THE ROLE OF ASTRONOMICAL ALIGNMENTS IN THE RITUALS OF THE PEAK SANCTUARY AT KOKINO, MACEDONIA

Abstract

The archaeological locality ‘Taticev Kamen’ (Tatic Rock) is located in the north-eastern part of Macedonia, near the village of Kokino. During the Bronze Age, it was used as a mountain sanctuary by the people living in the region. The large number of excavated artefacts have confirmed the practise of several different cults. The site also has many characteristics of a megalithic observatory. The detailed archaeoastronomical analysis of the locality indicates that the periodic movements of the Sun and other celestial objects were observed from three different platforms, and their positions on particular dates were marked by notches on the nearby stone blocks. From the first platform, a marker for the midsummer sunrise was carved for the purpose of performing the ritual that has solar characteristics. The second platform is a central site from which the Sun was observed throughout the year, and the extreme sunrise positions on the days of the solstices and the equinoxes were marked. The newly-discovered third platform contains evidence of ritual activities similar to those at the Minoan peak sanctuaries on Crete. Using this platform as an observational site, we found four markers that pointed to the rising of Aldebaran over an interval of several centuries (from 1900 BC to 1500 BC). The heliacal rising of this star before summer and its rising in the evening sky in early autumn were probably connected with vegetative cycles and the organization of agricultural activities.