Megalithic geometry concerns the mathematics that were applied by the builders of the megaliths found throughout the World, with a special interest in the megaliths of the United Kingdom, and its possible connection to the Giza pyramid complex. The complexity of the mathematics involved in megalith building is disputed. Mainstream science postulates that what appears to be complex, is merely coincidence, and any further studies should be considered as pseudoscientific metrology. Whereas researchers such as Livio Catullo Stecchini (1942), Alexander Thom (1950), Robin Heath (1998), and Christopher Knight (1999) explore the possibility of a standardized megalithic system.
Megalithic standard[]
Concerning the metrology of megalithic sites, researchers have agreed that there is marginal evidence for a standardized measuring unit, especially in the analysis of at least 600 megalithic sites in the United Kingdom,[1] but that measurements are not as uniform as proposed by Alexander Thom's hypothesis[2]—where the length of about 2.72 ft, which appears consistent with other ancient measuring rods, is measured as a "Megalithic Yard" (MY).[3]
366° circumference[]
Based on Livio Catullo Stecchini (1942) and Alexander Thom's (1950) research, Alan Butler and Christopher Knight promote the "Civilization One" hypothesis[4] (See Megalithic civilization hypothesis), that proposes a megalithic standard and system of units that is based on a hypothetical 366-degree circumference of a circle.[5]
The concept of a 366-degree circumference (as opposed to 360°)—is compared to the Earth's polar circumference. Butler and Knight propose that a Megalithic degree is the 366th part of it, i.e. 40,008 / 366 = 109.31 km; the Megalithic arcminute is the 60th part of the Megalithic degree, i.e. 109.31 / 60 = 1.82 km; the Megalithic arcsecond is the 6th part of the Megalithic minute, i.e. 1.82 / 6 = 0.3036 km; if this Megalithic arcsecond is in turn divided into 366 equal segments, the length arrived at is 0.8296 m, which is the presumed length of the Megalithic Yard,[5] the supposed ancient standard of measure proposed by professor Alexander Thom in the 1950s.[6] The discovery, of what mainstream researchers call an “apparent coincidence”, is what prompted Butler to propose that Megalith builders could have been cognizant with an Earth-based 366-degree geometry.[5]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Archibald Stevenson Thom (1995). Walking in all of the squares: a biography of Alexander Thom : engineer, archaeoastronomer, discoverer of a prehistoric calendar, the geometry of stone rings and megalithic measurement. Argyll Pub.. ISBN 978-1-874640-66-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=o0HbAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ↑ David H. Kelley; Eugene F. Milone; Anthony F. (FRW) Aveni (28 February 2011). Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy. Springer. pp. 163–. ISBN 978-1-4419-7623-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=ILBuYcGASxcC&pg=PA163. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ↑ Thom, Alexander., The megalithic unit of length, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, A 125, 243-251, 1962.
- ↑ http://www.civilizationone.com/reviews.html, http://www.atm.org.uk/reviews/books/civilizationone.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Butler, Alan and Christopher Knight. Before the Pyramids. Cracking Archaeology's Greatest Mystery. London: Watkins, 2009. Template:ISBN
- ↑ Thom, Alexander. Megalithic Sites in Britain. Oxford : OUP, 1967