Winter Solstice was a significant seasonal midpoint celebration for the agricultural civilization that around 4,900 BC created Germany's Goseck Circle. Predicting the sun's gradual return, it was important for farming folk who lived from stored food and supplies during a period of the year known for its deaths from starvation, and cold.

Germany's Prehistoric Solar Observatory

Although described as the German Stonehenge, Goseck Circle pre-dates Stonehenge by at least two millennia and is probably the world's oldest solar observatory.


The Goseck Circle, which is near Leipzig in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, has been reconstructed, and this illustration shows it as it probably looked in Neolithic times, 7,000 years ago - via siloam.net


Last edited by Francine - German Culture; 12/22/13 03:51 AM.

Francine A. McKenna - German Culture Editor

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Avatar: HOHENZOLLERNBRÃœCKE Cologne with CATHEDRAL and LUDWIG MUSEUM. The Bridge a symbol of how Germany was rebuilt after WWII, it was left in ruins, the Cathedral with roots in the 13th century represents the country's history, Museum of Modern Art the present day.