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| Paper: |
Were there Astronomical Rituals at the Minoan Peak Sanctuaries on Crete? |
| Volume: |
409, Cosmology Across Cultures |
| Page: |
436 |
| Authors: |
Blomberg, P.E. |
| Abstract: |
The Uppsala Group have studied the so-called Peak Sanctuaries and other Minoan buildings on Crete for the past 10 years or so. The study has been directed towards indications of a Minoan interest in the sky i.e. the movements of the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, stars etc. It is found that almost all studied buildings have parts that were directed towards celestial events making it possible to adjust a calendar correct for the solar year. The finds from the peak sanctuaries indicate a Minoan interest in the sun, moon, stars and constellations making it possible to use the stars for navigation and calendaric indications. During the last few years papers have been presented on a new understanding of the Minoan peak sanctuaries, an interpretation indicating some kind of ritual on those peaks. The kind of ritual has however not been explained in those studies. This paper discusses this new approach. It is shown that the ideas and method presented in those papers indicate an astronomical orientated ritual and supports the understanding of the peak sanctuaries as places used for understanding and studying the stars and other heavenly bodies. |
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