ASTRONOMIC COMMENT

Before proceeding to explain the strict astronomical criteria used, I think it would be a good idea to take an overall look at the subject. The psc-star matches are therefore as follows:

Northern subgroup:

« Circle L —G, II-III—: g Aquilae, Tarazed, with a magnitude of 2.7.

« Circle K —F-G, III—: a Aquilae, Altair, with a magnitude of 0.77.

« Circle 8 —F-G, IV—: b Aquilae, Alsahin, with a magnitude of 3.7.

« Circle 18 —G, IV—: d Aquilae, with a magnitude of 3.4.

« Circle A —F-G, I—: a Lyrae, Vega, with a magnitude of 0.03.

« Circle 120 —B-C, III—: a Cygni, Deneb, with a magnitude of 1.3.

« Circle 88 —C, III—: g Cygni, Sadr.

« Circle 138 —C, III-IV—: l Cygni.

« Circle 142 —D, IV—: e Cygni.

« Circle 65 —B, III—: from Ursa Minor

« Circle 133 —A-B, III—: from Draco.

« Circle 124 —B-C, III—: d Draconis.

« Circle 146 —A, III-IV—: g Cephei.  

« Circle 145 —A, III—: b Cephei.   

« Circle 141 —A-B, IV—: i Cephei.   

« Circle 143 —B, III-IV—: a Cephei.  

« Circle 41 —E, III—: from Sagitta, from Delfhinus or, maybe, b Cygni.   

Southern subgroup:

« Circle 147 —G, V-VI—: a Aurigae, Capella, with a magnitude of 0.09.

« Circle 165 —F-G, VI—: a Geminorum, Castor, with a magnitude of 1.6.

« Circle 195 —E-F, VI-VII—: b Geminorum, Pollux, with a magnitude of 1.13.

« Circle 153 —G, VII—: b Tauri, El Nath, with a magnitude of 1.7.

« Circle 112 —G, VIII—: g Geminorum, Alhena, with a magnitude of 1.9.

« Circle 111 —E-F, VIII—: a of the Canis Minor, Procyon, with a magnitude of 0.38.

« Circle 114 —E, VIII-IX—: a Hydrae, Alphard, with a magnitude of 2.0.

« Circle 81 —H, IX—: a Orionis, Betelgeuse, with a magnitude of 0.69.

« Circle 96 —F, X—: a of the Canis Major, Sirius, with a magnitude of – 1.42.

« Circle A —F-G, I—: a of the Lyra, Vega, with a magnitude of 0.03.

« Circle 120 —B-C, III—: a Cygni, Deneb, with a magnitude of 1.3.

« Circle 148 —F-G, V-VI—: b Aurigae, Menkalinan, with a magnitude of 2.0.

« Circle 169 —G, VI-VII—: b Tauri, El Nath, with a magnitude of 1.7.

« Circle 161 —H, VI-VII—: a Persei, Mirfak, with a magnitude of 1.79.

« Circle 105 —G, IX—: k Orionis, Saiph, with a magnitude of 2.1.

« Circle 81 —H, IX—: b Orionis, Rigel, with a magnitude of 0.1.

« Circle 166 —I, VI—: a or b Arietis.

« Circles 159, 160 —H, VI—, 156 and 157: of the Pleyads.

« Circle 151 —G, VII—: z Tauri.

« Circle 155 —G-H, VI-VII—: i Aurigae.

« Circle 84 —G, VIII—, 85 and 86: west Geminorum.

« Circle 89 —G, X—, 90, 91, 94 and nearby: from Lepus.

« Circle 191 —F, VII—, 189, 196, 113, 193 and nearby: from Cancer.

« Circle 198 —E, VIII—: e Hydrae.

« Circle 199 —E, VIII—: z Hydrae.

« Circle 179 —E, VIII—: a of Cancer.

That is, around fifty circles have a clear-cut astronomical interpretation. Those with a diameter of 4 metres and over correspond to stars with a magnitude of less than 2, and those with smaller diameters to superior magnitudes. Such a specific proposal gives rise to the question:

—Would it be possible, with so many circles, to make these precisions if there was no previously established reason for construction in the assessment: psc = star?

—It seems unlikely. Subsequently, either the interpretation is mistaken down the line for astronomical reasons, or the theory that all Pyrenean stone circles represent stars is correct.

The most coherent feature when astronomically decoding the psc lies in the fact that the firmament remains intact, as does our point of reference, the Pyrenean horizon, thanks to which I have been able to make the given deduction of astronomic ephemeris; as a result, even though certain circles may be missing from a group, a recurring feature, we can deduce the constructors’ intentions. That’s why it is so important to recover the horizon, as in The Crowns. However, on other occasions, one single and properly made drawing, as is the case of Arihouat, permits us to make an acceptable approach to the essence of the group. 

Table 2 gives a list of right ascensions —RA— and declinations —Dec—, corresponding to 600 BC, for all of the stars appearing and matched to circles in the southern sub-group. The list has been made according to the order of the RA of the stars, from Aries to Hydra. As reflected in the table, this phenomenon takes exactly eight hours, which, in an annual calculation, is equivalent to a third of the year: one of the seasons in a year of three seasons? This subgroup is remarkably similar to the southern sub-group of The Crowns of the Moon, a group of around 70 circles indicating the path of the moon, set out on the land in three areas, one of which, the southernmost, is similar to that reflected in table 2, and the circles in the southern part of Arihouat. Comparing this with star chart 1 and the general drawing of the area, we can see that the two-stage distribution made by André Müller makes sense, with some occasional exception. Personally, I would add circle 148 to stage I, given that it seems to make sense in the let’s say less astronomically technical stage I than in stage II, with respect to the RA. Although I would have to confirm this in the field, I get the feeling that this southern asterism of stage I was built following the setting of the stars in question. On the other hand, the rest of the southern sub-group is sufficiently well matched to the passing times of the stars through a specific point, which I would dare to advance was the astronomical criteria that served to inspire its construction. 

Considering Arihouat as a whole, and accepting the two stages of construction proposed by Müller in p.175, chapter VI, of La chronologie, also dealt with in other parts of the work and, above all, on the general map, the circles corresponding to the first stage, indicated in blue, would date from around three hundred years prior to the second.

Regarding stage I, I consider that the circles to the north correspond to the Summer Triangle, Capella, together with those nearby indicated in blue plus, in my personal opinion, circle 148, while to the south the circles indicated in blue identify with Saiph, Rigel and Lepus.

The justification for these presences and stage I constructions could be related as follows:

a- To the ST, given its privileged location on the Milky Way, for reasons indicated in my previous or subsequent comments.

b- To the fact that the presence of Capella may correspond to that which it must have formed with El Nath —169— and, perhaps, with circle 161, whether seen as Mirfak, a Persei or as Aldebaran, a Tauri, a celestial chariot —soul carrier?— which doesn’t fit in particularly well with stage II —apparently made by reflecting stars at their culmination or at their passage through a specific point to the south, a factor which probably led circle 161 to become Mirfak, and to El Nath being located in another circle, 153—. Summing up, although this is a first approximation, I could say that circles 147, 148, 149, 150, 167, 169, 161 and 163 are related to the most primitive concept of the celestial chariot carrying the souls.

My intention at this point is simply to establish the historical background behind my thoughts, nothing else.

In appendix 22, p. 398 of Hamlet’s Mill by Santillana and von Dechend, we find historical references to a celestial chariot involving Aldebaran and the Hyads, in India! I’m not advocating this relation in Arihouat, but am simply trying to show the tremendous number of sources that could be behind the psc. When working on the astronomical meaning of the psc, we come to often correct conclusions always raising new questions: ok, so it’s Capella, but what’s it doing here? As far as the answer is concerned, on p. 266 we find records related to the “chariot of Enmesharra” via Perseus which would be well worth the study.

c- There’s not much I can say with respect to why Saiph, Rigel and the stars of Lepus are present, except to refer to that said on the subject in Okabe and in Del crónlech pirenaico, when studying the group Ibintza: 0100-03-16, p. 399, the one prior to it and the three following it.

Considering the group as a whole that makes astronomical sense, we have to underline a number of aspects that don’t fit in with the proposed solution:

1- I imagined El Nath, b Tau or g Aur represented in two different circles: 169 and 153. Historically speaking, El Nath is a star which has belonged to two constellations: Taurus and the Charioteer: b Tau and g Aur; two denominations and two positions on the basis of which to narrate two different stories with respect to Taurus and the Charioteer or the celestial chariot.

2- I also believe that circle 81 could represent two different stars: Betelgeuse, a Ori and Rigel, b Ori.

3- I have said that circles 96 —Sirius, a CMa— and 120 —Deneb, a Cyg—, must have had a diameter other than that supposed by André Müller in his work, superior to Sirius and inferior to Deneb.

4- Although the ecliptic is not indicated as specifically as it could be, it is acceptable; while the stellar sequence in the E-W direction does, however, make total sense. This anomaly could be caused by two reasons, first of all that the overall design of the necropolis was made in at least two different periods and, secondly, and more important, that as we saw in The Crowns of the Moon, the psc builders’ knowledge of the ecliptic wasn’t as precise as it is today, given that they in fact knew the path of the moon as described on the above-mentioned Mul-Apin tablets. 

However, I do have explanations for these occurrences, firstly due to having seen them, as I said, in other places. And, secondly, with respect to the first two, due to my understanding that they have a mythical-historical background making sense of the evolution and duplicity implied in the evolution observed. However, going into the mythical subtleties of these questions well exceeds the limits of this astronomical decoding, which, however, makes total sense of the reason behind the representations with the psc, which is why I have endeavoured to underline some of these said features, in anticipation of the day that greater interest gives rise to discussion on the subject.

On the other hand, from a geometrical-astronomical and Pyrenean point of view, Arihouat has representations of the Summer and Winter Triangles. The Summer Triangle —Vega, Altair and Deneb, circles A, K and 120— is the reflection in the sky of the Winter Triangle —Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse, circles 96, 111 and 81—. Superficially speaking, the importance of both of these lies in their celestial comparison on the Milky Way and in the fact that with the appearance of Sirius and thus completion of the building of the winter triangle, Altair was setting, thus marking the end of the summer, an observation first made in Pagolleta. Both triangles were earlier found in their complete form during the study of psc’s in the municipality of Arano —some 200 km to the west of Arihouat—, in the geographically contrasted groups of Errekalko and Burnin Buru and were described on pp. 179-195 of Del crónlech pirenaico. Errekalko features the setting of a complete ST together with a northern asterism indicating the Pole of the period via Vega-Eltanin, while, on the field, the damaged psc of the nearby and opposite Burnin Buru show a rising WT alongside other circles and ephemeris which have survived the worst of the passing of time.

 In all of my works published over the years, I have explained the importance in the Pyrenees of the triangles and the possible reference made to both of them by Plato in his Timeus —­53c-54a—. Both triangles are present on Arihouat, and if we had to choose some kind of dominating position in what we see as eternal celestial rotation, I would say that it narrates the rising of the ST against the conclusion of the setting of the WT personified in the position of Procyon. This ephemeris is profusely repeated throughout the Pyrenees, sometimes narrated in the shape of complete triangles —Arano and Arihouat— or making a schematic reference to the ephemeris —Pagolleta, Elurzulo, Etzela, Argarata, Baraxar Pagozar, etc.

From the astronomical point of view, stage II of Arihouat initially emphasizes the presence of the Winter Triangle, subsequently seeming to want to show the stretch of the ecliptic crossing the Milky Way from Taurus to Gemini and its prolongation to Cancer, indicated in a simplified manner on the site to the south of circles 195 —Pollux— and 153 —El Nath— and to the north of 81 —Betelgeuse— and 111 —Procyon—. The former, the WT, in relation to the said comparison with the ST, and the latter, the stretch of the ecliptic with the northern Heavenly Door of the Souls, that used by man, to which I have so often referred —remember Okabe, among others —. This stage II would seem to have been built with almost absolute precision, taking account of the times of passage through the meridian, just like the entire The Crowns of the Moon group. In this said work I gave a table of times while here I have indicated a table —table 2— of RA, which, based on concepts not existing at the time, expresses the same idea and indicates the precision employed by the builders of Arihouat.

Stage II of Arihouat could have started by first of all locating circles: 96 —Sirius—, 195 and 165 —Pollux and Castor, respectively—. The placement of Sirius further to the south indicates an intermediate moment of culmination, as shown in table 2, drawn up in 600 BC, following the order and culmination: Castor-Sirius-Pollux. If we transfer this same information to 300 BC, the order is: Sirius-Castor-Pollux. Observations which, without going into existing details on the subject, above all and a little roughly confirm that the chronology proposed by André Müller is correct.

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