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- Title
A Bayesian Approach to the Orientations of Central Alentejo Megalithic Enclosures.
- Authors
PIMENTA, FERNANDO; TIRAPICOS, LUÍS; SMITH, ANDREW
- Abstract
In this work we have conducted a study on the orientations in the landscape of twelve megalithic enclosures in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. Some of these sites date back to the sixth or fifth millennium B.C. and are among the oldest stone enclosures in Europe. The results of the survey show a pattern toward eastern rising orientations. We used dedicated GIS software from one of the authors to produce horizon profiles and applied a statistical Bayesian approach in an attempt to check how the data would fit to different models. In particular, we tested our results for a possible ritual interest in the Autumn or Harvest Full Moon and discuss previous studies by Michael Hoskin and colleagues on the orientations of seven stone dolmens of this area that have shown the existence of a possible custom for an orientation toward the sunrise.
- Subjects
ALENTEJO (Portugal); PORTUGAL; BAYESIAN analysis; MEGALITHIC monuments; DOLMENS
- Publication
Archaeoastronomy, 2009, Vol 22, p1
- ISSN
0190-9940
- Publication type
Article