The Lascaux cave : a Prehistoric sky-map...

by the prehistoric sorcerers during their trances. The cave was the border between two worlds, the world of men and the world of spirits.

Heavenly Rituals of the Past The first ascertained evidence of any astronomical science dates back to the Babylonian Era, about 5,500 years ago. Since then, many other civilizations endowed the skies with a paramount importance.

Ethno-astronomy is a science which particularly focuses on the relationships between the sky and the myths and beliefs of the peoples of the past. The most famous occurrence of a prehistoric site orientated on the sky is to be found in England, with Stonehenge, a megalithic site consisting of rocks laid in a perfect circle and regarded by the specialists as the sanctuary of a solar cult. In South America, numerous pre-columbian sites are the witnesses of a period of time when religion and astronomy were together as one. Indeed, the sun pyramid of Teothihuacan in Mexico is perfectly aligned on the sun.

Equally, in ancient Egypt and Greece, the sky was considered as the realm of the Gods.