The Orientation of Danish Passage Graves on the Islands of Samsø and Zealand

Hård Birgitta Roslund Curt , “Passage graves and the passage of the moon”, Acta archaeologica Lundensia, viii (1991), 35–43.

González-García A. César Costa-Ferrer Lourdes , “Orientation of TRB-west megalithic monuments”, Journal for the history of astronomy, xxxvii (2006), 417–27.

Henriksson Göran , “Orientation of 140 Swedish passage graves, a megalithic calendar”, Lights and shadows in cultural astronomy: Proceedings of the SEAC 2005: Isili, Sardinia, 28 June to 3 July, ed. by Zedda Mauro Peppino Belmonte Juan Antonio (Isili, 2007), 289–97.

Clausen Claus Kjærgaard Per Einicke Ole , “The orientation of Danish passage graves”, Acta archaeologica, lxxix (2008), 216–29.

Ruggles Clive , Astronomy in prehistoric Britain and Ireland (New Haven, 1999).

Hoskin Michael , Tombs, temples and their orientations: A new perspective on Mediterranean prehistory (Bognor Regis, 2001).

Jensen Jørgen , Danmarks Oldtid — Stenalder 13.000–2.000 f.Kr. (Gyldendal, 2001), 347.

Dehn T. Hansen S. I. , “Doubleness in the construction of Danish passage graves”, in Neolithic Orkney in its European context, ed. by Ritchie Anna (Cambridge, 2000), 215–21, p. 215.

Dehn T. Hansen S. I. , “Architecture mégalithique en Scandinavie”, in Origine et développement du mégalithisme de l'ouest de l'Europe, Actes du Colloque International du Musée de Bougon 26/30 Octobre 2002 (Bougon, 2006), 39–62.

See Hård Roslund , op. cit. (ref. 1), 39.

Hansen Svend Illum , Jœttestuer i Danmark (konstruktion og restaurering) (Copenhagen, 1993), 130.

Dehn Hansen , op. cit. (ref. 9), 44.

The 100° peak is calculated for the interval between 89° and 112° and the narrower peak at 121° is calculated for the interval from 114° to 130°. The less pronounced peak in the combined sample close to 150° is calculated for the interval between 134° and 163°.

A study of double graves (including twin graves) and clusters of graves is under way.

Prendergast F. , “In the eye of the beholder: Symbolism and meaning in Irish passage tomb alignment and height”, in Coimbra F. Dimitriadis G. (eds), Proceedings of the XV World Congress UISPP (Lisbon, 4–9 September 2006) (Oxford, 2008), 3–12.

See Ruggles , op. cit. (ref. 5), 24–5 and 36–7, or Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 6), 20.

The computations were done using our set of computer programs. The distribution for the sun is the same today, with only a small shift in distribution due to today's slightly lower value of the inclination of the ecliptic, ε (the distribution now lies between 44° and 134°). Note that we refer to the apparent rising of the centre of the sun (taking into account the effect of the refraction at the horizon). We have calculated the distribution of the rising moon's azimuth for an 18.61-year period starting from 3300 b.c. The distribution is the same today with only a small shift in the extreme points of 1–2°. The calculations refer to the centre of the moon and take into account the effects of the refraction and the parallax of the moon.

da Silva C. Marciano , “The spring full moon”, Journal for the history of astronomy, xxxv (2004), 475–8.

See Da Silva , op. cit. (ref. 18), 475.

See Henriksson , op. cit. (ref. 3), 291.

See Henriksson , op. cit. (ref. 3), Table 1, 295 and 296.

See Henriksson , op. cit. (ref. 3), Fig. 1, 292.

Rasmussen Uffe Lind , Dusagerdyssen: Beretning om en genfunden dysse ved Skejby, Moesgård Museum report FHM4745 (Århus, 2009), 8.