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The mausoleum of Emperor Xiaojing of Tang near Goushi, Henan. The Tang Dynasty ruled during the VII-VIII centuries CE. The large pyramid with the flat top is that of the emperor, and near it there is the pyramid of Empress Ai.
Source publication
The Chinese Pyramids are huge ancient burial mounds. In the satellite images
we can see some complexes where the main buildings are the pyramidal mounds of
an emperor and his empress. Here we discuss a possible sunrise/sunset
orientation of these two pyramids on the solstices and equinoxes.
Citations
... Moreover, Sollumis.com was the first software I used for investigations concerning archaeoastronomy [3][4][5][6]. As told in [1], another software, which is giving the direction of sunrise and sunset on satellite images is suncalc.net. ...
Here it is given the second article of a series proposing exercises in archaeoastronomy. The reader can find exercises about the apparent motion of the sun, and its azimuth and altitude given in the horizontal coordinate system. As case study, we investigate the orientation of the prehistoric passage mound of Newgrange.
... In [13], the authors discussed the Chinese Pyramids, of which in [15] we considered a possible solar orientation. This use of magnetic compasses for the alignment of so old monuments could be questionable. ...
In this paper, we are discussing the effect of the use of magnetic compasses on the orientation of ancient Chinese architectonic complexes. As Czech researchers proposed in 2011, assuming these complexes ideally oriented by the ancient architects along north-south direction, in the case that the surveys were made by means of magnetic compasses, we can find the axes of the complexes deviating from the cardinal direction, according to the local magnetic declination that existed at the time the structures were built. Following this idea, here we discuss some examples of possible alignments obtained by means of magnetic compasses, concluding that the Chinese surveyors adopted, during the Ming dynasty, a method based on the magnetic compasses. The architects of the antecedent Yuan Dynasty probably used an astronomical method.
... In some previous articles concerning archaeoastronomy, we have used some software for investigating the alignments of buildings and other structures with respect to the directions of rising and setting of sun and moon, on the solstices and the lunar standstills (see for instance Refs. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. ...
... The first software I used was Sollumis.com [1][2][3] and then SunCalc.net [4][5][6] for the sun, and the Photographer's Ephemeris for the moon [7,8]. Another software that we can use in specific applications concerning archaeoastronomy is the excellent SunCalc.org, ...
Here we show the role of the shadows in a Bronze Age stone circle, that of Long Meg and her Daughters, near Penrith in Cumbria, North West England. To simulate the shadows we use SunCalc.org software.
... One of the subjects of archaeoastronomical researches is that of understanding the role the sky had in ancient cultures. A source of information for these researches is the analysis of the alignments of archaeological sites towards an astronomical target, such as the rising sun, the moon or some stars12345. This alignment is given by measuring the azimuth, the angle from North on the horizontal plane. ...
The Taj Mahal is a splendid mausoleum in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is the best known and famous example of the Mughal architecture, which combines elements from Islamic and Indian architectural styles. Here we discuss the planning of the Taj Mahal gardens and their orientation with sunrise/sunset azimuths on solstices.
This paper discusses the solar orientation of the archaeological complex of
Sigiriya, the Lion Rock, in Sri Lanka. We can see that the axis of this complex
is oriented with the sunset of the zenithal sun.
In the planning of some Chinese towns we can see an evident orientation with the cardinal direction north-south. However, other features reveal a possible orientation with the directions of sunrise and sunset on solstices too, as in the case of Shangdu (Xanadu), the summer capital of Kublai Khan. Here we discuss some other examples of a possible solar orientation in the planning of ancient towns. We will analyse the plans of Xi'an, Khanbalik and Dali.
In the planning of some Chinese towns we can see an evident orientation with
the cardinal north-south direction. However, other features reveal a possible
orientation with the sunrise/sunset azimuth on solstices too, as in the case of
Shangdu (Xanadu), the summer capital of Kublai Khan. Here we discuss some other
examples of a possible solar orientation in the planning of ancient towns. We
will analyze the plans of Xi'an, Khanbalik and Dali.
