engleski

Astronomical orientation of the «megaron II» house on the Gradac (hill fort) of Vučedol

Through a reconstruction of the orientation of the «megaron II» house from the Gradac (hill fort), the «acropolis» of the Vučedol settlement, we arrived at some interesting conclusions: the complicated entrance complex, consisting of two structures in front of the house itself, doors that led to the antechamber, and doors to the main room, could have been oriented towards the summer solstice sunset. Moreover, the entrance complex precludes the access to the sun’s rays during the entire year, except for 31 days before and after the summer solstice. This construction could have served to the Vučedolians as a «device» to determine the exact day of the solstice. The southern wall of the northern entrance construction served as a «barrier» to the further advancement of the sun. These fact were inevitably a part of ritual performances in the Vučedolian settlement, and were incorporated into the Vučedolian mythology, which is corroborated with the ever present solar symbolic on the Vučedolian ceramics. Through a comparison with some other Prehistoric sites, as well as with significantly later Hellenic practice, we can ascertain these understandings, and put them into an adequate context.

megaron; Gradac; Vučedol; solstices; astronomical orientation

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