The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest evening of the annual cycle centered round twenty first December; a turning level of the 12 months honored by historical cultures worldwide. Precisely constructed into refined megalithic monuments, this alignment has now been recorded in temples that date to just about 12,000 years in the past. Hugh Newman reveals seven exceptional historical websites aligned to the winter solstice that may nonetheless be visited right this moment.

Seven websites around the globe that incorporate the Winter Solstice alignment. (Hugh Newman/Megalithomania)

Yearly, on December Twentieth-Twenty third the solar reaches probably the most southerly level on the horizon, showing to rise in the identical location for a number of days. Solstice actually means ‘standstill of the solar’ and the dawn seems to do exactly this.

Christmas marks the time when the solar is reborn and longer days return with the photo voltaic orb starting to maneuver northwards on the horizon, heading in direction of the spring equinox and summer season solstice. This was famous by early astronomers all through the world and constructed into stone constructions, with some so precisely aligned, the phenomenon can nonetheless be witnessed in them right this moment.

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As a result of obliquity of the ecliptic the dawn has modified over millennia, having moved very barely north on the horizon from the place it rose in historical occasions, however the distinction is so small that many historical temples that recorded this excessive level of the photo voltaic cycle nonetheless operate and might be considered right this moment. The winter solstice additionally marks the time of 12 months when the earth’s annual ‘wobble’ reaches its most northerly level, the place we’re the furthest away from the solar, therefore the chilly climate and shorter days.

On this article we give attention to historical websites which are within the northern hemisphere (within the southern hemisphere, it might be the summer season solstice), proving that cultures all cross this a part of the world throughout completely different epochs, understood the significance of marking this explicit time of 12 months.

Megalithic Constructions: Stone Data of Solstice Significance

The winter solstice marked the change of the seasons and the start of a brand new cycle. It enabled calendars to be reset, and celebrations occurred in a ritualized method in an try and carry again the sunshine, with the hope that the heat and fertilizing nature of the solar would return to their lives. Festivities, celebrations, fireplace ceremonies and dances occurred while ready for the darkness to return to an finish. These customs had been ubiquitous and had been so essential to the builders of megalithic constructions they recorded them in stone.

The Karahan Tepe winter solstice alignment first witnessed on Twentieth December, 2021. (© H. Newman)

1.    Karahan Tepe, Şanlıurfa, Turkey, 9400 BC

In December 2021 the writer and JJ Ainsworth found the oldest recognized winter solstice alignment recorded wherever on Earth. Relationship to a staggering 11,400 years in the past Karahan Tepe, the sister website to Göbekli Tepe in southeast Turkey, revealed its lengthy misplaced secrets and techniques on the morning of December Twentieth of that 12 months. Having solely lately been excavated, this was the primary time sufficient of the multiple-enclosure website had been opened as much as show any such alignments might exist.

At ten minutes after dawn, we seen a blade of sunshine on the aspect of a protruding stone head in Construction AB (the Pillar Shrine) a sunken space containing 10 upright phallic-shaped monoliths carved from bedrock and one free-standing monolith. On its southeastern edge, a carved gap, formed from bedrock, leads into the principle enclosure. It’s by this that the winter solstice dawn mild beamed by illuminating the stone head over a 45-minute interval. It was later decided, utilizing refined astronomical software program, that it might have been much more spectacular in 9400 BC, illuminating extra of the stone head than it does right this moment. Nonetheless, the truth that this may nonetheless be witnessed right this moment, makes it an important, and by far the oldest instance of how the ancients constructed megalithic websites to mark this turning level of the 12 months.

Karahan Tepe twenty first December 2022. Showcasing the complete means of daylight shining by the porthole stone onto the stone head within the Pillar Shrine. (Construction AB) (© H. Newman)

2. Gavrinis, Brittany, France, 4200 BC

A superbly embellished megalithic tomb on this island of Gavrinis within the Morbihan Gulf of Brittany hides a singular winter solstice phenomenon. Not solely does it exactly align to the shortest day’s dawn, it additionally incorporates the acute southerly place of the moon each 18.6 years, simply as precisely. A laser like beam runs alongside the ground of the chamber and hits the left aspect of two stones which kind the again wall and because the mild slowly widens and sinks, it illuminates solely the left stone earlier than it hits the ground. Whereas the stone on the prime proper receives moonlight each 18.6 years when it rises at its most southerly level.

Different websites within the Carnac space embrace the Crucuno Quadrilateral megalithic website (4000 BC) which includes the winter and summer season Solstices to its corners. It’s laid out as a 3-4-5 Pythagorean geometry which additionally marks the angles of the solstices at this latitude. Dolmen de Rondossec has two chambers aligned to the winter solstice the place the again stone will get illuminated by the rising solar.

Essential picture: Inside of Garvins on the winter solstice. Inset. The alignment exhibiting how the solar and the moon enter the chamber. (© H. Newman)

3. Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim Temples, Malta, 3600 – 3400 BC

In Malta, the megalithic temples of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim have winter solstice alignments constructed into their constructions. Mnajdra (3400 BC) has a major orientation eastward to the equinoxes, however throughout the winter solstice dawn a dagger of sunshine kinds illuminating a vertical slab on the precise aspect of the primary apse. On the summer season solstice it seems on the left aspect of the apse. It seems that this temple was designed as a calendar marking the motion of the solar all through the annual cycle.

Mnajdra’s winter solstice phenomenon reveals a dagger of sunshine illuminating a vertical slab on the precise aspect of the primary apse. Inset: Diagram exhibiting the complete sequence of alignments all year long. (© H. Newman)

The primary temple of Ħaġar Qim (3600 BC) has an entrance oriented on to the winter solstice. Direct daylight passes by the principle doorway and falls on the principle altar. Because the solar rises larger, it shifts to the left aspect alongside the principle hall and reaches the full size of the passageway earlier than it begins to retreat.

4. Newgrange, County Meath, Eire, 3200 BC

The world’s most well-known winter solstice alignment is discovered within the Boyne Valley of Eire on the exceptional Neolithic tomb of Newgrange. The phenomenon was solely found in 1967 and begins 4 minutes after dawn and lasts for a complete of 17 minutes.

The inside of Newgrange on the winter solstice. (© Anthony Murphy)

The solar’s mild passes by a really small holed stone (mild field) above the principle entrance, illuminating the passageway and roofed chamber, highlighting sure carvings and a stone bowl on its manner by. The unique Gaelic identify of Newgrange, An Uanh Greine, means ‘Cave of the Solar.’ the close by modern website of Dowth data the winter solstice sundown, while Knowth is aligned to the equinoxes.

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5. Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK, 2700 BC

Stonehenge, well-known for its summer season solstice dawn alignment, can also be aligned to the winter solstice dawn. There’s a direct sightline that runs by the monument aligning alongside the ‘Altar Stone ’ going by a intentionally carved notch (which frames it completely), pointing straight on the rising level of the solar over Coneybury Hill within the distance.

Britain’s nationwide temple additionally comprises an ideal winter solstice sundown orientation matching the route of the avenue (precisely reverse to the summer season solstice dawn). Feasting and group gathering additionally occurred over the winter solstice at close by Durrington Partitions.

The alignment of the winter solstice dawn at Stonehenge. (© Simon Banton. Inset: Tim Daw)

6. Karnak, Luxor, Egypt, 2055 BC

On the large megalithic temple of Karnak in Egypt the rising solar of the winter solstice shines between two large pillars, casting a vibrant beam of sunshine by the complicated for a complete of 25 minutes. The solar continues on to pierce the Sanctuary of Amun Ra, earlier than reaching the ‘Holy of Holies’ within the coronary heart of the location.

Quite a few different temples align to the solstices and equinoxes in historical Egypt, in addition to particular sacred days of explicit gods and pharaohs. For instance, at Aswan’s Abu Simbel the solar’s rays fall straight onto the temple of King Ramses II between Twentieth – twenty second February when the king was topped, and between Twentieth – twenty second October, when he was born. Tons of of different such alignments had been constructed into temples throughout the nation.

Karnak Temple winter solstice dawn alignment. (Google Earth/Wikimedia Commons)

7. Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, US, 490 AD

At Fajada Butte at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, a small, but exceptional petroglyph of a spiral or labyrinth data a blade of sunshine getting into from a skinny hole between three massive leaning rocks, marking each the solstices. In 1977 artist Anna Sofaer seen that on the winter solstice, two ‘daggers’ of sunshine kind on both aspect of the petroglyph for a complete of 49 minutes, throughout which they exactly body the spiral. This takes place within the late morning. On the summer season solstice one ‘mild dagger’ illuminates the central axis of the spiral, indicating a rudimentary however intelligent photo voltaic calendar created by the Anasazi folks of the world.

Winter solstice daylight illuminating the surface edges of the labyrinth carving at Chaco Canyon. Picture: Wikimedia commons

Conclusion

The websites listed above are solely a small share of megalithic websites which are oriented to the winter solstice. In Britain, for instance, the Neolithic lengthy barrow of Stoney Littleton in Somerset orients to its dawn and Maeshowe Chambered Tomb on Orkney orients to its sundown.

Glastonbury Tor, when considered from Windmill Hill, seems to have the solar stand up the sting of the formed hill earlier than lastly resting on St. Michael’s Tower on prime. In the meantime, on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) a system of holes bored within the rock on the Orongo ruins point out the December twenty first solstice (summer season solstice within the southern hemisphere).

In Vermont in North America, Calendar ll, a mysterious megalithic chamber orients to the winter solstice dawn, while the coiled tail of Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio is aligned to the sundown.

Suggestive scene from Karahan Tepe celebrating the winter solstice. (Dan Lish)

Machu Picchu in Peru has quite a few alignments constructed into its construction which incorporates the winter and summer season solstices. Nonetheless, to search out proof of the oldest recorded winter solstice alignment going again to the top of the final Ice-Age at Karahan Tepe, this strongly suggests our distant ancestors understood how essential it was to mark this time of 12 months, a legacy that has reached us within the present period, and fortunately it could actually nonetheless be celebrated right this moment at most of the websites outlined on this article.

Hugh Newman is the writer of Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe: The World’s First Megaliths (2023), Earth Grids (2008), Stone Circles (2017) and co-author of Giants On Document: America’s Hidden Historical past, Secrets and techniques within the Mounds and the Smithsonian Recordsdata (2015), The Giants of Stonehenge and Historic Britain (2021), Megalith: Research In Stone (2018) and Geomancy (2021). He’s an explorer, Megalithomania Convention organizer and tour/expedition chief. He has appeared on Historical past Channel, Discovery, Gaia TV, Smithsonian Channel and Science Channel. www.megalithomania.co.uk

Prime picture: Winter Solstice at Newgrange Tomb in Eire.         Supply: Declan Hillman/Adobe Inventory

By Hugh Newman