 staying in the tholos. We conclude that the observer No 2 really was able to see the winter solstice sun culmination through the dromos in ancient times when the protecting building and the dense forest around the temple did not exist. In this manner our hypothesis obtains a reliable proof.
Keywords: underground well temples, ancient monuments in Bulgaria, archaeoastronomy.
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References
1. Mitova-Dzhonova, D. Megaliten xram-kladenec pri s.G"rlo, Pernishki okr"g. [Megalithic Well Temple near Garlo village, Pernik Region], Publisher NIPK, Sofiya, 1984, 48 p.
2. Mitova-Dzhonova, D. Proizxod i s"shtnost na protosardinskite sakralni kladenci III-I xil.pr.Xr. [Origin and Essence of Protosardinian Sacred Wells III-I Mill. BC], Publisher Ivraj, Sofiya, 2007, pp. 32-53.
3. Tsonev, L. Hypothesis about the Astronomic Function of the Underground Well Temple of Sardinian Type in Bulgaria, Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies 2013, 1(1), pp. 89-100.
4. Dermendzhiev, N.V. Metodologiya na arxeoastronomicheskite izsledvaniya. Analiz na obekti i naxodki ot teritoriyata na B"lgariya [Methodology of Archaeoastronomical Investigations. Analysis of objects and finds on Bulgarian Territory], PhD dissertaciya 2007, Institut astronomii Bolgarskoj akademii nauk, Biblioteka sekcii "Solnce" v institute, pp. 36-45.
