THE TAKEAWAY
Central Bohemia, Czech Republic — The discovery of an ancient sanctuary from over 6,500 years ago, linked to the movements of the moon and sun, was found in the largest region of the Czech Republic.
Researchers at the University of West Bohemia said they found a prehistoric sanctuary in present-day Chelby, measuring over 750 feet wide and eight feet deep.
University researchers also noted that the structure had 12 oddly-placed entrances, but further analysis revealed a connection to the moon and sun based on its construction.
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"When we began to analyze the positioning of the entrances in detail, it became clear that their arrangement was not random," Petr Krištuf, of the Department of Archaeology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of West Bohemia, said. "Their geometry creates a system that made it possible to observe the most significant moments of the solar and lunar cycles."
Archaeologists identified two main observation points for these entrances: one associated with the moon's position on the horizon, and the other connecting the sunrise at the summer solstice with the sunset at the winter solstice.
This arrangement is similar to the iconic Stonehenge.
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Despite this, the newly found sanctuary is significantly older than Stonehenge by around 1,000 years, as dating of organic material shows.
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Like Stonehenge, this was a place of ritual, and archaeologists found evidence of bull skulls and horns in ditches.
The bull is a religious symbol among the first farming communities, according to Archaeologist Jan Turek from Charles University.
Human remains were also found in the ditch.
Evidence suggests the monument or sanctuary gradually lost its original significance over time. By the Iron Age, about 3,200 years ago, it had been filled in and an ordinary settlement was established on the site where it once stood.
"In addition to artifacts and the remains of the dead, people leave chemical traces in the soil," Jan Fišer, of the University of Hradec Králové, said. "These can help us understand how this exceptional site was used during different periods of prehistory."
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Hopefully, through further discoveries and analysis, we can uncover secrets hidden behind these forgotten monuments and the significant role they played thousands of years ago.
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