Bryn Celli Ddu: An ancient machine, built in 3500bc.Are the ancient Bitons, the fathers of Agricultu

Bryn Cell Ddu (pronounced: Brin cethley the), on the isle of Anglesey off the coast of Whales, built in 3500BC, is an elaborate calendar device which can be used to indicate the change of seasons.

The alignments of the stones of this Bryn, are extremely accurate, they show:
1) The alignment of its main passage and its marked sequences highlight the equinoxes and the summer solstice.
2)There is a 'shadow gauge' on the centre pillar of this sructure which indicates what position within the solar year you are at any time.
3)The pillar and stone edgesare postioned to accurately measure Venus' cycle, the winter solstice and winter agricultural calendar.

It has been suggested the Venus is the most accurate indictator of time of year available in the solar system.
Every 8 years Venus marks a point when the solar calendar, lunar calendar, and sidereal calender coincide within a few minutes. Over 40 years ( 5 cycles) it syncronizes these calendars to within a few seconds. Knowledge of this Venus cycle allows these calendars to be regularly realigned and allows detailed prediction of tides and lunar eclipses.

An amazing device, bulit by The Grooved ware people. This was just one device constructed to provide the ancient britons with important knowledge used for agriculture (sidereal), knowing the tides (lunar) and the length of the day and the knowledge of when to hold important feasts (solar).

I am interested to know if anyone has any information of devices such as this, used by the ancients for the purposes of achieving the above mentioned purposes.
I am aware of other similar devices such as stonehenge and woodhenge; but I am seeking knowledge on devices from other cultures.

I have heard from some sources that Ancient Israel, claims ownership to agricultural invention; as biblically it is refered to as:'the land of milk and honey'.
Although agriculatural practice is mentioned a few times in the bible; I would hardly think that this gives any select group ownership to certain ideas;its obvious that everybody in the ancient world needed to eat!

Anglesey is a lovely place. Not much to do so people often hit Bangor for a night out. I've been to Bryn Celli Ddu and it's slightly less impressive when it's in front of you. It's still a very interesting site and the history is tangible; you can enjoy the feeling that surrounds it. A documentary some years back presented evidence that it was a Summer Solstice calendar. They had a camera at the back of the grave entrance and filmed the rising sun.

I wouldn't quite describe it as a machine or even something very elaborate. The people of the time knew the turning of the seasons very well. Winter and Summer solstice would be important for ritual, religious and social reasons. The grave tunnel was built on an earlier stone circle that puts human organization at some 5000ya in the western islands of the British Isles. The dolerite stones of Stonehenge came from the Prescelly mountains of South Wales and show how widespread the interest in the Solstice was.

Northern Europe had diverse cultures that featured common ideas and trade routes linking up from Ireland across to the Northern Alps of Italy.

The best thing about Anglesey is a white sand beach a half mile or more from the nearest road. It's beautiful. In summer, music, beer, a fire and friends makes it a pretty special place



History

Images

reply to post by Kandinsky


If a grave? what remainss have ever been found there? It is often quoted that archeologists feel that this site and that site are tombs or graves, if they have no other explaination. For example: New Grange.
Part of an 'ear-bone' was found at the inner chamber; which was then dubbed as a burial chamber.
I agree that it is probably not as impressive as other monolithic structures and the like within its vicinity, and may be easily undermined in importance, because of its modest appearance.
How many other Bryns that you know of, demonstrate the same functions and capabilities to provide such information to the ancients?
Would not, the concave rock, at the rear of the chamber placed to focus various beams that shine down its shaft and through the slot above the lintel; then illuminate carved symbols on the inner chambers walls- not constitute a crude machine?
You are very lucky indeed to have had the opportunity to visit this site; if not a tad underwhelmed

reply to post by KRISKALI777
Hiya Kris,
I can't find much to identify what remains were discovered in the grave tunnel. It was visited by people since at least the 17th Century and might have been robbed long before that. It wasn't uncommon for ancient bones to be sold as religious charms or as 'saints.' It's consistently referred to as a 'passage grave' so there could just be an absence of info online. Possibly, the findings remain in books. There's a reference here...

The site was visited from 1699, and excavated in 1865 and 1927-31. In the passage and in the chamber excavations revealed both burnt and unburnt human bones, a stone bead, two flint arrowheads, a scraper and mussel shells. Outside the entrance and the ditch, a small, unusual ox burial was found.

Bryn Celli Ddu

How many other Bryns that you know of, demonstrate the same functions and capabilities to provide such information to the ancients?

Alignments are common in burial mounds and reflect the pervasive beliefs of the time and location. An example is in England where pre-Christian burials are aligned N-S and as Christianity integrated and usurped Paganism, burials began to be aligned E-W. Loads of Christian festivals and rituals are just rebranded pagan customs. A Danish guy studied over a hundred passage graves and found that they tended to point to the first rising Moon of spring...still being discussed...

There is a significant concentration of orientations towards east/southeast as seen from within the passage grave. It can be interpreted that the passage graves are oriented according to the winter sunrise. But researchers think it more likely that they are positioned according to the rise of the full moon, for example, the first full moon after the spring equinox.

The calculations show, that in the period from 3.300 to 3.100 BC there was an over frequency of 50 percent in the number of lunar eclipses that could be seen in Denmark. And the exciting thing was that the pattern indicated that it could fit with the rise of the full moon immediately before a lunar eclipse.

Passage graves from an astronomical perspective

Timeline for passage graves...