Mediterranean Archaeoastronomy and Archaeotopography: Pre-Roman Tombs of Africa Proconsularis

On Andalucía, see Hoskin M. Allan E. and Gralewski R. , “Studies in Iberian archaeoastronomy: (3) Customs and motives in Andalucía”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 20 (1995), S41–48; on Extremadura, see Belmonte J. A. and Belmonte J. R. , “Astronomía, cultura y religión en la prehistoria de la Peninsula Ibérica: Los dólmenes de Valencia de Alcántara”, Tribuna de astronomía, nos 116–17 (1995), 18–25 and 72–77, and the article by Hoskin and colleagues in the present issue of Archaeoastronomy; on Catalunya see the same article by Hoskin and colleagues, together with Hoskin M. and Palomo i Pérez T. , “Studies in Iberian archaeoastronomy: (4) The orientations of megalithic tombs of eastern Catalunya”, Journal for the history of astronomy, xxix (1998), 63–79.

For the Balearic Islands, see Hoskin M. and Nuñez Morales J. J. , “The orientations of the burial monuments of Menorca”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 16 (1991), S15–42; for Sardinia, see in particular Zedda M. Hoskin M. Gralewski R. and Manca G. , “Orientations of 230 tombe di giganti”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 21 (1996), S33–54; for the temples of Malta, see Serio Foderà G. Hoskin M. and Ventura F. , “The orientations of the temples of Malta”, Journal for the history of astronomy, xviii (1992), 107–19; and for the tiny Maltese dolmens, see Pásztor E. and Roslund C. , “Orientations of Maltese dolmens”, Journal of European archaeology, v (1997), 183–9.

Belmonte J. A. Esteban C. Caballero Schlueter R. Betancort Perera M. A. Génova R. and Cruz M. , “Astral gods, tombs and sacred mountains: The case of Mediterranean Africa”, in Actas del IV Congreso de la SEAC “Astronomía en la cultura”, ed. by Jaschek C. and Barandela Atrio F. (Salamanca, 1997), 247–53.

For a general introduction to the region see Camps G. , Les Berberes: Mémoire et identité (3rd edn, Paris, 1992). For a recent review of the ancient politics, see Coltelloni-Trannoy M. , Le royaume de Mauritanie sous Juba II et Ptolomée (Paris, 1997).

Camps G. , Aux origenes de la Berberie: Monuments et rites funéraires protohistoriques (Paris, 1961), the authoritative work on the subject. For an up-to-date revision, see idem, Les nécropoles mégalitiques de l'Afrique du Nord, in Trousset P. (ed.), Monuments funéraires et institutions autochtones du Afrique du Nord antique et médiévale (VI Colloque International sur l'Histoire et l'Archéologie de l'Afrique du Nord, Paris, 1995), 17–31. The same work contains essays on the different kinds of tombs.

See for example Castellani V. , “Necropoli di tumuli ed archeoastronomia”, in Archeologie e astronomia: Esperienze e prospettive future (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, 1995), 83–98.

For the “idebni” of the Ahaggar, see Savary J. P. , Monuments en pierres seches de Fadnoun (Mémoires du Centre pour la Recherche Archéologique et Historique de l'Est de la Algerie, vi; Algiers, 1967), 46. See also idem, “L'architecture et l'orientation des dolmens de Beni Messous”, Lybica, xvii (1969), 271–330; these dolmens are similar to those of Tunisia.

Camps G. (ed.), Encyclopédic Berbere (Aix en Provence, 1996), xvi, s.v. “Dolmen”.

For an excellent account of the Punic presence in the north of Africa, see Lancel S. , Cartago (Barcelona, 1994).

On the other hand, Acrux, the most southern star of the Southern Cross, was within this interval between about 650 and 400 b.c. We ought however to admit that if instead we take the perpendicular direction (that is, to the east — The gate of Dolmen 1 faces in this direction) then the group has an average declination close to zero and it may be that we are dealing with a simple custom of eastern orientation.

Most of the hawanat are concentrated near the coast whereas most of the dolmens are to be found in the interior (see Figure 1). However, near Enfida, in eastern Tunisia, there was twenty years ago a large coastal dolmenic necropolis, today in very bad condition. For the tombs excavated in the cliffs, see Longerstay M. , “Les Haounanet”, in Trousset (ed.), op. cit. (ref. 5), 33–53.

These cairns, which are probably funerary, are found on a flat area on top of the cliff, near two badly ruined dolmens. They may be very old, but they may also be Islamic. Their orientations, to the east-south quadrant, sheds little light.

Fantar M. , “Nécropoles puniques de Tunisie”, in Trousset (ed.), op. cit. (ref. 5), 55–72.

The oldest parts of the necropolis have been assigned to the seventh century b.c. However, the most elaborated tombs could be of the fifth century. See Chelbi F. , Utique (Tunis, 1996).

Lancel , op. cit. (ref. 9).

Fantar M. , “Découvertes à la nécropole punique de Sidi Salem à Menzel Temine”, Histoire et archeologie: Les dossiers, lxix (1983), 36–42.

Benichou-Safar H. , “Carte des nécropoles puniques de Carthage”, Karthago: Revue d'archéologie Africaine, xxvii (1976), 5–35.

See Hoskin and Pérez Palomo , op. cit. (ref. 1), and Section A of the article by Hoskin and colleagues in the present issue of Archaeoastronomy.

See Zedda , op. cit. (ref. 2).

See Savary , op. cit. (ref. 7, 1969). These dolmens face in azimuth between 85° and 150°.

Hoskin M. and Zedda M. , “Orientations of Sardinian dolmens”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 22 (1997), S1–16.

See Hoskin and Nuñez Morales , op. cit. (ref. 2).

Belmonte J. A. , “Mediterranean archaeoastronomy and archaeotopography: Two examples of dolmenic necropolises in the Jordan Valley”, Archaeoastronomy, no. 28 (1997), S36–43.

We were able to measure the correct azimuth of the Dermech Basilica and to correct the maps of the necropolis for actual (topographical) azimuths. See Benichou-Safar , op. cit. (ref. 17), Figure 2.

For some preliminary results on the temples see Jiménez J. J. Esteban C. and Belmonte J. A. , “Arqueoastronomía en el Africa Proconsular”, Revista de arqueología, no. 203 (1998), 46–53.

Rakob F. , “Numidische Königsarchitektur in Nordafrika”, in Ho H. G. and Rüger C. B. (eds), Die Numider: Reiter und Könige nördlich der Sahara (Cologne, 1979), 119–80.

See also Herodotus , Histories, Book IV.

See Chabot J. B. , Recueil des inscriptions Lybiques (3 vols, Paris, 1941). A recent review on scholarship between different Libyc-Berber writing groups and its consequences can be found in Belmonte J. A. Bunk Springer R. and Betancourt Perera M. A. , “Statistical comparative analysis of the Libyc-Berber script of the Canary Islands and the northwest of Africa”, Tabona, xi (1998), in press.