CEEOL - Browse Subjects Result

We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.

UN MODELO DE ORIENTACIÓN PARA LA PIRÁMIDE DE EL CASTILLO EN CHICHÉN ITZÁ

Author(s): Ismael Arturo García Montero / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

New observations corroborate that The Castle, the principal pyramid of the ancient city of Chichen Itza, in Yucatán, was point towards and is useful as an astronomical sign, since the wise Mayas of the Posclassic adjusted the year, and to be the center of a cosmogram, which has an alignment in his four cardinal points, this alignment with the springs: Sagrado, Holtún, Xtoloc y Kanjuyum. In 2012, the archeologist Arturo Montero Garcia showed in the magazine National Geographic corresponding to the month of August, year 2013 with a base in direction values- that the zenith way for this pre-Hispanic structure arrives on May 4th and on June 19th, appearing at daybreak in the axle of its north corner towards Templo de las Mesas. The research organizes the geometry, the astronomy, and the architecture in an extraordinary way thanks to the azimuth of the sun when this one wakes up of its zenithal way’s day for this geographic latitude and to the peculiar geomorphology of its environment.

More...

LUNACIONES, PASOS CENITALES Y LATITUD EN MESOAMÉRICA

Author(s): Rubén Bernardo Morante López / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

Solar zenith passages only occur in tropical latitudes. The zenithal passages days were helpful as calendrical references since they precede or coincide with the summer solstice day near the tropics. In lower latitudes, they occur on two equidistant dates, before and after the solstice day. They may be used to mark climatic and agricultural seasons, predicting the arrival of the rains. However, they could have also constituted a geographical reference denoting zenithal passages on different days according to the latitude. The present paper discusses the evidence originating from two emblematic sites: Chichén Itzá and Tajin. At both sites were built underground observatories to mark the solar passage through the site’s meridian and to calculate the exact date of the zenith passage. Latitude in both sites indicates that the zenith passages occur 29 and 30 days before and after June solstice, suggesting the purposeful selection of that latitude to keep the same lunar phase moon on three key events: zenith passages and summer Solstice.

More...

ORIENTACIÓN DE IGLESIAS COLONIALES EN XOCHIMILCO Y MILPA ALTA, CUENCA DE MÉXICO

Author(s): Juan Rafael Zimbrón Romero / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

The churches of San Bernardino de Siena in Xochimilco and La Asunción in Milpa Alta, built during the 16th century, are oriented to the Iztaccíhuatl volcano, marking important dates to the indigenous-colonial calendar. In the first temple were registered dates of February 24 – to the east – linked to the beginning of the Xochimilco year. The second one marked the equinoxes, March 20–21 and September 22–23, useful to fix the quarter days. Also, this system includes the Sun passes through the zenith, May 16, related to the San Bernardino de Siena feast, May 20. It maintains the indigenous structure of the calendar and its conception of landscape within Christian concepts related to the cult of saints and the Virgin Mary, along with the notion of a unique God.

More...

LA IMPORTANCIA ARQUEOASTRONÓMICA Y CALENDÁRICA DE LOS INTERVALOS DE 63 Y 28 DÍAS EN MESOAMÉRICA

Author(s): Hans Martz de la Vega,David Wood Cano / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

Archaeoastronomical investigations (Franz Tichy, Anthony F. Aveni, Horst Hartung, Johanna Broda, Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, Vincent H. Malmström, J. Eric Thompson, Lucrecia Maupomé, Arturo Ponce de León, Jesús Galindo Trejo, Ivan Šprajc, Ismael Arturo Montero García, Rubén B. Morante) proved the importance of calendrical intervals in planning solar calendar alignments at prehispanic sites. The calendar intervals originate from the Mesoamerican system based on the numbers 13 and 20 and their multiplicities. These sacred numbers represented particular deities and astronomical-calendrical cycles inherent in the Mesoamerican worldview. The cycle of 260 days consists of 13 periods of 20 days or four periods of 65 days (called Cocijo in the Zapotec area) and five periods of 52 days. At the same time, the cycle of 52 days equals 13 x 4, the cycle of 65 days equals 5 x 13 days. Another critical cycle of 73 days constitutes a solar year of 73 x 5, and the Venusian cycle of 73 x 8 = 584 days. This paper proposes that the newly discovered cycle of 63 days forming a model of the Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza (Montero García, Galindo Trejo and Wood Cano 2014) was also crucial in the Mexican Highlands. At Altiplano, this cycle was connected to harmonic periods of 91 days x 4 = 364. Thus, the cycle of 63 days may be understood as being composed of numbers 7 and 9. Numerous examples of 7 and 9-day periods are known from the evidence (Thompson 1943, Yasugi and Saito 1991). On the other hand, 63- and 28-day intervals make up 91 days, and both are divisible by 7. We argue that 63 + 28 days intervals were encoded in architecture. According to recent studies, these numbers are now integrated into the already previously studied and described for a better understanding of Mesoamerican calendrical structure. Archaeoastronomical measurements are families in various archaeological sites.

More...

LA ORIENTACIÓN CALENDÁRICO-ASTRONÓMICA Y UN POSIBLE ORIGEN ASTRONÓMICO DEL NUMERAL TRECE EN MESOAMÉRICA

Author(s): Jesús Galindo Trejo / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

The number thirteen is an essential element in Mesoamerican ideology that could be used to enumerate the heavenly layers, order the ritual ceremonies, and create the organization of time in the form of a calendar that remained in force for several millennia. The paper presents different proposals that attempt to explain the choice of 13 and its essential role in the practice of architectural orientation. It proposes a new observational way to understand the reason behind such a choice made by Mesoamerican priest-astronomers.

More...

EL ECLIPSE DE LA CONQUISTA Y LA CAÍDA DE MÉXICO-TENOCHTITLAN

Author(s): Isidro A. Jaimes Hernández / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

This study is an astronomical confirmation of the fall of Tenochtitlan on 1 coatl of Tlaxochimaco although fused with Cuauhtemoc ́s prison date, who had had found shelter in Tlatelolco to continue the mexica defense. Two eclipse dates conjugation reported on mexican plateau fonts, one for toxiumolpilia or year binding during Moctezuma’s reign on year 2 acatl and another on year 4 tochtli after the fall of Tenochtitlan, have clarified the mexica calendar structure which resulted into a similar new year’s day as reported in maya colonial documents including Landa’s Relación, indicating it as julian july 16th. Such year structure is determined by a zenital – antizenital Axis fixed by an Ah Toc, the tzolkin quarter equivalent to 65 days which the chilam balam associates with the sacred fire maintainance in the temples by four chaacs or acolytes, reason why Ah Toc’s igneous identity evoques such a Sun Axis incarnating four senior numen, adored as responsible for the world’s stability and reflects several aspects of the mesoamerican cosmovision: the 4 Ahau reference, the four year bearers rotation, etc.

More...

“SOBRE TORBELLINOS Y OTROS AIRES

Author(s): Alejandro Martin López / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

In this paper, we aim to address some Jesuit testimonies of the eighteenth century about the conceptions of atmospheric phenomena from the guaycurú Argentinian Chaco Aboriginal hunter-gatherers. We do this by using a contemporary ethnography perspective as a conceptual model. Our work aims to show that they think atmospheric phenomena are relevant for guaycurú people in terms of “signs” or evidence of intentions and wishes of powerful human and non-human beings. To observe these signals is to “read” intentions, desires, appetites, and wills.

More...

DESCENDO À TERRA: ATMOSFERA E CORPOS CELESTES NO RELATOS SOBRE A SERRA DO ARACURI BAJANDO A LA TIERRA: ATMOSFERA Y ASTROS EN LOS RELATOS ACERCA DEL CERRO DE ARACURI

Author(s): Priscila Faulhaber Barbosa / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

This paper focuses on the atmosphere and celestial bodies’ movements ideas appearing on the speeches about the Aracuri Hill recorded in the community of Agua Fria de Cima, Lago Grande do Curuai/Pará/Brazil. This community of people I interacted with states that they descend from Mundurucu Indians married to escaped slaves. Their memory goes back to the Cabanagem war. They present this hill as an imaginary territory related to bewitched snakes, rays, thunders, and environmental phenomena such as rain formation, topographic shifts, and stars movements. I will distinguish those beings in analyzing the narrations registered in the Agua Fria de Cima community, correlating them to specialized ethnographic contributions such as Murphy’s monograph.

More...

ASTERISMOS GUARANI: IDENTIFICAÇÃO E ALGUMAS CONTROVÉRSIAS

Author(s): Luiz C. Borges / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

Fieldwork is crucial, altogether with the documental, historical and anthropological investigation, in Cultural Astronomy. Thus, one can confirm the asterisms identified in mythical narratives and informers’ statements. From the identification, description, and classification of asterisms and the relations between celestial phenomena and socio-historic features, derives the contribution for better knowledge and understanding of native epistemological systems and the complex relations established between things from things the sky and those of the earth. During the research among the Guarani in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo in Brazil, there were moments when some discrepancies between informers were noticed about asterisms, especially concerning their location, composition, and cultural role. More than a sort of problem, those disagreements are an anthropological and astronomical material that must be included among the hypothesis of the investigation. In the fieldwork in Espírito Santo in 2013, while some asterisms were identified, some controversies came about. We propose to discuss the discursive role of these divergences in knowledge production systems based on orality.

More...

ETNOASTRONOMIA, COSMOLOGIA E PERSPECTIVISMO AMERÍNDIOS

Author(s): Flávia Cristina de Mello / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

This article results from participation in the Third School and Second Interamerican Conference on Cultural Astronomy, at the first annual meeting of the Interamerican Society for Astronomy in Culture (SIAC) whose theme was “interpretation in cultural astronomy.” It deals with the conceptual aspects that have helped to address the topic of cultural astronomy through astronomy education activities and the training of indigenous teachers of the Guaraní, Tupinambás and Pataxó Hãhãhãe ethnic groups. We briefly describe the elements of the Guaraní and Tupinambá cosmological systems to reflect on the concepts of ethnoastronomy, cosmology, and Amerindian perspectivism and the analytical functioning of these concepts, not only to think about the cultural contexts of contemporary indigenous peoples but also to support the reflections on the cultural systems addressed by archaeoastronomy such as the Mayan, Aztec and Inca people, for example. At the same time, despite extreme cultural changes experienced by the indigenous peoples of America, some cosmological elements such as the importance of the main gods, the sun, and the moon, and their temporal continuity, seem to be transcontinental.

More...

“SI VUELCA LA LUNA...”: CONCEPCIONES ASTRONÓMICAS Y METEOROLÓGICAS ENTRE LOS COLONOS DEL SUR DE LA REGIÓN CHAQUEÑA ARGENTINA

Author(s): Armando Mudrik / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

In this paper, we present a study about astronomical practices related to meteorological phenomena, among European colonists and their Argentinean descendants, in the context of a complex interaction between criollos, aboriginals, and European colonists from different origins and religions who settled in the northern area of the Argentinean province of Santa Fe, which is part of the southern Gran Chaco. These colonists arrived among waves of immigration occurring in Argentina in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Through ethnographic field research among these immigrants and their descendants, we surveyed observation practices of heavenly bodies to predict critical meteorological phenomena for farming tasks, like rains. We analyze some of these practices to understand the logic behind them and the contact process among the different social groups’ astronomical ideas in the mentioned region. On the other hand, we also explore the tension that has been present for some years between the “old” representations and practices related to the sky and academic knowledge. Besides, we propose a possible observational basis to one of these practices by statistically analyzing the informant’s rainfall records.

More...

HANSÓMETRO: PROGRAMA LIBRE PARA CÓMPUTO DE ARQUEOASTRONOMÍA EN EXCEL

Author(s): Hans Martz de la Vega,Ricardo Moyano Vasconcellos,Stanislaw Iwaniszewski,Miguel Pérez Negrete / Language(s): Spanish,Portuguese Publication Year: 0

We are convinced that there are some possibilities in which archaeoastronomy can broaden its development horizons. In past decades, measurement calculations took considerable time for the researcher. Now it takes only minutes since we have given ourselves the task of developing a program for archaeoastronomy called Hansometro. On this occasion, we present its first part that corresponds to solar measurements. For a specific date and location, each measured structure necessitates using the Sun to obtain azimuth and declination values for the height of the local horizon. When necessary, it also gives the values of lunar declinations (computing the parallax). The program renders the solar and lunar data for the whole year. The Hansometro is free software: with public access on the Internet and open to new elements in the calculus, applicable to the fieldwork in positional astronomy.

More...

How Matthias Corvinus' bombards captured Głogów in 1488

Author(s): Piotr Strzyż / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Sieges in the Middle Ages were always a difficult logistical undertaking. The most serious problems were faced during sieges of such places as fortified towns or especially large castles. In such cases, a basic difficulty was posed by a need to organise a tight blockade of the selected place, in order to cut it off from any communication with the external world. Among many known sieges in the 15th century, the siege of Głogów in 1488 stands out, carried out by Hungarian troops. The hostilities lasted from 19th May to November 1488, which was almost a half of the year. The Hungarian troops were equipped with numerous pieces of artillery, including three large bombards from Wrocław, Świdnica and Legnica. These cannons inflicted considerable damage in the town during the siege. However, two of these burst. The town surrendered only after the stores of food had run out, and not due to bombardment. The course of event at Głogów demonstrates that during sieges of large centres with the use of the heaviest artillery in the 15th century it was difficult to achieve measurable success.

More...

Šibenice v stredoeurópskom kontexte

Author(s): Alica Křápková / Language(s): Slovak Publication Year: 0

The gallows served as a place of execution during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Although particular states of Central Europe have developed differently, the types of gallows in their territory have surprisingly many similarities. This chapter describes these similar factors, as well as the obvious differences, some caused by the dissimilar process of research. In addition to the gallows typology itself, the chapter also contains other angles that are important in examining gallows. These are mainly archaeological, iconographic, but also written sources. When looking at gallows, it is also possible to explore other interesting aspects, such as distance from the city, visibility, the way to the gallows and so on. It describes the most important researches in Central European countries, the appearance of uncovered places of executions, as well as other archaeological or anthropological findings, demonstrating the specific burial rite of convicted offenders. In some cases, animal bones are found in abundance in execution areas, suggesting the presence of knacker´s yard.

More...

Popraviště ve vztahu ke krajině na jižní Moravě

Author(s): Jan Velek / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

At present, we are used to perceiving landscapes and significant points in a settlement structure quite differently than it has been for past centuries. The landscape scale and the extent of settlement formations have changed, areas of cultivated fields have changed, and the range of afforestation has changed. There has been a substantial change in the communications network thanks to different modes of transportation, and there have often been substantial changes in the size and modification of water features in the landscape. The original elements of the landscape, which were distinctive for centuries, gradually lost their importance, partly disappeared, or were replaced by other landscape landmarks, with different character and function. Based on the First Military Mapping, which was acquired on the basis of direct observation of real situation in the field, we can derive five basic building types, which were of fundamental importance to the inhabitants of the area as a dominant of the nearby landscape. These are: castle or chateau (mansion seat), church or monastery (seat of ecclesiastical institutions), town hall (seat of administrative power of larger settlement unit), fortification (building element providing security) and execution site (symbol of enforcement). Only a few of this number of execution sites have been preserved in the South Moravian Region as building ruins, few have been identified and documented archaeologically, but these sites are not listed. From most of others, only the place name remained without visible building or terrain tracks. The aim of the research plan is to assess the physical state of preservation of building sites of gallows (or their archaeological relics), possible archaeological research of selected localities and the design of meaningful conservation of the last few torsos of buildings, which in the past played an important role in the everyday life of all residents and in the landscape.

More...

Viditelnost jihomoravských šibenic

Author(s): Josef Unger,Jan Divíšek / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

For the gallows as a visible symbol of the high justice (“ius gladii”) of the location and as a deterrent memento for criminals, the position was very important so that they could be easily seen from the municipality and from the access roads. The visibility of several other South Moravian gallows (Boskovice, Doubravice, Blansko, Lomnice, Pouzdřany, Vranov nad Dyjí, Znojmo) was newly evaluated. It is clear from the examples with the exception of Znojmo that the monitored gallows were visible directly from the centre of the particular municipality. Visibility from important roads was also significant.

More...

Vegetace a flóra na některých jihomoravských šibenicích

Author(s): Jan Lacina,Petr Halas / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

We tried to create an idea of landscape formation in the vicinity of gallows in Čejkovice, Ivančice, Tišnov and Lomnice at the time of their use with the help of the maps of Imperial Obligatory Imprints of a Stable Cadastre, local names, floristic data in old literature and above all our own field survey. Although the sites of the investigated gallows are located in different landscapes - from the Pannonian region to the eastern edge of the Hercynian region - all had previously supported a number of remarkable, endangered or extinct species of vascular plants. The common feature was the occurrence of steppe species spreading from the south, mainly due to agriculture and into the foothills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The current species diversity in the vicinity of the previously gloomy places is not so great, however, some memorable vegetation types and valuable species that are worth notice have been preserved.

More...

Archeologický výzkum jihomoravských šibenic

Author(s): Josef Unger / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

Podoba několika jihomoravských šibenic byla do jisté míry osvětlena archeologickým výzkumem, který v případu tišnovské, ivančické, šatovské a slavkovské, měl character soustavného výzkumu, který odkryl jen vlastní stavbu šibenice a nejbližší okolí. U Lomnice a Vranova nad Dyjí šlo jen o drobnou sondáž. Přesto se podařilo upřesnit, nebo i zjistit půdorys šibenice, získat datovací materiál a zařadit je do systému středoevropských šibenic.

More...

Lidé od šibenic. Přínos antropologie při výzkumu kosterních pozůstatků popravených osob a sebevrahů

Author(s): Robin Pěnička / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

Human skeletal remains are important source in exploring past populations. As a part of our research in places of executions in South Moravian region, four comprehensive archaeological excavations were conducted. Numerous anthropological skeletal material was obtained there. A total number of 5 405 human bones have been examined, which have been preserved in various ways (from only a piece of bone to complete bones and skulls). Anthropological examination focused on assessing the state of bone preservation, estimating the minimum number of individuals (MNI), estimating basic demographic determinants (sex, age and stature), pathological changes, and traces of violence related to punishment. The largest group consists of skeletal remains from Ivančice gallows site (2 761 fragments of bones, MNI 18 persons), from Křenovice/Slavkov u Brna gallows site (1 772 fragments of bones, MNI 15 persons) and from Tišnov gallows site (786 fragments of bones, MNI 13 persons). From other sites the number of bones is limited to isolated findings of human bones. The assessed skeletal remains belonged mostly to adult males, some bones belonged to juveniles and quite exceptional is the finding of an infant’s femur. On several bones some pathological conditions were observed (like fractures or inflammations). These conditions were rather chronic in character and probably affected the individuals’ social positions (for example social exclusion or social marginality). Traces of direct violence were represented by perimortal fractures, which can be related to the execution by wheel.

More...

Patologické nálezy a anatomické variety na kosterních pozůstatcích z moravských šibenic

Author(s): Robin Pěnička,Tomáš Mořkovský,Martin Čuta / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

This chapter focuses on the peculiarities of the skeletal system in form of anatomical variations and pathologies from the sample of skeletal remains from various archeologically surveyed Moravian gallows. Apart from common variations some rare variations of the skeletal system were observed and described in detail (os bregmaticum, spina bifida atlantis anterior et posterior). Observed pathologies included evidence of trauma and infectious diseases. The most commonly observed instances of trauma were fractures, which originated (with high probability) perimortem – i.e. around the time of death. From the nature of the majority of the fractures we can presume that some of the convicts were subject to aggravated capital sentence in form of breaking with the wheel. In case of two tibiae affected by infection the internal structure of the bone was assessed. Evaluation of the medullar cavity development and remodeling using 3D models of affected bones brought new information; however, a final decision on whether syphilis was the originator of infectious disease traits on a tibia from Slavkov gallows is not yet possible.

More...