Equinox in Petra: Land- and Skyscape in the Nabataean Capital

Belmonte, Juan Antonio; González–García, A. César; Rodríguez-Antón, Andrea; Betancor, María Antonia Perera

doi:10.1007/s00004-019-00464-1

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…This is suggested by the predominantly solar pattern with maxima clusters around relevant moments such as the equinoxes and probably the solstices, considering the margin of error and the fact that the real influence of the surrounding horizon is unknown at the moment. Both acted as temporal landmarks which were commonly considered transition moments on the solar cycle and were accompanied with festivities and rituals in the Mediterranean and Roman traditions [43][44][45], as well as in many other cultures throughout history. In fact, both orientations are present in several Roman towns in different provinces and from specific moments in Roman history [16,21,22], sometimes probably relating to the pre-Roman traditions of the local cultures [18].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Land and Sky—A Study of the Orientation of Roman Centuriations in Italy

2023

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The centuriations were public lands delimited and divided in regular lots by Rome as a result of the conquest but also the conceptual appropriation of new territories, which were transformed according to particular ideas of space. Despite previous works rejecting the astronomical hypothesis for the orientation of Roman centuriations, recent publications have supported the role of particular astronomical phenomena in the design of Roman land and urbanism in Italy. The aim of this work is to determine whether the orientation of the centuriations follows any pattern, and to determine the precepts, if any, underlying the election of privileged directions. We present a statistical study of the orientation of 67 centuriations in Italy—the largest sample of this type ever studied in this region—that considers the conditions of the surrounding environment together with a comparative analysis with a dataset of the same type that includes 52 Italian Roman towns. The results show interesting patterns shared by both centuriations and towns, some of them coinciding with relevant astronomical events in the Roman context, together with others in which differentrequirements would have been prioritized. In summary, we should consider the sky as an element involved in the creation of Roman urban and rural spaces.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Land and Sky—A Study of the Orientation of Roman Centuriations in Italy

2023

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“…Carved out of solid rock, Ad Deir is the structure that most people associate with Petra. Among the most important of the discoveries made at Petra was documentation of an equinox sunset alignment visible from the Al Madras structures in alignment with the summit of the sacred mountain, Jabal Haroun (for more on the Petra equinox phenomena see Belmonte et al 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%