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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B5. Istanbul 2004
consult a professional mathematician, physicist and astronomer
who would study the data from our fieldwork in order to reveal
its possible relationship with astronomy and cosmic
phenomena.
4.1. Orientations
The raw data that had been gathered with the tacheometric total
station (EDM) and our azimuth measurements was allocated for
further studies. Our astronomer R. Anttila simulated the sky
over Qumran as it was between two-three millennia ago,
starting from the Iron Age (about 800 B.C., which is assumed to
be the earliest period of habitation at Qumran) to the
Hellenistic-Roman period (2™ century B.C. to 1* century A.D.).
The computer-aided sky-simulation was executed with a high-
power computer of the Observatory and Astrophysics
Laboratory at the University of Helsinki in 1994, which was
equipped with a Sky Map planetary program (see Fig. 3). The
sky-simulation program shows the planets and the star fields of
a specific time as seen from a certain geographic location (in
this case at Qumran) by using advanced mathematical formulas.
The computer program calculates then the declination of star
and thereafter the position of it, or a planet, at any point in the
past or in the future. In practice this would mean that the
spatially and archacologically measured and determined
azimuths of the Qumran building structures and the tombs
would. be related to the calculated declinations of a celestial
object. À correspondence between the structures and the
celestial objects would suggest intentional planning, according
to celestial geography.
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Figure 3. Computerized map of the sky over Qumran in the
year 160 B.C., evening sky. Prepared by Reino Anttila.
4.2. Empirical study
As the sun, the planets and the stars were considered to be
possible points of reference for the Qumran azimuths and the
structures, it was, first of all, important to observe and compare
the rare, the once-a-year astronomical appearances, but also the
regular cosmic occurrences in their proper geographical,
archaeological, architectural, topographical and spatial contexts
at Qumran. This goal was achieved by observing the behaviour
of the heavenly bodies, and measuring and calculating their
azimuths (their risings and settings) in the field with optical and
mechanical instruments, to see if there were any correspondence
between the archaeological azimuths and measurements and the
astronomical declinations of the celestial objects (declination
-angular distance on the celestial sphere north or south of the
celestial equator, measured in degrees, minutes and seconds
along the hour circle passing through the celestial object, which
is similar to latitude in geography). What interested us in
particular was how the sun would behave in relation to the
archaeological structures at Qumran. We observed therefore the
equinox sunrises and sunsets, and the summer (see Fig. 4) and
winter solstices during several years with the precision that
could be achieved in the field. Control calculations were made
later by the mathematician to verify the field observations.
Figure 4. The summer solstice sunset in relation to the main
ritual space of Qumran, Locus 77. Photo by Kenneth Lónnqvist
1996.
It was noted that the largest room at Qumran, locus 77, which is
a ritual space, was oriented according to the summer solstice
sunset (above, fig. 4).
4.3. Geoarchaeology
We also used recent geoarchaeological studies done in the Wadi
Araba fault and the Dead Sea basin to enlarge our understanding
of the topographical development of the area in antiquity. These
geoarchaeological studies are based on surveys of Quaternary
mapping, description of landforms, sedimentary deposits and
soils which shed new light on the paleoenvironment and
paleoclimate also on the area which is of interest for this paper
(Niemi and Smith, 1999). Aerial photo analyses, studies of the
sediments, soils, past cthnographical descriptions and
morphology, as well as the paleoclimatological investigations
(Watzman, 1994; Klein, 1965, 1982), strongly suggest that the
paleoenvironment and paleoclimate at the region between
Qumran and Masada was different in the Hellenistic and Roman
periods from what it is today, less arid and more suitable both
for living and agriculture. Because this has not been fully
understood, we also believe many inadequate and even false
conclusions regarding the use and chronology of Qumran have
been drawn.
