Did Ancient Sicilians Build Temples to 'Fit In?'
Ancient Greeks living in Sicily built their sacred temples to face the rising sun, new research suggests.
Almost all of the temples constructed on the island of Sicily during its Greek period over 2,500 years ago are oriented toward the eastern horizon, according to a new study by Alun Salt, an archaeoastronomer with the University of Leicester, in England.
Though many temples on mainland Greece also line up with the sunrise, it is less frequent on the mainland than on outlying colonies, implying an effort by outlying colonies to strengthen their ties to the home territory, Salt told LiveScience.
Sicily became a Greek state in the 8th century B.C., when the ancient powerhouse founded its first settlement on the Mediterranean island, now a province of Italy. It did not take long for local Sicilians to adopt many of their colonizer's customs, including those related to architecture and religion.
Read entire article at Live Science
Almost all of the temples constructed on the island of Sicily during its Greek period over 2,500 years ago are oriented toward the eastern horizon, according to a new study by Alun Salt, an archaeoastronomer with the University of Leicester, in England.
Though many temples on mainland Greece also line up with the sunrise, it is less frequent on the mainland than on outlying colonies, implying an effort by outlying colonies to strengthen their ties to the home territory, Salt told LiveScience.
Sicily became a Greek state in the 8th century B.C., when the ancient powerhouse founded its first settlement on the Mediterranean island, now a province of Italy. It did not take long for local Sicilians to adopt many of their colonizer's customs, including those related to architecture and religion.