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The Prehistoric Solar Calendar Euan Mackie Time and Mind: The Journal of The Prehistoric Solar Archaeology, Calendar: An Out-of- Consciousness and Culture fashion Idea Revisited Volume 2—Issue 1 March 2009 with New Evidence pp. 9–46 DOI Euan W. MacKie 10.2752/175169709X374263 Reprints available directly Euan MacKie graduated in Archaeology and Anthropology from the publishers at St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 1959 and—after a spell Photocopying permitted by excavating on Maya sites in Central America—joined the staff licence only of the Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, in October © Berg 2009 1960, where he remained as curator of the Archaeological and Anthropological collections (with a spell as deputy director) until 1998. He obtained his doctorate in Glasgow in 1974, and was an honorary lecturer in the Department of Archaeology as well as teaching evening classes continuosly since 1961. His two main research interests—in the pursuit of which he made many fieldwork trips in north Britain—are the Atlantic Iron Age of Scotland (particularly the broch towers) and the thorny question of the level of interest in astronomy and geometry in Neolithic Britain. He is the author of over one hundred book and articles in learned journals. Retired now for ten years he continues to research and publish. [email protected] Abstract The work of Alexander Thom on the geometrical and astronomical achievements of prehistoric Britain— depending as it does almost entirely on data gained from surveying and statistical analysis—is rarely referred to now by British archaeologists. Yet his idea of the prehistoric sixteen-“month” solar calendar—in which the year is divided successively into halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenths—can now be tested with evidence from other fields, including some spectacular archaeological artifacts and from excavations specifically designed to examine the hypothesis. This article reviews the origins of the idea and presents some new evidence which has emerged since Thom’s time which bears on it. This material includes five sites which excavation and surveying Time and Mind Volume 2—Issue 1—March 2009, pp. 9–46 10 The Prehistoric Solar Calendar Euan MacKie have shown to be probable accurate solar- before publication day (A.S. Thom 1995). calendar markers and three spectacular However, a new biography has just appeared artifacts which, in their different ways, shed which is extremely readable and informative further light on the idea. These are the and—though it includes references to gold lozenge from Bush Barrow, Wiltshire, related, and controversial, areas which Thom the “sky disc” from near Nebra in eastern never worked on—gives a good impression Germany, and the fan-shaped design on of the developing relationship between his stone K15 at the Knowth passage grave work and mainstream British archaeological in Ireland. This diversity of evidence thought from 1967 to the 1990s (Heath provides powerful support for Thom’s 2007). hypothesis and, it is suggested, makes more There are a number of reasons why likely the existence of intellectually skilled Thom’s work is no longer considered in professional priesthoods in north-western British archaeology and why any mention Europe in the Neolithic period and the of concepts like the megalithic yard and early Bronze Age. accurate celestial alignments tends to produce acute embarrassment and silence Keywords: alignment, solar calendar, when raised with colleagues. At the risk of Thom, Knowth, Bush Barrow, Maeshowe, over-simplification there are four in particular Nebra, prehistoric astronomy, priesthoods. which the author—having lived and worked in the field throughout this entire time— Introduction regards as of crucial importance. First, since the late 1970s Clive Ruggles Preamble has systematically and skillfully questioned The history of Alexander Thom’s work on Thom’s astronomical work, starting with a the astronomical and geometrical properties reassessment of three hundred of his claimed of the British Neolithic standing stones long celestial alignments on the Scottish and stone circles used to be familiar to west coast and in the Western Isles (Ruggles archaeologists. Indeed there was a time in 1984). The conclusion of this critique was the early 1970s when it seemed that his that there was no real evidence either primary conclusions might become absorbed for extreme accuracy or for the use of a into the mainstream of British prehistory, detailed solar calendar in Neolithic times but for various reasons this did not happen (broadly the period from 4000–2000 BC). It and now his work is hardly referred to in was accepted, however, that there was good archaeological periodicals (but see MacKie evidence for low-level interest in certain 1997, 1998). One reason is perhaps that his solar and lunar cycles. This was followed life and work has never been written about up with a number of specialized papers on in a way that might appeal to academics and the same theme—including a chapter on educated laymen; the original biography by Stonehenge—and finally with a book which his son A.S. Thom is rather chaotic and hard systematically challenged all evidence from to read, a feature probably to be explained other workers which seemed to point to a by its author’s declining health—he died just contrary conclusion (Ruggles 1997, 1999). Time and Mind Volume 2—Issue 1—March 2009, pp. 9–46 Euan MacKie The Prehistoric Solar Calendar 11 In general, British prehistory has welcomed astronomy; thus there are few overt signs this authoritative down-grading of Thom’s that anyone currently working professionally work by someone with similar surveying and in British prehistory is mentally equipped mathematical skills. either to assesses independently Thom’s The second reason involves the evidence, or to go into the field and look widespread belief among British (and for relevant evidence, or even to identify probably other) prehistorians in what this what that evidence might be. Moreover, the author has termed “the false equation acceptance of Thom’s hypotheses could between accurate alignments and prehistoric result in a wholesale reappraisal of the science” (MacKie 2006: 344–5). In other structure of British Neolithic society and words, to accept accurate alignments as such revolutions tend not to be accepted defined by Thom is to accept something that easily if they go against the grain of received no anthropologist has ever believed, and no wisdom. Ruggles’s downgraded version of the sensible archaeoastronomer believes any celestial alignment hypothesis is exactly what more—that the modern Western concept the profession needed in order to forget of science as a rational search for knowledge Alexander Thom’s work and to assume that explains what was going on in the Neolithic it was incompatible with the archaeological “observatories.” Pitts provides a good evidence. example of this misunderstanding (2000: This leads on to what is perhaps the 222, etc.) while the occasional outburst greatest difficulty in getting Thom’s work elsewhere reveals that even the concept of appreciated at present. This is the belief, a professional priesthood—well attested strongly held by archaeologists who study among chiefdoms (Renfrew 1973)—can prehistoric times, that the kind of society his inspire a similar alarm. Obviously anyone conclusions seem to be pointing to—one who can write “The ghastly specter of Euan with detailed knowledge of sophisticated MacKie’s astronomer-priest missionaries astronomical and measuring techniques—is (1997) should not deter others from incompatible with what we know of pursuing the cosmological aspects.”1 is recent and ancient preliterate societies. beyond the reach of rational argument on To be preserved over many generations, this topic but regrettably it seems likely such bodies of arcane knowledge surely that this attitude is widespread, if rarely require two things—first a group of full- articulated so revealingly.2 time professionals to study these subjects The third reason—which may explain in detail and, second, writing to record the the second—concerns training. With the observations taken over many years. There is fairly recent exception of the school of no evidence for writing in north-west Europe archaeology and ancient history in the before the coming of the Romans and there University of Leicester, degree courses is generally assumed to be no evidence in British archaeology have never, to the for a professional priesthood in Neolithic author’s knowledge, included instruction on times. In other words most archaeologists the kind of survey and statistical methods adopt a deductive approach to this whole that Thom used, or on basic observational problem; Thom’s data does not fit with Time and Mind Volume 2—Issue 1—March 2009, pp. 9–46 12 The Prehistoric Solar Calendar Euan MacKie what we know of Neolithic society both my model of European prehistory is wrong, through archaeological means and through rather than the results presented by Thom anthropological analogy, therefore it cannot are due to nothing but chance.” (Atkinson be right. Ruggles’s refutation of Thom’s claims 1975: 51). of extreme accuracy is therefore seen as The author has analysed the nature inevitable and right. of archaeological evidence in some detail Despite all this, the present author—an (MacKie 1977: 7ff.), concluding that it is archaeologist and prehistorian— is convinced simply not possible to make inferences that Thom’s ideas have been unjustly about the intangible aspects of vanished dismissed (MacKie 1997, 1998, 2002, 2006). societies—such as their social organization, He also believes that Ruggles’s basic 1984 religious beliefs, and so on—directly from that criticisms of accurate long alignments contain evidence; analogies with known modern or a fundamental flaw based on a circular recent societies with a similar technological argument (MacKie 1984).3 In particular, he is base have to be employed, and these convinced that the concept of the sixteen- by their nature are very lightly anchored “month” solar calendar—derived from to the evidence.
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