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Evaluating the directions at Calanais I

Determining the epoch of likely construction/use

When was Calanais I utilised for its possible celestial directions?

• Evidence of activities were found for 5300BCE (Phase 1 and 2: Mesolithic)
  [Ashmore, 2013, pages 945-946]
• Charcoal found inside the ring was dated around 3200BCE (Phase 3: Neolithic)
  [Ashmore, 2013, pages 946]
• Erection of monolith (stone 29) around 3000BCE (Phase 6a: Neolithic)
• Built of chambered cairn around 2900 to 2500 BCE (Phase 8: Neolithic)
  [Ashmore, 2013, page 950-951] .
  
• Possible start of the avenue around 2400BCE (Phase 10d)
  [Ashmore, 2013, pages 948-953]
• Final kerb slab around 1550BCE (Phase 13: Bronze age)
  [Ashmore, 2013, pages 948-953]
• Present times around 2024CE
  

Directions within (intra) Calanais I

Setup	Calanais I without explicit rows	Calanais I with only begin and end stone of each row	Calanais I with begin, middle and end stone of each row	Calanais I with all stones of each row
Map of setup
Stones are thin stakes
Stones have 0.3m radius

• The celestial objects' azimuths are for 2369BCE (directions for 2024CE and 1550BCE are available). The skyline altitudes have been included in the calculations of these celestial objects' azimuths.
• In general: every stone pair (be it a thin stake or something with more radius) has two directions (aka axial directions): one from Stone A to Stone B and one from Stone B to Stone A.
• The difference between the above mentioned two axial directions is 180degrees, that is why you see that the distribution pattern (blue line) between 0 and 180 is similar to the pattern between 180 and 360.
• Beside stones as thin stakes, also directions are calculated when the (cylindric) stones have a radius of 0.3m. In that case there are three times as many directions: one direction due to right side of stone A and left side of stone B; a second direction due to left side of stone A and right side of stone B; a third direction due to left (or right) side of stone A and left (or right) side of stone B
• There is some difference between the azimuth distributions of thin stakes and cylindric stones; but the difference is not very large. There is less 'noise' in the 0.3m-radius stones' distribution; as there is three times as much averaging going on.
• Distribution azimuths are collected within a bin-size of 2.5deg (which might be slightly too small due to the broad direction of possible directions and the variable stone diameters). When using a bin-size of 5deg the distributions for thin stakes and 0.3m radius stones become very close.
• In all graphs (even when looking at the one without rows) there is a peak towards near-South (and thus also near-North). For a large part this is due to the many stones in the northern avenue and southern row. But even when looking at the setup without rows, the intra stones' directions of the circle have a slight South (and North) tendency.
  
• This large near-South peak is also close to major southern standstill set event.
• There is a slight possibility of a directions towards major northern standstill set event (looking only at the setup without rows).
  
• There are in several graphs also (small) peaks to the East and West (most pronounced when the stones are thin stakes and when the rows are present): towards equinox?
  
• No significant intra-Calanais I alignments are apparent for other celestial events.
  

Lunar/solar directions

An overview of some of the directions seen in literature concerning Calanais I related to celestial objects. The literature used mostly 1550BCE as reference epoch, which is somewhat later than the 2369BCE as chosen by the author of this website.

Evaluating for 1550BCE in literature

In the below section we compare results of 3D scenery and literature for epoch 1550BCE.
Cnoc Dubh is west of Calanais. In Irish Dubh is also related to west/dead/otherworld...
Lunar/solar directions seen by Curtis&Curtis (Views A to F), Curtis (Views G, H, J) and Curtis&Maclean and Curtis (View I) and Stellarium in Calanais I (right click to see enlarged image in another browser window):

1. Skimming and re-gleaming southern major standstill (Stone 8-33A:29&41:53&skyline: from North end avenue along avenue to South)
   Fits nicely (somewhat broad direction)
2. Re-appearing northern major standstill set (Stone 8-skyline [Aird Callernish])
   The resolution of the STRM 1" skyline made by Horizon is not good enough for simulation of this event (due to low resolution of STRM 1" and steep nearby terrain [around 1km away]).
   In the meantime a 25cm DSM has been bought and provisionally added to the 3D scenery (as it is only 750m away).
   
   The drak gray terrain is the 25cm DSM and the black terrain is Horizon's skyline. This combination matches well with above shown Curtis&Curtis skyline.
   Permission from bluesky has been gotten to include this DSM in the Calanais I 3D scenery.
   
3. Re-appearing southern major standstill rise (Stone 8-skyline)
   Fits nicely
   
4. Re-appearing winter solstice set (Stone 8-18A?&skyline)
   The path of the Sun in Stellarium looks to be very slightly lower than the one used by Curtis. Also the resolution of the skyline is slightly too low for simulation of this event (distance around 5km).
   Remark: Perhaps a higher resolution DSM could be bought (from bluesky) to generate this part of the skyline.
5. Re-gleaming southern major standstill set (Stone 8-47&29)
   Fits nicely
   
6. Northern major standstill rise (Stone 9-34)
   Looks ok (somewhat broad direction)
   Stone 9 was called viewing stone by M. Curtis [pers. comm. Maclean, 2023]. Stone 34 is seen on its thin side.
   
7. Framing summer solstice rise (Stone 51&52)
   Looks quite precise for epoch 2000CE
   To determine intent, one could check for micro cracks [pers. comm. Ashmore, 2023]
   
8. Southern major standstill rise (Stone 49&48&9&27)
   Looks ok-ish
   
9. Summer solstice rise (Stone 9-47&43)
   

   Photograph by Maclean (around June 21st, 1980 [pers. com., 2023])	Summer solstice 1980CE Stellarium view (June 21st, 1980)	Summer solstice 1550BCE Stellarium view (July 8th, 1550BCE)

   
   Looks ok, but remember the view is from some 3m above the ground (the photographer was standing on Stone 9). (somewhat broad direction, certainly if looking at 1550BCE)
10. Equinox rise (Stone 23-22&21&20)
    

    Photograph by Curtis (2014, p. 89)	Equinox Stellarium view (Sept 23th, 2023CE)

Evaluating for 2369BCE with 3D scenery

Compared to 1550BCE, 2369BCE's northern events will be on average some 0.3deg more northern and 2369BCE's southern events will be on average some 0.3degrees more southern. Equinox stays the same.

Conclusions

Looking at the intra stone directions within Calanais I, there looks to be for certainly a direction that is close to the southern major standstill (SMa) set. Less likely (less significant) are the northern major standstill (NMa) set. Within the circle some slight solar directions could be seen (solstices [WS rise&set and SS rise] and equinox [E]), but these are not very significant. These events are coloured purple in below table.

Looking at the celestial directions referenced in literature for the epoch 1550BCE and at the celestial directions compared to 3D scenery for the epoch 2369BCE, we get:

Literature

Ashmore, Patrick J.: Calanais: Survey and excavation, 1979-88. 2013. https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=b6aee5fd-5980-4872-a2e0-a63c00cc7b68
Curtis, Ron and Margaret R. Curtis: Callanish: Stones, Moon & sacred landscape. (1994).
Curtis, Margaret R. and Malcolm Maclean: Midsummer sunrise alignment and symmetrical triple stone setting. In. Margaret R. Curtis (ed): Celebrations in stone of the Sun's annual cycle at Callanish.  2014. pp. 92
Ponting, Margaret R. and Gerald Ponting: Decoding the Callanish complex: Some initial results. In: BAR British Series. 88 1981.

Acknowledgments

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