A new proposition for redating the Mithraic tauroctony scene

Assuming that the figures of the central icon of the Mithraic cult – the scene of tauroctony (bull slaying) – represent equatorial constellations at the time when the spring equinox was placed somewhere between Taurus and Aries, it is difficult to explain why some equatorial constellations (Orion and Libra) were not included in the Mithraic icons A simulation of the sky at the times in which the spring equinox was in the constellation of Taurus, only a small area of spring equinox positions permits to exclude these two constellations, with all other representations of equatorial constellations (Taurus, Canis Minor, Hydra, Crater, Corvus, Scorpio) included. These positions of the spring equinox occurred at the beginning of the age of Taurus, and included Gemini as an equatorial constellation. Two of the main figures in the Mithraic icons are two identical figures, usually represented on the each side of the bull, wearing phrygian caps and holding torches. Their names, Cautes and Cautopates, and their looks may indicate that they represent the constellation of Gemini. In that case the main icon of Mithraic religion could represent an event that happened around 4000 BC, when the spring equinox entered the constellation of Taurus. Also, this position of equator contains Perseus as an equatorial constellation. Ulansey suggested that the god Mithras is identified with the constellation Perseus. In that case, all figures in the main scene would be equatorial constellations.     

HEIMDALL'S STONES AT VITEMÖLLA IN SE SWEDEN AND THE CHRONOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE SURROUNDINGS

Heimdall's Stones at Vitemölla is an archaeological monument of stones arranged in circles and where sightlines can be identified of the sunrise and sunset at winter and summer solstices and spring and autumn equinoxes. Therefore, this stone monument is likely to have served as an archaeoastronomic observatory. It is founded in a fossil land surface now covered by half a metre of eolian sand. In order to date this sand drift, sediment coring was performed in the nearby Sandefloen bog. Seven levels were subjected to AMS C14 dating. The first sand drift, correlated with the sand drift covering Heimdall's Stones, was dated at 500–600 cal. bc . Consequently, the observatory has to date back to the Bronze Age, fitting well with its Sun cult and with the rock carvings recorded on the individual stones. At the seashore 500 m east of the observatory and the bog, we were able to reconstruct the sea-level changes. In conclusion, we combine the recorded sea-level changes with the C14-dated bog stratigraphy and the observed stratigraphy at Heimdall's Stones (covering an area of 500×500 m) into one unified picture. The chronostratigraphic position of Heimdall's Stones agrees well with the dating of the Kivik grave. The Vitemölla area is likely to have been an important cultural centre in the Bronze Age.     

Comments on‘Heimdall's Stones at Vitemölla in SE Sweden and the Chronology and Stratigraphy of the Surroundings’byMörneret al. (2009)

Mörner, N.‐A. and Lind, B., 2011. Reply: Comments on ‘Heimdall's stones at Vitemölla in SE Sweden and the chronology and stratigraphy of the surroundings’ by Mörner et al. (2009). Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 93, 197–199. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468‐0459.2011.00429.x     

Sunset on Heimdall's Stones. A View from Archaeology and Archaeoastronomy of the Ravlunda 169 Iron Age Cemetery

Salt, A. and Rundkvist, M., 2011. Letter to the editor: Sunset on Heimdall's stones. A view from archaeology and archaeoastronomy of the Ravlunda 169 Iron Age cemetery. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 93, 193–196. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468‐0459.2011.00428.x     

The archaeoastronomy of Tikal: A reanalysis

At the great city of Tikal, the ancient Maya placed and oriented their ceremonial architecture and monuments in accordance with cosmological principles. Its earliest ceremonial plaza, the Mundo Perdido, is one of the oldest pre-Classic E-Groups of the Petén, the astronomical utility of which has been a topic of debate by archeologists and archaeoastronomers alike over the past century. In 1988, Aveni and Hartung surveyed the great temples of Tikal and revealed the relationship between their astronomical and dynastic aspects. Yet, over the intervening decades breakthroughs in the decipherment of the Maya glyphs have greatly increased our understanding of Tikal's dynastic history while interpretations in the field of archaeoastronomy have become more rigorous. For instance, more recent surveys and interpretations by Ŝprajc (2021a, 2021b) have demonstrated the importance of the Maya ritual calendar in the placement and orientation of ceremonial public architecture. The aim of this paper is to reassess this earlier fieldwork in archaeoastronomy, provide recent corroborative measurements of the orientation of key buildings, and provide a cohesive summation of the cosmological principles found in the design and construction of the city of Tikal.