The Placement of Ancient Sites in the New Forest Area

Extract

In the eighth Duke of Edinburgh Lecture, presented to the Institute in 1976, Professor Thorn discussed the extent of Megalithic man's knowledge of astronomy and from surveys of ancient sites showed how a calendar was produced and sensitive methods of astronomical observation developed. Mr Watts suggests that the positions of ancient sites in the area he has examined show an early familiarity with the concept of parallels and meridians.

It is not normally assumed that latitude and longitude were in use in times as remote as the late Neolithic and early Bronze Ages. The New Forest with its relatively sparse set of major earthworks is, however, a good area to illustrate that ancient sites are set with careful regard for both latitude and longitude, arid particularly the latter.