Sun-Earth Day Presents: Ancient Observatories, Timeless Knowledge
Image Gallery
Egyptian Stonehenge
The site, known as Nabta, is between 6,000 and 6,500 years old, or about 1,000 years older than Stonehenge. It appears to have been constructed by nomadic cattle-herders living in southern Egypt. It includes 10 slabs some 9 feet high, 30 rock-lined ovals, nine burial sites for cows, each under a pile of 40 to 50 rocks weighing up to 200 or 300 pounds apiece, and a "calendar circle" of stones. Because Nabta lies near the Tropic of Cancer, the noon sun is at its zenith about three weeks before and three weeks after the summer solstice, preventing upright objects from casting shadows. "These vertical sighting stones in the circle correspond to the zenith sun during the summer solstice."
