Analyzing orientations

Abstract

Archaeoastronomical field survey typically involves the measurement of structural orientations (i.e., orientations along and between built structures) in relation to the visible landscape and particularly the surrounding horizon. This chapter focuses on the process of analyzing the astronomical potential of oriented structures, whether in the field or as a desktop appraisal, with the aim of establishing the archaeoastronomical “facts”. It does not address questions of data selection (see instead Chap. 25, ”Best Practice for Evaluating the Astronomical Significance of Archaeological Sites”) or interpretation (see Chap. 24, “Nature and Analysis of Material Evidence Relevant to Archaeoastronomy”). The main necessity is to determine the azimuth, horizon altitude, and declination in the direction “indicated” by any structural orientation. Normally, there are a range of possibilities, reflecting the various errors and uncertainties in estimating the intended (or, at least, the constructed) orientation, and in more formal approaches an attempt is made to assign a probability distribution extending over a spread of declinations. These probability distributions can then be cumulated in order to visualize and analyze the combined data from several orientations, so as to identify any consistent astronomical associations that can then be correlated with the declinations of particular astronomical objects or phenomena at any era in the past. The whole process raises various procedural and methodological issues and does not proceed in isolation from the consideration of corroborative data, which is essential in order to develop viable cultural interpretations.​