Solar and lunar calendars of the mountain sanctuary Kokino

Abstract

The mountain sanctuary Kokino is located in the northeast part of Macedonia, on the summit of a hill of volcanic origin. The archeological research that has been performed for more than a decade confirmed its use as a large extra-urban religious site during the whole period of the Bronze Age. Additional astronomical analyses showed that it has the characteristics of a megalithic observatory, with some of its religious cults related with the motion of the sun, moon and some of the brightest stars. For that purpose the periodic motion of these celestial objects was observed and their position on specific calendar dates marked by stone notches cut in the surrounding rocks. In this paper, we present the results of the astronomical investigation of a group of stone markers aligned toward the specific positions of the full moon and analyze their purpose in creating a simple solar and lunar calendar which was used in planning the everyday life of the Bronze Age people in the region.