Ray Hively and Robert Horn, the archaeoastronomers who first made the case that the Newark Earthworks encoded the principal alignments of the 18.6-year long lunar cycle in its geometrical architecture are back with an extended argument for lunar, and now solar, astronomical alignments at the Newark Earthworks.

Their new paper appears in the just published Spring 2013 issue of the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. Here is the Abstract to give you a summary of their latest ideas.

A New and Extended Case for Lunar (and Solar) Astronomy at the Newark Earthworks

The Middle Woodland period Newark Earthworks in Newark, Ohio, are the largest known set of connected, geometrical earthworks ever constructed. An analysis of available evidence (survey, topographical, statistical, and archaeological) shows that the geometry of this Hopewell complex and its relation to the surrounding terrain can be understood in terms of astronomical alignments to the Sun and Moon. The geometrical structure of the site is consistently aligned with extremes in the 18.6-year cycle of lunar standstills. An understanding of the topographical context is presented by identifying four hilltops connected by lunar standstill alignments to long linear features of the Earthworks and connected to each other by alignments to the Sun at the solstices. The number and accuracy of the alignments together with Monte Carlo studies showing the low likelihood of chance producing such results suggest that Newark was aligned with unprecedented accuracy both to regional topographical features and astronomical phenomena.

Brad Lepper