Iharka Szcs-Csillik

Alexandra Coma

A Brief Overview of the

Astronomy's Place in
the Romanian
Neolithic Research of
the Settlements
Skopje, 2015

E-mail: alexcomsa63@yahoo.com

Introduction solar path

The two solstices and the two equinox regulate and define sights and cultures. The
astronomy has an important role and significance in the Neolithic time, as well as in
other historical periods. The geographical position of Romania (latitude: 44o48oN,
longitudes: 20o29oE), its topography, determines the starry sky what we can see.

General considerations
We should mention that Romania has a geographic position in the temperate
zone, with four seasons a year. From here the Northern hemisphere
constellations could be entirely seen, as well as few from the Southern
hemisphere.

Four seasons
Due to those four seasons and to the favorable geographic conditions,
occupations like agriculture, fishing, animal breeding etc. could be practiced.
Besides, other populations could safely get settled and live here, having
enough natural shelters and food.

The Neolithic sky above Romania

This Neolithic sky must have
been so fascinating, that the
ancient man made a lot of cults
related to the sky observation.
Ancient people had also
introduced in their live the
rituals connected with the sky
(in constructions, in burials, in
"fecundity practices, in every
day concerns).

The Sun

The most important object on the sky is the Sun, the star in our Solar
System. It provides light and warmth.
Its motions through our sky cause day and night, the passage of the
seasons, and Earth's varied climates.
The Sun moves through the sky in the same way as any star does. It
rises somewhere along the Eastern horizon and sets somewhere in the
Western one.

General considerations
The Sun observation during the Neolithic period was important because of its
annual apparent movement on the horizon, which describes a solar arc.
These observations had been done for measuring the time, for making calendars
and finally resulted in the emergence of the solar cult.

Inside outside the solar arc

The orientation towards the
Sun direction of the
settlements,
dwellings,
skeletons (inside the solar
arc,
four
seasons

equinoxes and solstices)

show us the beliefs of the
Neolithic
populations
(Para,
Iclod,
Cernica,
Vrti etc.).

Practical consequences of the

Sun movement in the sky
The location of the Sun's path across the sky varied with the seasons, the same like today. A
first consequence it had upon the settlements, was the orientation of the entrance in the
dwellings, which had to be positioned against the winds, while the windows had to be
orientated so that the light would have come into the rooms of the respective constructions.

Besides, the existence of the four seasons had exerted a strong influence upon the quotidian
activities that people used to develop, but also created some specific rhythms, that correlated
them with the Sun movement in the sky. This was the reason why agriculture and animal
breeding had to be adapted to these circumstances.

Periodical celestial phenomena

Besides, some celestial phenomena, which are periodical, like the

eclipses and sunspots, Sun, Moon, planets, satellites, comets
motion, etc. permit a calculation for the past, which can be used in
the studies about chronology, but also in the interpretation of
some archaeological vestiges.

Constellations on the sky

of the Neolithic Romania

During the Neolithic, on the Romanian

territory, the Sun, the Moon, but also
many constellations (Orion, Taurus
(Pleiades), Gemini, Cassiopeia, Aquila,
Corona Borealis, Ursa Major, Ursa
Minor, etc.) must have had a prominent
role, because of their favorable visibility,
being used both for the time measure
and calendar making.

For instance, we believe that, the

Cassiopeia constellation, shaped as
what we would name today as the
reversed letter M, or W, had been
rendered on some of the Neolithic
pottery (see Cassiopeia constellation on
the right below and the vessel on the
right above).

The sacred and the sky

The starry sky had impressed

the people imagination in
ancient times. The distant
stars meant the unknown
mystery for them.
People believed that the
stars helped and guided
them in their life. They
grouped the stars, in order to
form constelations, for an
easier orientation on the sky.

The sanctuary from Para

The Neolithic sanctuary from Para
belongs to the Banat culture from the
period of the middle-late Neolithic age
(the site being situated at latitude:
45o37, longitude: 21o07 and dated
around 5500-4500 BC).
The size of the sacred construction was
of 11.6 x 6 m, which was parted by a
wall into two rooms. On the dividing
wall there was a round window-like
opening of about 35 cm in diameter.
The Eastern room was the most sacred
place, where only the priest was
allowed. There stood twin Bull-idols
forming a divine couple of the Bull God
and the Great Mother Goddess facing
East.

The Moon Sun couple

In the same sanctuary, on its Western wall, it was a circular opening, of about 30 cm.
Next to the circular hole an 8 cm thick clay relief, reprezenting the Moon, was stuck on
the wall, thus forming a reprezentation of the Sun-Moon couple. The western room was
the one where people brought their offerings.

Details of the reconstructed

sanctuary from Parta

Astronomical interpretation of
the Para sanctuary
From this point of view, we had proven that at winter solstice sunset the sunlight
illuminated a hand-loom in the NW corner of the shrine.
In spring and autumn the sunlight entered the hole in the dividing wall and fell on the
socle of the Bull-idols.This was possibly associated with a fecundity cult.

During summer solstice the sunset of the Sun had illuminated the place on the
altar table where the grain offerings were brought. At that time, the vernal point
was situated in the Taurus constellation.
All these changes of light, must have been associated with specific cultic activities,
which were surely correlated to different important moments in the life of the
community. The weaving, for instance, was a common occupation, but it also had
a cultic meaning.

The illuminated model of the sanctuary

One can infer that the people from the sanctuary of Para
had a good astronomical knowledge (solar cult and
others).

Moon phases - astronomy

Moon phases - archaeology

The Cucuteni culture has been called the first
urban culture in Europe. The settlements were
usually located on a plateau, fortified with
earthworks and ditches. Agriculture is attested, as
well as livestock-breeding, mainly cattle. The
pottery is connected to the Linear Pottery culture.
Extant figurines excavated at the Cucuteni sites
are thought to represent the Mother goddess.
On a vase we can find a complex geometric
decoration that might suggest an astronomical
meaning: the four circles with a cross in the center
could represent the four phases of the Moon,
each circle being decorated with a horn. Similarly
decorated vessels were found elsewhere in
Romania (Frumuica, Trgu Ocna, Valea Lupului),
in Republic of Moldova and in the Ukraine, in the
area of the Cucuteni-Tripilije Culture.

Conclusion

When looking from the

Romanian territory, we
could say that the most
important features on the
Neolithic sky was the Sun
and the Moon apparent
motion, and the following
constellations:
Taurus
(with
the
Pleiades),
Gemini,
Orion,
Cassiopeia, Ursa Major,
Ursa Minor, etc.

Conclusion

In the Neolithic, the Taurus

constellation was the vernal
point, which the ancient people
had
known
from
the
determination of the equinox.
The bull symbol can be
frequently found in this period.
Some examples are the bullskulls in the Parta sanctuary,
bones of this animal discovered
not only in the settlements,
where they can be associated
with food, but also in sacred
places.
There
are
also
zomorphic
figurines
or
decorations on vessels in many
archaeological sites, like Iclod,
Cernica, Cucuteni.

Conclusion

The importance of
archaeoastronomy for
the archaeology is
obvious.
The
orientation (alignment)
study in arheology
provides us a better
understanding of the
concerns, or beliefs of
the
prehistorical
people.

Conclusion

The astronomy has an important

role and significance in the Neolithic
time. The communities of that period
had practiced a lot of cultic
activities. For instance, the cult of
the dead and the solar cult are
connected with the orientation,
namely with the alignment of
different vestiges. Moreover, the
astronomical representations are
also present on pottery, on
anthropomorphic or zoomorphic
figurines and other objects, usually
in connection with cultic activities.

Selected References

Rogers, J.H.: Origins of the Ancient Contellations: I. The Mesopotamian Traditions,

Journal of the British Astronomical Association 108, 9, 1998.
Thurston, H.: Early Astronomy, Springer, New York, 1994.
Ridpath, I.: Star Tales, Lutterworth Press, Cambridge, 1989.
Herrmann, J.: Astronomie Planeten, Sterne, Galaxien. Bertelsmann-Verlag,
Gtersloh, 1984.
International Astronomical Union: The Constellations, on IAU webpage.
Evans, J.: The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy, Oxford University Press,
1988.
Maxim, Z., Csillik, I: Agricultural constellations. Annals of the Tiberiu Popoviciu
Seminar of functional equations, Approximation and Convexity, Cluj, p. 5-10, 2003.
Maxim, Z., Szcs-Csillik, I.: Astronomical Orientation at the Cernica Neolithic
Necropolis, Annals of the Tiberiu Popoviciu Seminar, vol. 8, pag. 155-166, 2010.
Szcs-Csillik, I., Coma, A., Maxim, Z., Szcs, I.: Case studies of
Archaeoastronomy in Romania, Archaeologia e Calcolatori, Vol. 21, p. 325-337,
2010.
Szcs-Csillik, I., Comsa, A., Maxim, Z.: Archaeoastronomy in Romania, Rom.
Astron. J., Vol. 20, Supplement, p. 197-200, 2010.
Coma, A., Szcs-Csillik, I.: An arhaeoastronomical study regarding some
necropoleis from Gumelnita culture, in ArheoVest, vol. 1, p. 837-846, Timisoara,
Romania, 2013.
http://arheologie.ulbsibiu.ro/membri/cosmin/virtual%20reconstruction.htm

Thank you for your attention!