Эртний Египетийн цөлийн бүсэд олдсон чулуун байгууламж нь 7000 гаруй жилийн тэртээ хүн төрөлхтөн тэнгэр огторгуйг ажиглаж, цаг улирлыг тодорхойлдог байсныг баталж байна.
Археологич Фред Вендорф болон Ромуальд Шильд нарын судалгаагаар, Египетийн баруун цөлд орших Набта Плаяа нь неолитын үед хүмүүс суурьшин амьдарч, мал аж ахуй эрхэлдэг байсан бүс нутаг байжээ. 1960-аад оноос эхлэн явуулсан малтлагаар чулуун зэвсэг, вааран эдлэл, амьтны яс зэрэг олон олдвор илэрсэн нь тухайн үед тус бүс нутаг нуур, бэлчээр бүхий амьдрахад таатай орчин байсныг гэрчилдэг. МЭӨ 3000 орчим жил хүртэл хүмүүс энэ нутагт амьдарч байсан ч цаг уурын өөрчлөлтөөс үүдэн ган гачиг болж, улмаар нүүхээс өөр аргагүйд хүрсэн байна.
1973 онд илрүүлсэн уг байгууламж нь байгалийн тогтоц биш, харин хүмүүсийн гараар бүтээгдсэн болохыг эрдэмтэд тогтоожээ. Археоастрономич Ж.МакКим Малвиллийн тайлбарласнаар, чулуунуудыг Сириус, Арктур, Альфа Центавр болон Орион зэрэг тод оддын байрлалтай уялдуулан босгосон нь уг газрыг эртний ажиглалтын төв байсныг илтгэдэг. Энэхүү байгууламжийг “Сахарын Стоунхенж” хэмээн нэрлэх бөгөөд оддын байрлалыг тухайн үеийн тэнгэрийн зурагтай харьцуулан судалснаар энэхүү дүгнэлтэд хүрсэн байна.
Тус бүс нутгийн нүүдэлчин иргэд болох Руат Эл Бакуарчууд мал сүргээ шүтэж, зан үйлдээ ашигладаг байжээ. Үүний баталгаа болгон археологичид үхрийн бүрэн яс бүхий булш болон үхрийг бэлгэдсэн том чулуунуудыг олсон байна. Хэдийгээр чулуун тойргийн бүрэн утга учир болон тэнгэрийн эрхэс хоорондын хамаарлыг бүрэн тайлж амжаагүй байгаа ч, Набта Плаяа нь эртний хүмүүсийн одон орон судлал болон байгаль орчинтойгоо харилцах арга барилыг ойлгоход чухал ач холбогдолтой юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
More than 7,000 years ago, people living in what is now Egypt’s western desert built a mysterious circle of stones that may have helped them read the sky and track the seasons. Long before the pyramids rose, Nabta Playa was already connecting humans, stars, and the changing rhythms of the desert.
Today, the Sahara looks like a vast sea of sand, but thousands of years ago the region was a very different place. During the Neolithic period, parts of the desert were covered with grasslands and lakes, creating conditions where small communities could settle, raise animals, and develop new ways of living.
According to archaeologists Fred Wendorf and Romuald Schild, who published research on the site in ArcheoNil in 2004, people lived in Egypt’s western desert from the early Holocene period until around 3000 BCE, when growing aridity pushed them to leave the area.
A Hidden Prehistoric World Beneath The Sahara
The story of Nabta Playa began with archaeological expeditions led by Fred Wendorf in the 1960s. His team was looking for clues about the early history of Egypt when they started finding signs of ancient life in the desert.
The discoveries included stone tools, pottery, beads, decorated eggshell fragments, animal bones, and remains of plants that had been burned. Archaeologists also found traces of old fires, showing that people cooked and lived at the site.
In 1973, a Bedouin guide brought Wendorf to a dry lakebed around 60 miles from the Nile River, where several large stones were standing in unusual positions. At first, Wendorf thought they might be natural formations. Later, researchers realized the stones had been placed there by humans because the ancient water that once filled the area would likely have damaged natural formations over time.
The Stones That Pointed Toward The Stars
During excavations in the early 1990s, Wendorf and his team uncovered a circular stone arrangement that appeared to have a connection with astronomy. The standing stones were positioned in ways that created lines toward specific points on the horizon.
J. McKim Malville, a researcher specializing in archaeoastronomy, explained that the structure was aligned with bright stars and important moments in the solar calendar. The monument later became known as the “Stonehenge of the Sahara” because of its possible role in observing the sky.
Researchers linked the arrangement to stars including Sirius, Arcturus, the Alpha Centauri system, and Orion’s Belt. The positions of stars have changed slightly over thousands of years, but scientists found that the stones matched where these objects would have appeared in the sky during the period when the monument was built.
The circle may also have helped people understand seasonal changes. At Nabta Playa, stars were reflected in the waters of the ancient lake, creating another way for people to follow the night sky and recognize important periods linked to rainfall.
A Desert Life Shaped by Cattle and Rain
The people behind Nabta Playa belonged to the Ru’at El Baquar, a nomadic group that placed cattle at the center of their culture and beliefs. Archaeologists discovered burial areas containing, along with a large stone that appeared to represent a cow.
One grave contained a complete cow skeleton, suggesting that the animal had been sacrificed during a ritual.
“During much of that time […] people in the desert were domesticating cattle, making fine, decorated pottery and learning how to live in the desert year-round,” stated Wendorfand archaeologist Romuald Schild.
Malville’s 2015 research in Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, the full meaning of the buried stones and their relationship with the sky is still not completely understood.
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