Journal Article

ARCHAEO - ASTRONOMICAL PROSPECTING AT THE MOOSE HILL STONE CHAMBERS

Wheeler, Walter, Martin, Elizabeth F., Martin, Frederick W., Midgley, Polly

2012

Overview

The landscape surrounding the Kings Chamber, one of many corbelled dry-stone chambers sited along the river headwater streams of Putnam County in New York, has been paced on foot, measured by two-meter GPS, and surveyed to two-foot accuracy by solar-oriented transit. The skyline of the hill opposite this chamber contains large, well-separated stones. An hypothesis of human construction is offered, because 3 stones correlate well with a four-part solar year. If trees were absent, the sunset shadows made by these stones on the winter solstice, summer solstice and equinoxes would cross at a point inside an arc of large stones in front of the chamber. The chamber axis at azimuth 213 faces toward the most southerly possible moonset on the opposing horizon. The rising of this same moon can be viewed from the nearby smaller chamber, and some speculation is offered on lunar timing of burial ceremonies in Woodland times. Other stones on the horizon may correlate with the major lunar standstills, and with stellar directions nearer to the meridian, but do not suggest use of an 8-part year with solar cross-quarter days. Archaeological investigation with radiocarbon dating inside the chambers and around the stones is urged in order to help prove or disprove the hypothesis of human construction and date the chamber construction.

• Publisher: Eastern States Archeological Federation
• Subject: Archaeoastronomy / Azimuth / City squares / Equinoxes / Horizon coordinate system / Selenology / Solstice / Stone / Winter solstice