A Mayan observatory may have tracked the movement of Venus and Mars, as well as tracking the alignment of the Sun.It was discovered in Acanceh in 2002 and was built in the classical Mayan period, between 300 and 600 AD.
The researchers involved in the project say it proves ancient civilisations had an intricate knowledge of astronomy."We believe this building used to be a multifunctional facility that was used exclusively by the Mayan elite, specifically for priests-astronomers," Beatriz Quintal Suaste, a researcher at the Yucatán National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), told Mexican newspaper Excelsior.
The team said Venus, which was the brightest star in the sky, was tracked through doors and windows in the structure. These windows aligned with the movement of the sun, and shadows were used to mark time.The movement of Venus was also tracked in a series of notebooks that were found in the observatory, in which it was represented as a god called Noh Ek, or 'Big Star'.
Other ancient civilisations are also thought to have tracked the alignment and movement of the stars. In January 2016, a Babylonian tablet was revealed to depict the mathematics behind Jupiter's transit across the sky.(see links below).
A "configuration in a mathematical shape" was applied in an "abstract" way.It was one of the first abstract uses of geometry - something now taken for advantage in modern mathematics.
By Emily Reynolds
With many thanks to Wired UK
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