An ancient site of the Australian Aborigines in a secret locations in the state of Victoria, Australia, is perhaps the oldest astronomical observatory in the world.
From a study revealed that the age of the site longer than the composition of the rocks of Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The scientists studying the composition of rocks named 'Wurdi Youang' explained that the age of the site can be more than 11,000 years and give a clue to the origins of agriculture.
Three of the Wurdi Youang stones. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1evTQh) |
Duane Hamacher, a natives leading expert in astronomy, conducted a research in cooperation with Aboriginal elders in these locations in order to reconstruct their knowledge of the stars and planets.
"Some academics refer to the composition of the rocks here as Australia's version of Stonehenge," said Dr. Hamacher.
"I think the question we might ask: whether the Stonehenge in Britain are the Wurdi Youang version? Because it could be much older age," he said.
These rocks are thought to have once marked the Sun's journey throughout the year. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1evTQh) |
If that site is older than seven thousand years, it will change the historical record as well as further afield would dispute the notion that the first Australian all hunters and gatherers were nomadic. The scientists also believe the composition of the rocks was able to map the movement of the sun throughout the year.
An Aboriginal elders, Reg Abrahams, said that the area around the observatory was apparently had a semi-permanent settlements with evidence the fishing and farming activities.
"If you make the arrangement of rocks that could mark the seasons of the year based on the solstice and equinox (phenomenon due to the false movement of the Sun crossed the equator), would make sense if in a year you spend more time in a particular location to do it," he said.
"If so, surely it makes sense if you are in the permanent sources of food and water," said Abrahams. He says there is an area that shows the location of trapping eels there is even a sign-dike embankment used for farming.
"You can find the practice of agriculture and aquaculture, so that evidence of agricultural activity is possible age for decades, predating what anthropologists call an early farming 11 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia," he explained.
Dr. Hamacher added, the first Australian in the early days has a complex knowledge systems. "They understand well the movement of the sun, moon, planets and stars throughout the year for a long period of time," he explained.
"Australians white people generally do not know that colonialism has erased all that. What we do now is to help people collect the information through cooperation with the public," he said.
An Aboriginal named Judy Dalton-Walsh said that the research on this site and Aboriginal astronomy intended that such knowledge can be inherited.
"In school we learn the European names for the stars and the Milky Way. Glad also because we know that traditionally even have a name for it. Our gods is up there in the stars," she said.. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ABC NEWS | SCIENCE ALERT]
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