The Abry Blanchard bone plate is part of an eagle's wing found in the Abri Blanchard Cave ( nl: Abri Blanchard ) in the Dordogne (France). The plate dates from about 30,000 BC [1] . On the bone suffered serifs lining up in a winding line. According to the assumption of the American researcher Alexander Marshak , these serifs reflect the course of days, and the plate as a whole is a primitive lunar calendar . This interpretation is not universally accepted.
Content
Lunar calendar
The first were serifs in the center of the plate, and the rest were added later. Serifs line up in a winding line that changes direction approximately every 15 serifs. The duration of the complete phase change phase of the moon is approximately 29-30 days, which suggests that the serifs reflect the course of days, and that the arriving Moon corresponds to one direction of the line, and the decreasing one to another. Thus, according to Alexander Marshak, the plate may be a primitive lunar calendar , which was conducted for about 2 months [2] .
This explanation does not contradict the ideas about the life and cultural level of primitive people . The phase cycle of the moon is one of the most noticeable recurring astronomical phenomena. In addition, its duration coincides with the duration of the menstrual cycle in women. Open in the modern period to the tribes that are engaged in hunting and gathering, this cycle is known (although not all: the exception is, for example, the aboriginal tribes of Australia ) [2] .
In addition, the connection between the phases of the moon and serifs is also indicated by the fact that some serifs have the shape of a sickle [2] .
Alexander Marshak offered similar explanations for other objects containing human-made patterns from the Late Paleolithic period [3] .
Criticism of Marshak's Assumption
Marshak's interpretation is subject to criticism. First, the change in the direction of the line in which the serifs line up is not abrupt, which leaves much room for explanation. In addition, in one of the parts of the plate, the serifs can be viewed not as part of one winding line, but as two parallel lines. There is no clear correspondence between the serif shape and the phases of the moon. The connection of the beginning of the line with the astronomical moment of the new moon is also doubtful, since the most significant for the tribes leading the primitive way of life, as well as for many modern religions, is the moment when the new sickle in the sky appears in the sky [2] .
These contradictions can be resolved by introducing additional conditions that complicate interpretation (for example, regarding the connection of the direction of the line and the segment of the lunar cycle), but all such explanations are not based on objective facts and are speculative [2] .
Notes
- ↑ Ruggles, C. Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. - ABC-CLIO, 2005. - p. 5. - 548 p. - ISBN 1-85109-616-7 .
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 Ruggles, C. Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. - ABC-CLIO, 2005. - p. 6. - 548 p. - ISBN 1-85109-616-7 .
- ↑ Ruggles, C. Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. - ABC-CLIO, 2005. - p. 7. - 548 p. - ISBN 1-85109-616-7 .
Literature
- d'Errico F. Palaeolithic Lunar Calendars: A Case of Wishful Thinking? // Current Anthropology. - 1989. - Vol. 30. - p . 117-118 .
- Marshack A. The Roots of Civilization. - New York: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972.
- Larichev V.Ye. Snake wisdom: Primitive man, the Moon and the Sun. - Novosibirsk: Science, 1989. - 274 p.