There may be some who think that marking the Galactic Meridian and Galactic Equator at the Toltec Mounds in Arkansas, as we deciphered them in our next to previous posting, is unlikely.
How wrong they are proven by the neighboring Spiro Mounds of Oklahoma, which we decipher to mark the Galactic Meridian at the confluence of minor stars we modernly assign to Gemini, Auriga and Lynx. Indeed, there is no other reason to mark these rather insignificant stars by mounds.
Our own map drawing of mound positions relies on "Map 3" at SpiroMound.com at http://www.spiromound.com/, which states at that website that "[t]he information is taken from our book, The Spiro Mound: A Photo Essay". Map 3 is "after" Brown (1996) and Newkumet (1940). Those sources and the Spiro Mounds Oklahoma Historical Society should be consulted for official maps.
We show various star magnitude limits in the above decipherment image because it is not always easy to tell exactly which bright stars the ancients picked out for their megalithic, mound, petroglyph or rock art stellar (star) markings, though of course the brightest star predominate, but for special measurements, lesser stars need to be used.
In the above decipherment image, we first show the stars by a star magnitude limit of 5.25 (only one extraneous star appears then in the right "group of 4", and is not shown any more by a setting of 5.03), while two missing "mounded" stars in the line of the stars at the left appear by a maximum limit of 6.03. Consider that the default star magnitude limit setting at Starry Night Pro is 6.0. Even if the star magnitude limit is increased, no new stars appear in that line.
The so-called "Copple Mound" at the Spiro Mounds marks no particular star because there are none at that location, but marks the Galactic Meridian. That is the chief function of the Spiro Mounds, since there is no other reason to have "mounded" these particular normally insignificant stars. The "star declination" of the Copple Mound position would appear to be near 30° and surely so intended.
THIS POSTING IS Posting Number 35 of
The Great Mound, Petroglyph and Painted Rock Art Journey of Native America
Spiro Mounds Oklahoma Mark Stars Between Gemini Auriga and Lynx and Mark the Galactic Meridian
How wrong they are proven by the neighboring Spiro Mounds of Oklahoma, which we decipher to mark the Galactic Meridian at the confluence of minor stars we modernly assign to Gemini, Auriga and Lynx. Indeed, there is no other reason to mark these rather insignificant stars by mounds.
Our own map drawing of mound positions relies on "Map 3" at SpiroMound.com at http://www.spiromound.com/, which states at that website that "[t]he information is taken from our book, The Spiro Mound: A Photo Essay". Map 3 is "after" Brown (1996) and Newkumet (1940). Those sources and the Spiro Mounds Oklahoma Historical Society should be consulted for official maps.
We show various star magnitude limits in the above decipherment image because it is not always easy to tell exactly which bright stars the ancients picked out for their megalithic, mound, petroglyph or rock art stellar (star) markings, though of course the brightest star predominate, but for special measurements, lesser stars need to be used.
In the above decipherment image, we first show the stars by a star magnitude limit of 5.25 (only one extraneous star appears then in the right "group of 4", and is not shown any more by a setting of 5.03), while two missing "mounded" stars in the line of the stars at the left appear by a maximum limit of 6.03. Consider that the default star magnitude limit setting at Starry Night Pro is 6.0. Even if the star magnitude limit is increased, no new stars appear in that line.
The so-called "Copple Mound" at the Spiro Mounds marks no particular star because there are none at that location, but marks the Galactic Meridian. That is the chief function of the Spiro Mounds, since there is no other reason to have "mounded" these particular normally insignificant stars. The "star declination" of the Copple Mound position would appear to be near 30° and surely so intended.
THIS POSTING IS Posting Number 35 of
The Great Mound, Petroglyph and Painted Rock Art Journey of Native America
Spiro Mounds Oklahoma Mark Stars Between Gemini Auriga and Lynx and Mark the Galactic Meridian
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