Throughout the eons of time, man has continued to speculate about his origin. In the last decade or two, a new science has emerged called astro-archaeology. In general, this has little or no meaning to the general public because its approach has caused several unfounded hypotheses about a variety of ancient monuments and ruins found in Great Britain and Europe.
The development and implementation of this new science has often been associated with fictional space science by the layman. Basically astro-archaeologists are attempting to date various ancient dwellings with mathematical theories developed from detailed studies of these megalithic ruins in ancient Europe.
You might say astro-archaeology is the scientific endeavor that examines the nature of early astronomical knowledge via the interpretation of ancient monuments and other relevant archaeological data. For some time astro-archaeology was known as megalithic astronomy and primarily developed from studies conducted at Stonehenge (England) and other British stone monuments.
However, in recent decades great strides have been developed in dating ancient dwellings, monuments and ruins with astrological calculations. It is generally accepted by the scientific community that the sun, moon, and certain constellations, in particular Pleiades, were of utmost importance to many primitive societies.
In England, at Stonehenge, a circular 58-hole computer was found which could be used to predict lunar eclipse[s] with precise accuracy. Man was using complex mathematical ingenuity some 5,000 years before Christ.
The reader may now be wondering hat this has to do with the Superstition Wilderness Area. In the next few paragraphs I would like to expound upon a hypothesis that would explain a strange ruin located in the Superstition Wilderness Area known as “Circlestone.” Over the past few decades I have accompanied several different archaeologists to the Circlestone site. All of them have suggested Circlestone was probably some type of celestial site for the ancient inhabitants of the area. I am sure many people will disagree with this hypothesis. However it is something to think about.
The early Salado and their predecessors used the sun, moon and many of the constellations to keep accurate records of time to provide information concerning the planting season. The sun, moon, and earth were without a doubt important deities in the lives of these ancient people and their religious beliefs. The sun was the god of all life, the source of all living things on this planet.
Today, science has proven the sun is the source of all energy on our planet and, without it, this planet as we know it would not exist. Taking into consideration the significance of these celestial bodies, one cannot help but believe there was a definite relationship between the religion of these early inhabitants in this area and the celestial bodies in the heavens.
Deep within the boundaries of the Superstition Wilderness Area lies an ancient circular ruin (Circlestone) which predates any contemporary development by several thousand years. The ruin is situated near the summit of a high mountain peak suitable for a celestial observatory even by today’s standards.
For some time, I have carefully studied the drawings of this ruin and methodically computer the various angles of the portals from the center of the ruin. These angles then were compared with the moon rise - moon set and solar rise – solar set. The results of these computations have provided some interesting correlations – clearly indicating the possibility this ruin served as some type of celestial observatory for the ancients who once lived here. The implications produced by this study of the site stirs the imagination. My personal study is not significant because I lack the archaeological training, therefore no scientific hypothesis or theory can be deduced by my work. However, other scientific archaeologists have applied mathematical calculations to these measurements and have deduced that Circlestone may have served as a celestial observatory used in the planting of crops.
[Part II – July 10, 2006]
It is now a known fact that two prehistoric sites of ancient celestial observatories have been identified in the western portion of the United States, one in New Mexico and the other in Montana. If the ancients who lived at Stonehenge in England could develop a method by which to predict celestial occurrences, surely it is conceivable that their American counterparts could do so as well.
Let’s examine the Circlestone site in the Superstition Wilderness. A circular wall encompasses the entire central portion of the ruin. The stone wall is mortar free and lacks any type of stability. Great portions of the wall have toppled, probably the results of an earthquake or vandalism. Solar portals appear to be located at the four points of the compass along the wall. Keep in mind this wall does not have the stability to be used as a fortress or corral; it was laid out originally for some other reason. It is this unknown use I would like to speculate about.
The wall of this ruin measures approximately one and a half meters in height across most of its course around the center of the great circle. The circular enclosure is about sixty-five meters in diameter with a circumference of two hundred and six meters, making the structure a roughened circle. At four precise intervals portals can be found. These portals during the past three or four decades have been damaged or vandalized. These portals did not serve as rifle ports for the United States Cavalry nor did they serve as windows, since their position in the wall rules out this possibility. The circular enclosure is definitely large enough to be used as some type of celestial prediction tool.
At this point you might ask, what would these primitive aborigines want with something of this nature? Think for a moment; [weren’t] the sun, moon, and constellations of great importance to the religious beliefs of these early inhabitants of the Superstition Wilderness? Can you imagine the power a shaman or medicine man would have had over his subjects if he could accurately predict a lunar or solar eclipse?
Some scientist[s] had suggested the power of the shamans and medicine men may have originated from their ability to predict celestial events. The effacement of petroglyphs in the area leaves little or no evidence of the religious beliefs of the early people that once inhabited this remote corner of the Superstition Wilderness.
It is a common agreement among astro-archaeologists that the sun played an important role in primitive religion. In Egypt it was Ra, the Sun God. In all primitive pagan societies there were deities for the sun, moon and many other celestial bodies. The American Indian also used these natural deities in their religion.
Let’s speculate on a few significant clues left behind at Circlestone in the Superstition Wilderness Area. This circular ruin is high above the surrounding terrain, it is a great distance from water, the wall is too fragile to serve as a corral or fortress, [and] very few utility shards have been found to indicate occupancy of the site by family groups. It is quite apparent the severe climatic conditions would have forced a complete abandonment of the mountaintop by these early inhabitants during the winter months. These clues are just a few reasons that would eliminate the structure as a family unit type farmstead.
Using an accurate survey instrument at the center of the circular ruin, it is soon realized the motion of the earth is in direct relationship to the portals in the walls. Just off the center axis is the remains of an inclined pit that is stone-lined. Through some simple mathematical calculations it is soon realized this inclined pit is directly related to the summer solstice. Due to the Earth’s processional motion, the declination of this solar angle would be at least 12-15 degrees in error.
At Circlestone, vandalism and the elements are destroying a mute testimony to mankind’s primitive achievements in celestial observation. Of course I am in total agreement, at least at the present, that this is purely speculation and the hypothesis I have put forth has not been fully or objectively explored. However, there is a strong possibility the Circlestone ruin could be a primitive celestial observatory.
