Shrug...Horizon Observation Station...HOS ping.
Intriguing.
ping
American Indians were so isolated in the New World and cut off,unlike the Old World,from the cultural and technological traffic the made Western Civilization the most efficacious and powerful global community in the world- even to this day.
The proof of an astronomical observatory to mark the seasons designed and built in the environment of 12000 BC Virginia would be earth shaking news and mark an era in pre-historic America to rival the placement of the standing stones of Stone Henge.
Week before last on our adventure down the Great River Road from Lake Itaska MN to the Gulf in LA, I visited Cahokia and climbed Monk’s mound
To the west a piece is Wood Henge, an astronomical calender site that marks solar and lunar(?) events. The winter and summer solstices were marked by uprights and midway between was an upright marking the equinoxes. The view point from the center was ~ half mile or so away from the south most top edge of monks mound. When you sight from the center across the upright, the siteline is just a hair, a noticeable hair, from the perfectly east west aligned south top edge of the Monk’s Mound pyramid. By moving half a step, the alignment is in perfect easterly alignment with the top corner/edge.
Hmmm why was the alignment from dead on not perfect with the edge? There was a sign and graphic indicating the alignment was not with the pyramid edge but the rising equinoxical sun. The error is the result of the latitude. The equinox sun is ~ 10 degrees off the due easterly pyramid edge true east alignment.
Those boys really knew what they were doing.
The Cahokia mound is just east of St Louis across the Mississippi in Illinois. They have a fantastic museum. By all means go if you get the chance