Pásztor Emília (szerk.): A fény régészete. A természetes fény szerepe az őskori ember életében - Bajai dolgozatok 20. (Baja, 2017)

Peter Toth: A monumentális építészet hajnala Szlovákiában

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or Stonehenge in Great Britain, where their original appearance is partially preserved. However, clear traces of ceremonial activities in rondels are usually not found. Either mobile inventory with its number or character does not confirm such kind of activities (Karlovskÿ — Pavúk 2002, 113; Pavúk — Karlovskÿ 2004, 212-213). The description and typological analysis of rondels is mostly based on the orientation of entrances to cardinal points and a connection with celestial bodies is suggested.

Between earth and heaven

Astronomic orientation is one of the many aspects of rondels. The most important celestial bodies towards which the enclosures could have been orientated, were of the Moon and the Sun (Karlovskÿ — Pavúk 2002; Pavúk — Karlovskÿ 2004; 2008; P Barna - Pásztor 2010,122-123; 2011,196; 2013; 2015, 2-3; Pásztor — P. Barna - Roslund 2008; Pásztor — P. Barna — Zotti 2015). Sometimes even orientation towards stars and planets is considered (Zotti — Neubauer 2010, 137-150).

The movement of Sun in the celestial sphere is relatively easy. Whereas the height of its trajectory in the sky rises from winter to summer solstice and then it decreases back, the trajectory of the Moon is more complicated. It moves in the sky in the

same direction as the Sun, but 13 times faster and its trajectory bends over to the ecliptic plane. The distance of its trajectory from the Sun's trajectory changes in spring with the periodicity of 18,61 years. When the Moon's declination is at its maximum we speak about the high Moon (Fig. 13). When this maximum is at its lowest, we speak about the low Moon (Fig. 14). The extreme positions of the high and low Moon are observable in the real horizon, where these can be localized as the northernmost and southernmost points, which the Moon reaches (Fig. 15; Karlovskÿ — Pavúk 2002, 115-116; Pavúk — Karlovskÿ 2004, 233; 2008, 468).

In temperate European climate the most practical purpose is the orientation of rondel's entrances towards the low Moon (Pavúk — Karlovskÿ 2004, 254, 258), because the Sun in this direction 2 times in a year rises and 2 times in a year sets. These dates at the same time marked the most important periods for the agriculture: the term for spring sowing according to astronomical calculations could correspond with 13th May and winter harvest with 14th November (Pavúk - Karlovskÿ 2008, 486-487). Thus the basic principle behind the fixation of the orientation of the rondels towards the low Moon could have been a construction of a calendar (Pavúk — Karlovskÿ 2004, 254-255; 2008, 485-486).

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