The astronomical orientation of ancient Greek temples.
Despite its appearing to be a simple question to answer, there has been no consensus as to whether or not the alignments of ancient Greek temples reflect astronomical intentions. Here I present the results of a survey of archaic and classical Greek temples in Sicily and compare them with temples in Greece. Using a binomial test I show strong evidence that there is a preference for solar orientations. I then speculate that differences in alignment patterns between Sicily and Greece reflect differing pressures in the expression of ethnic identity.
Salt
Alun M
AM
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom. alun.m.salt@gmail.com
D000465:Algorithms; D001256:Astronomy; D006115:Greece; D018645:Greek World; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012067:Religion; D012802:Sicily