Iharka Szcs-Csillik Alexandra Coma

Skopje, 2015 E-mail: alexcomsa63@yahoo.com

A Brief Overview of the Astronomy's Place in

the Romanian Neolithic Research of

the Settlements

Introduction solar path

The two solstices and the two equinox regulate and define sights and cultures. The astronomy has an important role and significance in the Neolithic time, as well as in other historical periods. The geographical position of Romania (latitude: 44o48oN, longitudes: 20o29oE), its topography, determines the starry sky what we can see.

General considerations We should mention that Romania has a geographic position in the temperate

zone, with four seasons a year. From here the Northern hemisphere constellations could be entirely seen, as well as few from the Southern hemisphere.

Four seasons

Due to those four seasons and to the favorable geographic conditions, occupations like agriculture, fishing, animal breeding etc. could be practiced. Besides, other populations could safely get settled and live here, having enough natural shelters and food.

The Neolithic sky above Romania

This Neolithic sky must have been so fascinating, that the ancient man made a lot of cults related to the sky observation. Ancient people had also introduced in their live the rituals connected with the sky (in constructions, in burials, in "fecundity practices, in every day concerns).

The Sun

The most important object on the sky is the Sun, the star in our Solar System. It provides light and warmth. Its motions through our sky cause day and night, the passage of the seasons, and Earth's varied climates. The Sun moves through the sky in the same way as any star does. It rises somewhere along the Eastern horizon and sets somewhere in the Western one.

General considerations

The Sun observation during the Neolithic period was important because of its annual apparent movement on the horizon, which describes a solar arc. These observations had been done for measuring the time, for making calendars

and finally resulted in the emergence of the solar cult.

Inside outside the solar arc The orientation towards the

Sun direction of the settlements, dwellings, skeletons (inside the solar arc, four seasons equinoxes and solstices) show us the beliefs of the Neolithic populations (Para, Iclod, Cernica, Vrti etc.).

Practical consequences of the

Sun movement in the sky

The location of the Sun's path across the sky varied with the seasons, the same like today. A first consequence it had upon the settlements, was the orientation of the entrance in the dwellings, which had to be positioned against the winds, while the windows had to be orientated so that the light would have come into the rooms of the respective constructions.

Besides, the existence of the four seasons had exerted a strong influence upon the quotidian activities that people used to develop, but also created some specific rhythms, that correlated them with the Sun movement in the sky. This was the reason why agriculture and animal breeding had to be adapted to these circumstances.

Periodical celestial phenomena

Besides, some celestial phenomena, which are periodical, like the eclipses and sunspots, Sun, Moon, planets, satellites, comets motion, etc. permit a calculation for the past, which can be used in the studies about chronology, but also in the interpretation of some archaeological vestiges.

Constellations on the sky

of the Neolithic Romania

During the Neolithic, on the Romanian territory, the Sun, the Moon, but also many constellations (Orion, Taurus (Pleiades), Gemini, Cassiopeia, Aquila, Corona Borealis, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, etc.) must have had a prominent role, because of their favorable visibility, being used both for the time measure and calendar making.

For instance, we believe that, the Cassiopeia constellation, shaped as what we would name today as the reversed letter M, or W, had been rendered on some of the Neolithic pottery (see Cassiopeia constellation on the right below and the vessel on the right above).

The sacred and the sky

The starry sky had impressed the people imagination in ancient times. The distant stars meant the unknown mystery for them. People believed that the

stars helped and guided them in their life. They grouped the stars, in order to form constelations, for an easier orientation on the sky.

The sanctuary from Para The Neolithic sanctuary from Para

belongs to the Banat culture from the period of the middle-late Neolithic age (the site being situated at latitude: 45o37, longitude: 21o07 and dated around 5500-4500 BC). The size of the sacred construction was

of 11.6 x 6 m, which was parted by a wall into two rooms. On the dividing wall there was a round window-like opening of about 35 cm in diameter. The Eastern room was the most sacred

place, where only the priest was allowed. There stood twin Bull-idols forming a divine couple of the Bull God and the Great Mother Goddess facing East.

The Moon Sun couple In the same sanctuary, on its Western wall, it was a circular opening, of about 30 cm.

Next to the circular hole an 8 cm thick clay relief, reprezenting the Moon, was stuck on the wall, thus forming a reprezentation of the Sun-Moon couple. The western room was the one where people brought their offerings.

Details of the reconstructed

sanctuary from Parta

Astronomical interpretation of

the Para sanctuary From this point of view, we had proven that at winter solstice sunset the sunlight

illuminated a hand-loom in the NW corner of the shrine. In spring and autumn the sunlight entered the hole in the dividing wall and fell on the

socle of the Bull-idols.This was possibly associated with a fecundity cult.

During summer solstice the sunset of the Sun had illuminated the place on the altar table where the grain offerings were brought. At that time, the vernal point was situated in the Taurus constellation. All these changes of light, must have been associated with specific cultic activities, which were surely correlated to different important moments in the life of the community. The weaving, for instance, was a common occupation, but it also had a cultic meaning.

One can infer that the people from the sanctuary of Para had a good astronomical knowledge (solar cult and

others).

The illuminated model of the sanctuary

Moon phases - astronomy

Moon phases - archaeology The Cucuteni culture has been called the first

urban culture in Europe. The settlements were usually located on a plateau, fortified with earthworks and ditches. Agriculture is attested, as well as livestock-breeding, mainly cattle. The pottery is connected to the Linear Pottery culture. Extant figurines excavated at the Cucuteni sites are thought to represent the Mother goddess. On a vase we can find a complex geometric

decoration that might suggest an astronomical meaning: the four circles with a cross in the center could represent the four phases of the Moon, each circle being decorated with a horn. Similarly decorated vessels were found elsewhere in Romania (Frumuica, Trgu Ocna, Valea Lupului), in Republic of Moldova and in the Ukraine, in the area of the Cucuteni-Tripilije Culture.

Conclusion

When looking from the Romanian territory, we could say that the most important features on the Neolithic sky was the Sun and the Moon apparent motion, and the following constellations: Taurus (with the Pleiades), Gemini, Orion, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, etc.

Conclusion

In the Neolithic, the Taurus constellation was the vernal point, which the ancient people had known from the determination of the equinox. The bull symbol can be frequently found in this period. Some examples are the bull-skulls in the Parta sanctuary, bones of this animal discovered not only in the settlements, where they can be associated with food, but also in sacred places. There are also zomorphic figurines or decorations on vessels in many archaeological sites, like Iclod, Cernica, Cucuteni.

Conclusion

The importance of archaeoastronomy for the archaeology is obvious. The orientation (alignment) study in arheology provides us a better understanding of the concerns, or beliefs of the prehistorical people.

Conclusion

The astronomy has an important role and significance in the Neolithic time. The communities of that period had practiced a lot of cultic activities. For instance, the cult of the dead and the solar cult are connected with the orientation, namely with the alignment of different vestiges. Moreover, the astronomical representations are also present on pottery, on anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figurines and other objects, usually in connection with cultic activities.

Selected References

Rogers, J.H.: Origins of the Ancient Contellations: I. The Mesopotamian Traditions, Journal of the British Astronomical Association 108, 9, 1998. Thurston, H.: Early Astronomy, Springer, New York, 1994. Ridpath, I.: Star Tales, Lutterworth Press, Cambridge, 1989. Herrmann, J.: Astronomie Planeten, Sterne, Galaxien. Bertelsmann-Verlag,

Gtersloh, 1984. International Astronomical Union: The Constellations, on IAU webpage. Evans, J.: The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy, Oxford University Press,

1988. Maxim, Z., Csillik, I: Agricultural constellations. Annals of the Tiberiu Popoviciu

Seminar of functional equations, Approximation and Convexity, Cluj, p. 5-10, 2003. Maxim, Z., Szcs-Csillik, I.: Astronomical Orientation at the Cernica Neolithic

Necropolis, Annals of the Tiberiu Popoviciu Seminar, vol. 8, pag. 155-166, 2010. Szcs-Csillik, I., Coma, A., Maxim, Z., Szcs, I.: Case studies of

Archaeoastronomy in Romania, Archaeologia e Calcolatori, Vol. 21, p. 325-337, 2010. Szcs-Csillik, I., Comsa, A., Maxim, Z.: Archaeoastronomy in Romania, Rom.

Astron. J., Vol. 20, Supplement, p. 197-200, 2010. Coma, A., Szcs-Csillik, I.: An arhaeoastronomical study regarding some

necropoleis from Gumelnita culture, in ArheoVest, vol. 1, p. 837-846, Timisoara, Romania, 2013. http://arheologie.ulbsibiu.ro/membri/cosmin/virtual%20reconstruction.htm

Thank you for your attention!