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Judi Lynn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 04:13 PM
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Tropical Stonehenge May Have Been Found
Tropical Stonehenge May Have Been Found
Archaeologists May Have Discovered a Tropical Version of Stonehenge in Brazilian Amazon
By STAN LEHMAN

SAO PAULO, Brazil Jun 27, 2006 (AP)— A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory a find archaeologists say indicates early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.

The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.

On the shortest day of the year Dec. 21 the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it.

"It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory," said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute. "We may be also looking at the remnants of a sophisticated culture
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2125411&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
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Redstone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 04:14 PM
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1. It's mind-boggling to think of how much stuff is down there
under the jungle.

Redstone
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xchrom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 04:53 PM
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3. isn't it though? it's wonderful to think about the
advances made by the early inhabitants of the north and south american continents.
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arcane1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 04:22 PM
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2. absolutely fascinating
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Pied Piper Donating Member (363 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 05:19 PM
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4. I have a question
This incredible discovery notwithstanding, but shouldn't Dec 21 be the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere? Perhaps some DU brainiac could enlighten me?
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dipsydoodle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-27-06 06:37 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. Well spotted
:)
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