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- Aug 7, 2001
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There seem to be many Stonehenge (etc) threads, but no thread for the lesser known sites, so I'm starting this as a catch-all thread for the rest, and any related theories!
Bodmin Moor Hurlers mystery solved
By Daily Telegraph reporter
Last Updated: 3:06am GMT 19/12/2007
The mystery of the Hurlers on Bodmin Moor may have been solved.
An amateur astronomer claims that the ancient stone monuments were built to mirror the stars in Orion's Belt and indicate the date of mid-winter.
The theory was proposed by Brian Sheen, a retired research chemist who runs the Roseland Observatory in St Stephen, Cornwall.
He claims that the three stone circles, erected about 1,500 BC, mirror the three stars of Orion's Belt. At midnight on the winter solstice, their north-south orientation aligns with Orion's position - due south in the sky.
Mr Sheen said the stones served as a calendar, also telling the tribesmen the summer solstice.
"This was important because they were starting to grow things and look after animals," he said. "They were becoming farmers instead of hunter-gatherers."
Legend has it that the stones were men, turned to rock for playing hurling on the Sabbath.
http://tinyurl.com/yr3ejd
I've met Brian Sheen a few times. An experienced astronomer.
Bodmin Moor Hurlers mystery solved
By Daily Telegraph reporter
Last Updated: 3:06am GMT 19/12/2007
The mystery of the Hurlers on Bodmin Moor may have been solved.
An amateur astronomer claims that the ancient stone monuments were built to mirror the stars in Orion's Belt and indicate the date of mid-winter.
The theory was proposed by Brian Sheen, a retired research chemist who runs the Roseland Observatory in St Stephen, Cornwall.
He claims that the three stone circles, erected about 1,500 BC, mirror the three stars of Orion's Belt. At midnight on the winter solstice, their north-south orientation aligns with Orion's position - due south in the sky.
Mr Sheen said the stones served as a calendar, also telling the tribesmen the summer solstice.
"This was important because they were starting to grow things and look after animals," he said. "They were becoming farmers instead of hunter-gatherers."
Legend has it that the stones were men, turned to rock for playing hurling on the Sabbath.
http://tinyurl.com/yr3ejd
I've met Brian Sheen a few times. An experienced astronomer.