Both circles are seen in the direction shown by the coordinates in table 2: 56° for Arcturus and 88° for Spica, in harmony with the witnesses from the two stone circles. Looking at both stars in the NE quadrant, the construction of the circles seems logical, taking into account the apparent location of the two stars in the firmament: Spica just above the horizon to the right, and Arcturus some 27° to the left and 10° higher. To take in the rest of the group, in other words the stars corresponding to Canis Major and Orion pointed out in the proposed solution on the previous page, you have to look to the south.

Celestial chart number 1, from StarCalc 5.71, drawn with Sirius to the south just after the rising of Spica, helps to understand what has just been discussed.

So far, in all of the notes I have taken on this group – except for one reference to a hypothetical division of the year into three seasons beginning with the rising of Sirius – the potential calendar partially reflected by Okabe has only been dealt with in qualitative terms, avoiding more complicated and risky quantitative assessments, since they force us to define the calendar of the period when the monuments were in use, and possibly to date them. Since this is a matter which I suspect I won’t have time to develop with the thoroughness and accuracy it deserves, I am writing these notes in the form of personal opinions, a provisional hypothesis of the work running through my head and in the hope of passing my ideas on to other more qualified skilled individuals, particularly young people. These notes are in no way meant to be a conclusive or a definitive thesis on the subject, but rather yet another loose end in the labyrinth of the Pyrenean stone circle.

My beliefs on the Pyrenean calendar, based on the research I had already initiated on Okabe and other sites, have been drastically altered with the decoding of The crowns of the moon. This calls for a definitive unitary study, which is not in the works so far; however, revising Okabe after learning about The Crowns forces me to at least put forward the connotations of Okabe in terms of the calendar.

Looking back on the systematic and progressive research into the Psc, with an eye to integration, the suspicion that they marked the seasons first came about at Eteneta II, later spreading to Unamene, Etxelako Aritxuriak, San Miguel Soro, Ezkeriturritako Gaina, Lepako Estua, Iraurtza, Lizarrozko, Pagolletako Gaña, Kauso and many, many others, some known and others not. In short, it seems to be undeniable and in fact proven that one of the functions of Psc’s was to mark the seasons and specific times of the year. Therefore, in understanding Okabe it is impossible to explain the site without hazarding quantitative considerations. As I see it, from a formal point of view the representation of the Hesiod subgroup is not only good but impeccable, barring a few flaws in consistency: diameter of circle/brilliance of star. Noteworthy are the position of Arcturus, farther to the north and higher over the horizon compared to the position of Spica, the transcription of the Canis Major asterism with Orion’s belt and dagger, and the position of all of the witnesses of the subgroup marking the Hesiodic sequence.

The Psc, with the help of stone circle witnesses, pointed more to a sequence than to a specific star. The sequence of the subgroup appears to be traced clearly from the beginning with the appearance in the place of Sirius, the main witness in circle 6 –126º– in harmony with other rising Sirius’: San Miguel Soro, Ezkeriturritako, Pagolletako Gaina, etc. I understand that the sequence followed the star’s path through the Pico de Orhi pyramid, where Canis Major seemed to emerge completely, and ended on passing of this constelation through the culmination, preceded by the declining Orion, in synchrony with the rising of Arcturus, dragging Spica in succession, with the solstice and equinox running into one another. Recognising the symbolised ephemeris, I am prompted to look at the possible historical precedents of this representation.

The degree of astronomical knowledge needed to build the Psc was so tremendous that it is too much to assume that it was acquired locally, given that visibility in the area is generally mediocre. Therefore precedents must be sought in other places, such as Mesopotamia, as discussed previously. However, before starting to unravel the matter, another coherent lead had come to light at Okabe, presumably born in Eteneta II, which was well worth following, or at least expounding: Hesiod’s Works and Days. In this work, Hesiod talks about Arcturus, in the repeatedly mentioned verses 609-614, which imply a heliacal rising of Boötes’ alpha. And in the previous verses 564-570, he wrote: “When Zeus has finished sixty wintry days after the solstice, then the star Arcturus leaves the holy stream of Ocean and first rises brilliant at dusk. After him the shrilly wailing daughter of Pandion, the swallow, appears to men when spring is just beginning. Cut back the vines before the swallow; for thus is it advisible” In other words, without going into colourful Sumerian-Acadian likenesses to Pandion’s swallow which may fit in with the astronomic precedents of the Greek author, Hesiod pointed out both equinoxes referring to the same star, Arcturus — in connection with its heliacal rising in the autumn equinox, and with its acronychal rising in the spring equinox. In the heliacal rising the stars are considered when they first appear at dawn; in the acronychal rising, the appearance of the star is identified at sunset. In verses 609-614 when Hesiod writes “…and rosy-fingered Dawn sees Arcturus …”, he is referring to the autumn of a heliacal Arcturus; in addition, the above-mentioned verses 564-570 make very clear reference to the spring equinox, and present an acronychal Arcturus. Without delving into details and erudite discussion, let us assume that Hesiod wrote his work around 800 BC, and that the builders of the Psc were able to distinguish opposite seasons of the year using the same stars. This assumption leads us to believe that the stone circles in the Hesiod Group could have had the double function of marking both equinoxes. As far as the solstices are concerned, let us say for the time being that they may have been marked by the rising of Sirius. This theory bears a certain degree of credibility, at least in the Atlantic watershed of the Pyrenees, taking into account the number of times we have seen Sirius represented at its rising, Okabe being no exception. The Sirius at Okabe, circle 6, a meditation in itself, follows the sequence and synchronisms of its path with total precision, although not any more so than in other places: the witness at 17º could be dedicated to following the position of Ursa Major; the witnesses at 52º and 56º, to the turnaround of Arcturus; the witness at 96º appears to be a position of Spica; the witness at 116º indicates the place where Sirius would have risen at the time it was built; the witness at 169º, as I see it, appears to mark Sirius as it turns toward equinoctial positions; lastly, the witness at 296º could indicate toward the Summer Triangle as it begins to disappear. Although I have briefly looked into the latter suggestion, it does tend to confuse people just starting to research the Psc.

At first, learning about the Psc is, let’s say, geo-mathematical. For example, without having ever been at Aguiña II, if you stand in the middle of the dolmen looking out at the vague witnesses on what must have been its periphery, you will see on the horizon, at the level of the witnesses, Auza and at its feet the snow-covered Pico de Orhi (I say ‘snow-covered’ because if you don’t look at it in winter when the larches that have been there for some years now are bare, it’s impossible to understand anything). But it is at Aguiña that good old mathematics come in handy, basically unchanged from yesteryear, but with a few new developments thrown in: today Auza and Orhi appear to be lined up — at, let’s say, 120º; I’m not sure about the past. Maybe that’s where Sirius and Antares rose, but we would understand each other, we’d be talking about the same thing.

– You say that this is a circle and that it represents Antares, and that this dolmen is the planet that carries the souls …?

– That’s what I say and that’s what I believe, fully aware of the suspicion such a suggestion may cause. But at Aguiña, with the state of the circles, it’s better to keep my mouth shut, even though it’s quite clear.

Historically, in a number of places the rising of Sirius marked the beginning of a solstice. There is no real need to list them all here; the important thing is to retain what I consider to be the most Pyrenean, the one deduced from the Mul-Apin tablets. The Mul–Apin tablets as a whole date from 700 BC, although the constituent parts date to a few centuries earlier and the skies they show are from 1000 BC. Thus, Homer and Hesiod’s astronomic quotes seem to be based on the tablets, or at least do not contradict them. The same can be said of the group in question, and in general for all Psc’s. The second list of stars from the Mul-Apin tablets gives dates from a perfect calendar consisting of twelve thirty-day months, amounting to a 360-day year marked by the heliacal rising of 35 constellations. The most noteworthy of these constellations are: ‘The 15th of Du’uzu, the Spear KAK.SI.SA, simplifying our Sirius, the serpent MUSH and the Lion UR.GU.LA are visible.’; ‘The 5th of Abu, the Bow BAN, south of Canis Major, and the star of the kings LUGAL, Regulus, are visible; ‘The 10th of Ululu, the star of Eridu, NIN, alpha Puppis and the Crow, UGA, are visible’; ‘The 15th of Ululu, SHU.PA d. Enlil, our Arcturus, are visible’; ‘The 25th of Ululu, the Furrow (barley stalk), our Spica, AB.SIN, is visible.’; ‘The 15th of Tashritu, Zibanitun, Libra, The Wolf UR.IDIM, the Boar, almost all of Centaur and the sitting dog UR.KU, Hercules, are visible’. A little further down this list is another one containing the number of days between the heliacal risings of 15 stars. Applicable to the Okabe subgroup, the following are worth pointing out: ‘From the rising of the spear KAK.SI.SA. to the rising of SHU.PA, 55 days go by.’; ‘From the rising of SHU.PA, to the rising of AB.SIN, the Furrow (barley stalk), 10 days go by.’; ‘From the rising of AB.SIN, to the rising of Zibanitum, Libra, 20 days go by’. A total of 90 days, from solstice to equinox. Duúzu, the fourth month, was a solstitial month, and Tashritu, the seventh month, was equinoctial. The years began with the month of Nisan in the spring equinox. Without thinking about when the year began in the Pyrenees, the stellar sequence at Okabe would start with the rising of Sirius and would first extend to shortly after the rising of Spica just after ‘when Orion and Sirius reach mid-heaven, as Hesiod put it, (as stated in the Mul-Apin tablets?) I don’t know, and neither do I know if what the Okabe stone circles say in graphic form comes from the same place. I only wish to stress the fact that they say the same thing in a different way; and secondly, that a cycle sequence can be entered at any point, but for the time being, I would rather not enter nor choose between heliacal and acronychal risings.