Mississippian Solstice Shrines and a Cahokian Calendar: An Hypothesis Based on Ethnohistory and Archaeology

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. O'Brien ◽  
William P. McHugh

This article examines the hypothesis that early Middle Mississippians had a calendric system which tied agriculture and religious ritual together. It also suggests that to that end they built solstice shrines as a means of recording the passage of time through the behavior of the sun and the moon. Using data from structures having possible astronomical alignments, from historic-ethnographic-linguistic sources, and from agricultural planting cycles, a “Cahokian calendar year” is constructed. The year begins with the summer solstice and the Great Busk ceremony. At the next full moon the “great corn” is planted to be harvested at the autumnal equinox. At the winter solstice winter begins while the vernal equinox is marked by a ritual for the Great Sun, their ruler. At the next new moon after that rite a “little corn” is planted which is harvested at the Great Busk. In their five-day, thirteenth month, just before the Busk, all the fires in the society are extinguished to be relit at the summer solstice Great Busk ceremony.

A. Digby (The Paddocks, Eastcombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire) I think the most striking difference between Old World and New World calendrical systems which has emerged from the papers today is the use in America of a 260-day period combining the 20 day names with the numerals 1 to 13. There is a possibility that the number thirteen may have been determined by the characteristics and shortcomings of a peculiar sundial which could be used to determine annual as well as diurnal time by showing the declination as well as the hour angle of the sun. The evidence for the existence of this instrument lies in examples of the year glyph which can be shown to be a drawing of two trapezes set at right angles on a ring. One lying north to south would cast a shadow which would move from west to east across the base of the instrument between the hours of about 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., while the other, a taller trapeze would cast a shadow that travels across the instrument in a direction from south to north and back reflecting the declination of the Sun. There is some evidence to show that the instrument was tilted with the base parallel to the axis of the Earth like a ‘polar sundial’ (paper read to a symposium on recent Mesoamerican research, Cambridge 1972). Under these conditions, the shadow would make four traverses of equal length in the course of the year: from the centre of the instrument to the northern extremity (autumnal equinox to winter solstice); north extremity to centre (winter solstice to vernal equinox); centre to south extremity (vernal equinox to summer solstice); south extremity to centre (summer solstice to autumnal equinox), each of 91J days duration.


1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Milbrath

AbstractAztec images of decapitated goddesses link the symbolism of astronomy with politics and the seasonal cycle. Rituals reenacting decapitation may refer to lunar events in the context of a solar calendar, providing evidence of a luni-solar calendar. Decapitation imagery also involves metaphors expressing the rivalry between the cults of the sun and the moon. Huitzilopochtli's decapitation of Coyolxauhqui can be interpreted as a symbol of political conquest linked to the triumph of the sun over the moon. Analysis of Coyolxauhqui's imagery and mythology indicates that she represents the full moon eclipsed by the sun. Details of the decapitation myth indicate specific links with seasonal transition and events taking place at dawn and at midnight. Other decapitated goddesses, often referred to as earth goddesses with “lunar connections,” belong to a complex of lunar deities representing the moon within the earth (the new moon). Cihuacoatl, a goddess of the new moon, takes on threatening quality when she assumes the form of a tzitzimime attacking the sun during a solar eclipse. The demonic new moon was greatly feared, for it could cause an eternal solar eclipse bringing the Aztec world to an end.


Author(s):  
Abu Yazid Raisal ◽  
Yudhiakto Pramudya ◽  
Okimustava Okimustava ◽  
Muchlas Muchlas

<p class="Abstract">In astronomy, there are three types of dawn. They are astronomical, nautical, and civil dawn. The sunlight is starting to appear on the east horizon when the Sun altitude is 18<sup>o</sup> below the horizon. Hence, there is a change on the sky brightness. The sky brightness can be affected by the moon phases. The sky brightness level is monitored by Sky Quality Meter (SQM). The SQM was installed upward to the zenith. There are 4 locations of measurement in Yogyakarta. The data has been collected for nine months to obtain the complete moon phases. The beginning of astronomical dawn is time when the sky brightness level is starting to decrease. The moving average algorithm was employed to determine the beginning of astronomical dawn. The time when the astronomical dawn begins is compared with the sun altitude calculation. The sun altitude calculation has been done using accurate times software. The difference of the beginning of astronomical dawn by measurement and calculation are 18.61±6.81 minutes, 19.12±3.28 minutes, 31.12±7.76 minutes, and 27.24±8.04 minutes, on the new moon (0), on the first quarter (0.25), on the full moon (0.5) and on the last quarter (0.75), respectively. The weather condition is also contributing to the results.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-24
Author(s):  
Gyula Priskin

According to the Graeco-Roman zodiacs, the appearance of the full moon on the day of the autumnal equinox signified the moment in the astral myth of Osiris when the god was resurrected. The paper argues that the concise version of the hour vigil on the interior surface of the lid of Peftjauneith’s coffin refers to the same mythical episode. Similarly to a few other coffins of the 26th dynasty, Peftjauneith’s composition includes a short exhortative text, a visual list of the hour goddesses, together with their names (twelve for the day, and twelve for the night), and the figure of Nut who is unusually depicted as swallowing the sun and giving birth to the moon. The even distribution of the hours points to the equinox, while the juxtaposition of the sun and the moon captures the rising of the full lunar disc. The whole scene thus refers to a detail of the hour vigil not documented elsewhere, namely, that it was ideally performed when the full moon coincided with the day of the equinox. With its setup, the hour vigil of Osiris on Peftjauneith’s coffin is a forerunner of the later Graeco-Roman zodiacs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 074873042098363
Author(s):  
Alejandro A. Aguirre ◽  
Roberto A. Palomares ◽  
Aitor D. De Ondiz ◽  
Eleazar R. Soto ◽  
Mariana S. Perea ◽  
...  

Evidence has accumulated over the years indicating that the moon influences some aspects of the reproductive activity in animals and humans. However, little is known about the influence of the lunar cycle on the reproductive performance of cows under tropical conditions, where the environment strongly affects reproduction. This retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the influence of the lunar cycle on some reproductive traits of tropical crossbred cows managed in a pasture-based system. Data from 5869 reproductive records from two commercial farms localized in the Maracaibo Lake Basin of Zulia State, Venezuela, were analyzed. Variables studied were first service conception rate, calving frequency, first postpartum estrous frequency, and pregnancy frequency. In addition to the lunar cycle, the effects of farm, season, and predominant breed were also considered. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and general linear model from SAS. First service conception was affected by lunar phases and predominant breed, but not by farm or season. For frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy, there was no main effect of farm, season, and predominant breed, whereas the effect of lunar phases was highly significant. First service conception was significantly greater in waning than in crescent phase of the lunar cycle. Frequencies of calving, first estrus, and pregnancy were highly correlated and showed greater figures around full moon and new moon. In conclusion, lunar cycle influenced first service conception, attaining greater values in the waning phase of the moon cycle. Frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy in crossbred cows showed a clear bimodal rhythm, whose greatest values coincided with new moon and full moon.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S260) ◽  
pp. 514-521
Author(s):  
Ilias M. Fernini

AbstractThe Islamic society has great ties to astronomy. Its main religious customs (start of the Islamic month, direction of prayer, and the five daily prayers) are all related to two main celestial objects: the Sun and the Moon. First, the start of any Islamic month is related to the actual seeing of the young crescent after the new Moon. Second, the direction of prayer, i.e., praying towards Mecca, is related to the determination of the zenith point in Mecca. Third, the proper time for the five daily prayers is related to the motion of the Sun. Everyone in the society is directly concerned by these customs. This is to say that the major impetus for the growth of Islamic astronomy came from these three main religious observances which presented an assortment of problems in mathematical astronomy. To observe these three customs, a new set of astronomical observations were needed and this helped the development of the Islamic observatory. There is a claim that it was first in Islam that the astronomical observatory came into real existence. The Islamic observatory was a product of needs and values interwoven into the Islamic society and culture. It is also considered as a true representative and an integral par of the Islamic civilisation. Since astronomy interested not only men of science, but also the rulers of the Islamic empire, several observatories have flourished. The observatories of Baghdad, Cairo, Córdoba, Toledo, Maragha, Samarqand and Istanbul acquired a worldwide reputation throughout the centuries. This paper will discuss the two most important observatories (Maragha and Samarqand) in terms of their instruments and discoveries that contributed to the establishment of these scientific institutions.


The weather was so extremely unfavourable, that it was not possible to obtain more than eight observations of the sun, from which the obliquity of the ecliptic at the late solstice could be deduced; from these it is inferred to have been 23° 27' 47''·35, that from the summer solstice having been 23° 27' 51''·3. This small discordance, it is observed, might be easily made to disappear by a slight modification of Bradley’s refractions; but the Astronomer Royal has not yet had an opportunity of making a sufficient number of observations on circumpolar stars with the new circle, to warrant making any corrections in his table of refractions, and he leaves the subject of the discordance of the solstices for discussion in a separate paper.


1946 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Merrill

Although graphical methods are in common use by engineers and astronomers, they are less familiar to archaeologists. To portray the rhythm of celestial motions, astronomers often use “elongation” diagrams to show angular distances of moon and planets from the sun on each day of the calendar year.The Maya recognized a zone within which the planets could not be seen because of proximity to the brilliant disk of the sun. The moon cannot be seen on the day of conjunction with the sun, and is generally invisible on the day before and the day after this “new moon day.” The three consecutive days in the lunar table of the Dresden Codex may represent the 3-day phase of moon disappearance.


JOGED ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewi Sinta Fajawati

Bulan merupakan sumber inspiratif dalam penggarapan karya tari ini. Secara ilmu pengetahuan, Bulan adalah benda langit yang disebut satelit, satelit satu-satunya yang dimiliki Bumi dan tercipta secara alami. Banyak teori yang mengatakan tentang terbentuknya Bulan, salah satunya adalah teori Big bang atau dentuman besar. Pada dasarnya Bulan hanyalah sebuah Benda besar berbentuk bulat yang tidak bisa bercahaya, cahaya yang kita lihat pada malam hari merupakan refleksi dari cahaya matahari. Akan tetapi keindahannya memang tidak bisa dipungkiri, karena dia paling bercahaya diantara hamparan langit yang gelap. Cahayanya tidak selalu terang, bahkan tidak selalu bulat, terkadang hanya terlihat setengah atau terlihat seperti sabit..            Penata tari memetaforakan objek bulan yang berada di tempat yang sangat tinggi sebagai sebuah cita-cita yang ingin dicapai. Seringkali lagu anak-anak yang menjadi pengalaman auditif penata tari, menjadikan bulan sebagai objek yang ingin digapai, misal lagu ‘Ambilkan Bulan Bu’. Namun intisari yang akan dipakai dalam penggarapan koregrafinya adalah tentang fase bulan yang tercipta. Bersumber dari rangsang awal melihat bulan atau rangsang visual, penata tari menginterpretasikan fase-fase bulan yang terjadi sebagai fase kehidupan yang dijalani untuk menggapai sebuah cita-cita tersebut.            Koreografi diwujudkan dalam bentuk kelompok dengan membagi dua karate penari. Delapan penari merupakan simbolisasi Bulan, dan satu penari sebagai manusia yang bercita-cita. Dengan bentuk tari dramatik, penyajiannya dibagi menjadi 5 adegan, yaitu Introduksi Big bang, Adegan 1 Moon happen, Adegan 2 Mengejar Impian, Adegan 3 Dancing with Moon, dan Ending ‘Catch Your Dream’. The moon is the essential inspirations of this choreograph. Theoretically, the moon is a sky object which is called as satellite. The one and only naturally created satellite belongs to the planet Earth. There are many theories that explain how the moon was created. One of those theories is Big Bang theory or massive crash. Basically, the moon is just a huge circle thing which is unable to shine its glow. The light that we experience in the evening is the reflection of the sun. However, thebeauty of the moonlight is undeniable as it has the significant light within the darkest night sky. Its light is not always the strongest, even it’s not always circle (full), every so often it is seemed only the half part of it or crescent moon.            The choreographer interpreted the moon that belongs in the highest as the goals that she wants to reach. Most of the time, the children songs (lullaby) that pick the moon as the main object that is desired to be reached, for example the song “Ambilkan Bulan, Bu”. The essential idea that is explored in this choreograph is the creational phase of the moon itself. It was started by way of visual reaction when the choreographer observed the moon, she interpret the moon’s phases as the phases in human’s life which are gone through to reaching their goals. Fall and recovery, passionate, and even sometimes they give it in, are interpreted from the moonlight. The full moon which has the brightest and the most perfect light is likened as the strong spirit. The crescent moon with its soft light is interpreted as low spirit and unconfident.             This in-group-choreograph is separated into two characters with 8 female dancers that are the symbolization of the moon and the other one female dancer symbolizes a human with aspire. With dramatic dance form, this choreograph is presented into five parts, including introduction part of Big Bang, Moon Happen in part one, Chasing Dream is part two, Dancing With The Moon in part three, Catch Your Dream in the ending part.


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