An ancient astronomical observatory from the Neolithic period was accidentally discovered in Poland (photo)
Near the village of Kaczków in Poland, archaeologists have made a discovery that could change our understanding of ancient rituals. Using drones to survey several fields near the village, they discovered an ancient ritual center that is revealing its secrets after decades of neglect.
Recently, the region of Poland has been suffering from dry conditions, which has led to changes in soil moisture. It is these changes that revealed the crop marks that formed the outline of the monument from above. Research indicates that this ritual center consists of two partial rings of palisades inside the monument, which are surrounded by three semicircular circles, the so-called Neolithic systems of circular ditches, according to Nauka w Polsce.
Similar circular fence structures have been found at various sites throughout Central Europe since the Neolithic period. The researchers associate them with archaeological cultures that evolved from the Linear Pottery Culture in the early to mid-V millennium BC.
Read also: Ancient treasure hidden in a ceramic jug found in Poland (photo)
Although the function of these round places is still being debated, one of the leading theories indicates that they served a cultic purpose, perhaps as a calendar or observatory. Some sites had holes that corresponded to the solstices, which may indicate their astronomical use.
Although some of these structures share similarities with Stonehenge in Britain, the Central European Neolithic round ditch systems are not directly related and were built about 1800 years earlier.
The area around Kaczków has been studied by archaeologists since 2021, theexcavations and research have already revealed about 160 long houses with an elongated trapezoidal plan. According to the leading archaeologist Jerzy Czerniec, it seems that these structures were built around a central point where stones were located, which served a ritual function. Czerniec also suggests that this monument could have been used as an astronomical observatory associated with the summer solstice.
Archaeologists are continuing their research, hoping to find more answers about this ancient ritual center and its role in the lives of the people of that time.
As a reminder, a stone mon ument depicting the goddess Ishtar was found in northern Iraq.
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