Archaeoastronomy: The study of stones and stars

Sarmizegetusa Regia

Constructed in about 60 B.C.E., Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital of the Dacian kingdom until the Romans destroyed their walls and took over in 105 C.E., and eventually moved the capital to another city. The ruins contain a circle of standing pillars, the outlines of a fortress, and, most relevant to this page, a large “solar disk” or “Andesite Sun” that was most likely used as a sundial.

picture by User:Oroles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This large, flat slab has a series of ten slices, having approximately 36 degrees each and one long radius, which points to North.

picture by Oroles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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