![]() ![]() The apparent orbit of Lyra and Cygnus (the swan) over the Delphic night sky has been shown to correlate with the timing of the mythological retreat of Apollo to northern lands during winter and his return in spring time (Fig. Keeping a calendar for its functioning was extremely important. The Delphi temple of Apollo (the Pythian) was the most famous oracle center in the ancient world (Flacelier, 1938 Fontenrose 1980), with its combined tectonic features, hydrocarbon gases and springs (Leclerc 2008). The astroscape (or skyscape) and the landscape over Delphi indicates that the orientation of the temple aims to follow stellar movements. They are architecturally arranged to demonstrate their cosmology, that is, are laid out to follow cosmic order, or as time keepers, and in general their architecture provides a new key for understanding the meaning and function of those buildings (Belmonte and Shaltout 2009 Aveni 2001a, b Iwaniszewski 2001 Magli 2009 Krupp 2003). Alignments to the solstices, the equinoxes, and to the major standstills of the moon and bright planets have been demonstrated or suggested, while stellar alignments have also been shown to have been important for some societies (Magli 2009, 2013 Ruggles 2014).Īstronomy, landscape and symbolism in field studies concerning orientation has been reported for ancient Egyptian temples, for Incas, Yucatan, megalithic structures in France (Carnac) and Britain (Stonehenge, Newgrange), the Forbidden City in Beijing, and across the whole face of the earth are found mysterious ruins of ancient monuments with astronomical significance. Archaeoastronomical research around the world has shown that in planning urban sites and building structures, traditional historic and prehistoric cultures have incorporated astronomical alignments of calendrical or sacred ritual importance. The architectural significance that is reinforced by astronomical horizon markers has been a matter of much research and ongoing results are made available in academic literature. ![]()
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