Rec del Bosc Languedoc France Planisphere - 231 LexiLine Journal

To the LexiLine files under "France" at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LexiLine/

I have added the file

recdelbosc.gif

showing the rock drawing site known as
"Le Grand Ensemble du Rec del Bosc" in
Languedoc, France to be a Planisphere which I date to ca. 1000 BC.

This graphic was sent to me by Enrico Calzolari, a member of this
list. Thank you, Enrico.

Recall from my previous postings and as explained in my new book,
Stars Stones and Scholars (see also http://www.trafford.com), Languedoc
marked Canis Major and surrounding stars in the ancient survey of
France. This decipherment is substantiated at Rec del Bosc, which is
located in France between St. Gervais-sur-Mare and La Salveta-sur-
Agout near the lake Lac du Laouzas. LAOUZAS in French is similar to
Latvian LUZAS meaning "break", e.g. in the year, or season. The lake
would seem to be named for this astronomical event.

Rec del Bosc has an almost compass-like figure which marks the
cardinal astronomical directions, marking the solstices and
equinoxes, with the solstice line running from Alphard through the
North Ecliptic Pole (center of heaven). The dots to the left would
seem to mark Perseus, those dots toward the middle Ursa Minor and
those dots toward the top Ursa Major.

The two figures mark Gemini and above that Canis Major - this cross-
type of figure for Canis Major in previously ancient times was often
shown as a man holding two dogs or lions, one in each extended hand.

To the right of Gemini we have the familiar "bar" often drawn in
ancient astronomy running from Alphard to Regulus and held by the
stick figure in the picture.

My dating of this drawing to ca. 1000 BC is based on Milton D.
Heifetz's Historical Planisphere, which explains to us why a special
relationship between Regulus and Alphard existed at this time.
Regulus is on the ecliptic and Alphard is on the Celestial Equator
in this era, about 24 degrees apart (24 x 15 = 360 degrees).

What this means is that around 1000 BC, according to Heifetz,
Alphard is directly below the Summer Solstice point (on the
ecliptic) right on the Celestial Equator, i.e. its HIGHEST point
ever with respect to that celestial equator, which shifts its
position in the course of 25920 years. Either side of ca. 1000 BC,
Alphard is ABOVE the celestial equator and no longer marks the
Summer Solstice point when that is marked on the Ecliptic.

Note that these positions of the stars on the ecliptic and the
celestial equator do not change dependent on the latitude of the
observer. They are the same everywhere on earth for a given era.

Here we have a clue to the way the ancients marked the solstices in
the sky of stars in ancient days, i.e. they were clearly aware of
the sky "rising and falling" due to the wobble of the earth (they
did not know this was the cause) with the comparable changes in the
movement of the solstices and equinoxes which we call precession.
Hence, the ancients marked the stars on the ecliptic and the
celestial equator at the solstices and equinoxes in a particular era
and thus had a very good elementary hold on precession in their day.
This is probably at the root of the ancient Nordic belief that "the
sky was falling".