From Woodhenge to Stonehenge

We were pretty lucky to see two different types of astronomical calendars on our trip -- the Woodhenge calendar at Cahokia in IL and the half-scale, modified Stonehenge at University of Missouri in Rolla.  It was amazing to see these re-creations of sophisticated calendars, originally created across the ocean from one another, but with similar intent: to discern the society's place in time, and to track significant astronomical events.

The Woodhenge concept is best seen in the poster at the project -- from the ground, the current reconstruction simply looks like posts placed randomly -- but in looking at the poster you see how the posts, placed in a circular fashion, were used to track star events.

Interestingly, the Woodhenge posts were placed over three different time periods, according to research at the site.

In contrast, the half-scale Stonehenge in Rolla is a more solid representation of the famous stone landmark.  Visiting the half-scale Stonehenge provided us a whole new vocabulary and course of study. Thoughtfully, the designers posted plaques at each viewing point to explain what could be seen, and when.

As an example, the analemma, as described in the plaque shown below, enables the day and noon to be indicated.

The marks would be cast on the stones shown below, which have the months of the year marked for easy use.

 

 It may not be as large as the real Stonehenge, but visiting University of Missouri's replica was an excellent way to experience an intricate work of science.  Seeing a similar model at Cahokia makes us wonder about the similarity of cultures, across oceans, that evolve the same models for understanding sophisticated concepts.

Thanks, University of Missouri and the archaeologists at Cahokia!