Iharka Szücs-Csillik
Romanian Academy of Science, Astronomical Institute, Department Member
- I am a researcher at Romanian Academy, my field of research is in Celestial Mechanics, Dynamical Astronomy, and Archaeoastronomy.edit
ABSTRACT
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Supravegherea și urmărirea trecerii timpului a fost esențială pentru primii agricultori care au trăit aproape de natură și ciclurile pământului precum ale anotimpurilor. Strămoșii noștri au constatat că apariția ciclică a unor grupări de... more
Supravegherea și urmărirea trecerii timpului a fost esențială pentru primii agricultori care au trăit aproape de natură și ciclurile pământului precum ale anotimpurilor. Strămoșii noștri au constatat că apariția ciclică a unor grupări de stele coincide cu trecerea de la un anotimp la alta. Aceste constatări au fost confirmate după observații sistematice ale cerului dealungul timpului. Mișcarea grupărilor de stele strălucitoare nu este fixă în timp, ci este cauzat de precesia echinocțiilor, adică a deplasării retrograde ale echinocțiilor (primăvara și toamna) datorat mișcării de precesie a axei de rotație a Pământului. În Neoliticul târziu (circa 4500 BC) a avut loc un fenomen ciudat, și anume la echinocțiul de primăvară și de toamnă Soarele se afla la intersecția a trei planuri cerești: ecliptica, ecuatorul ceresc și planul galactic. În jurul punctelor echinocțiale se aflau grupările de stele din constelațiile Gemeni, Taur, Auriga, Orion și Săgetător, Scorpia, Șarpele, Omul cu șarpe...
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Sarmizegetusa Regia (III-I BC) was the most important Dacian religious, military and politically center. On the plateau from Sarmizegetusa Regia (near Hunedoara) is the sacred zone, which contains several circular and rectangular... more
Sarmizegetusa Regia (III-I BC) was the most important Dacian religious, military and politically center. On the plateau from Sarmizegetusa Regia (near Hunedoara) is the sacred zone, which contains several circular and rectangular sanctuaries and the Andesite Sun. We will present the Andesite Sun from Sarmizegetusa Regia and our results about the ten solar radiuses on the top of the Sun altar.
ABSTRACT In this paper we present the methodology for the study of the skeletons’ orientation. By determining the Northern axis and the long axis of the skeleton (head-spin-legs), we can calculate the azimuth measured from North in a... more
ABSTRACT In this paper we present the methodology for the study of the skeletons’ orientation. By determining the Northern axis and the long axis of the skeleton (head-spin-legs), we can calculate the azimuth measured from North in a counter-clockwise direction. Accurate measurements (azimuth) are important for obtaining more accurate, precise skeletons’ alignments. These detailed measurements, along with other important information about the skeleton and grave, we collect in a database of the cemetery. In order to show some specific measurements, we will attach images of skeletons with established axis extracted from our database. The last phase would be the data processing, where we calculate the distribution of the skeletons for our orientation study. Accurate measurements of the horizon and of the skeletons are important for determining the accurate solar arc, and the exact position of the skeletons around the solar arc. Using this methodology one can establish if the population in the cemetery had practised the solar cult. It would be very useful, when we had an aerial image of the cemetery with the skeletons and their established axis.
Alignment is a static orientation of some objects, or set of objects, in relation to others. In archaeoastronomy we can separate stone alignments (stone rows) and alignments connected with orientation (e.g. graves, or skeletons... more
Alignment is a static orientation of some objects, or set of objects, in relation to others. In archaeoastronomy we can separate stone alignments (stone rows) and alignments connected with orientation (e.g. graves, or skeletons orientation). The object of our research is to emphasize the importance of orientation in the Neolithic time, which we can determine by using a magnetic compass. Our collected data led us to conclude that solar observation was the determinant of orientation. More particularly, the rising of the sun above the horizon and possibly, though less frequently, the setting sun, provided the alignment. It was possible to show a close correlation with sunrise, or sunset at feast days, that is, the day on which the venerated God was celebrated, at Easter and on true east, determined by equinoctial sunrise. We consider the orientation of burials in the Neolithic, on the south-eastern Romanian territory. These necropolises (Cernica, Grǎdiştea Ulmilor, etc.) show clearly t...
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ABSTRACT From the archaeo-astronomical point of view, if a necropolis has the orientation between the solstice points for most of its skeletons, namely they are place on the so called “solar arcs”, then we can say that in the respective... more
ABSTRACT From the archaeo-astronomical point of view, if a necropolis has the orientation between the solstice points for most of its skeletons, namely they are place on the so called “solar arcs”, then we can say that in the respective cemetery the burials had been arranged towards the Sun direction. Therefore, in that Neolithic community it was practiced the solar cult. In the Vărăşti – Grădiştea Ulmilor necropolis, the majority of skeletons was orientated between 70 and 114 degrees, which corresponds to the eastern solar arc. In the Durankulak necropolis, the orientation in the majority of the skeletons is between 330 and 17 degrees, which means that the orientation is to the North. Comparing both necropoleis of the Gumelnita culture, we expected that they would have been correlated. Yet, this fact was not confirmed by our study. In our opinion, the geographical position, as well as the main occupation of those populations could have changed their major religious beliefs. http://www.romarchaeomet.ro/en/events/symposium2013/rezumate/Abstract%20ARCHAEOMET%202013%20Comsa.pdf
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The equilibrium points and the curves of zero-velocity (Roche varieties) are analysed in the frame of the regularized circular restricted three-body problem. The coordinate transformation is done with Levi-Civita generalized method, using... more
The equilibrium points and the curves of zero-velocity (Roche varieties) are analysed in the frame of the regularized circular restricted three-body problem. The coordinate transformation is done with Levi-Civita generalized method, using polynomial functions of n degree. In the parametric plane, five families of equilibrium points are identified. These families of points correspond to the five equilibrium points in the physical plane L1, L2, ..., L5. The zero-velocity curves from the physical plane are transformed in Roche varieties in the parametric plane. The properties of these varieties are analysed and the Roche varieties for n = 1,2,...,6 are plotted. The equation of the asymptotic variety is obtained and its shape is analysed. The slope of the Roche variety in L11 point is obtained. For n = 1 the slope obtained by Plavec and Kratochvil (1964) in the physical plane was found.
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ABSTRACT In Romania many researchers have interdisciplinary preoccupations, tackling the studied matter from many points of view. Such an interdisciplinary research group was established in Cluj-Napoca. These arhaeoastronomical researches... more
ABSTRACT In Romania many researchers have interdisciplinary preoccupations, tackling the studied matter from many points of view. Such an interdisciplinary research group was established in Cluj-Napoca. These arhaeoastronomical researches investigated the Romanian territory, by using the astronomical orientation. Some of the arhaeoastronomical studied places, like sanctuaries, fortresses, and necropolises of the Neolithic time are found in Banat, Transylvania, Moldova and Muntenia. We enlisted just the well-known and published historical monuments: the Neolithic sanctuary from Parta (Banat Culture), the Neolithic necropolises from Baia-Hamangia (Hamangia Culture), Cernica (Boian Culture, Dudeşti Culture), Grădiştea Ulmilor (Gumelniţa Culture), Iclod (Iclod Cultural Aspect), Cucuteni (Cucuteni Culture), and the Dacian world from Sarmizegetusa-Regia (Romanian Stonehenge). We presented these locations, culture and the arhaeoastronomical results obtained.
An interdisciplinary work among anthropologist, archaeologist and astronomer can give a very interesting point of view of the problem like in this article.
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Since mid II century BC economic and cultural flowering of Dacia was particularly illustrated by the emergence and development of fortified settlements and the construction of fortified cities, protected by stone walls (e.g.... more
Since mid II century BC economic and cultural flowering of Dacia was particularly illustrated by the emergence and development of fortified settlements and the construction of fortified cities, protected by stone walls (e.g. Orăştie-Mountains). Burebista State marked the end of tribal power, the crystallization of Geto-Dacian world in new forms within a given geographical area, based on a significant economic force. Restoring the Dacian State under the reign of King Decebal (87–106) gave a smaller state, but better organized. The state ceased to exist after the Roman conquest (106), when Dacia became a province of the empire. In the interval between the reigns of Decebal and Burebista in Orăştie Mountains' fortress was created a unique defense system in the European architecture. Around these settlements were constructed sanctuaries, somewhat similar in shape, which are the expression of a strong religion, witnessed the ceremonies in the past, as well as the defense system, whic...
The Moon, the Night Owner, fascinated over time almost all civilizations on Earth; it is the one that strongly shines in the night, driving back the darkness. The changing appearance of the Moon in its multitude of phases has raised the... more
The Moon, the Night Owner, fascinated over time almost all civilizations on Earth; it is the one that strongly shines in the night, driving back the darkness. The changing appearance of the Moon in its multitude of phases has raised the interest and imagination since ancient times and has influenced the perception of time and space. The Moon was the base of calendar making, of cosmological mythology, oral and visual artistic creation. Moon signs and symbols were preserved in the Romanian people’s traditions and customs. The work includes some heritage from the Neolithic and Copper Age, in conjunction with popular beliefs and customs, as well as the scientific aspects of the Moon that illuminates the Earth and the Romanian soul.
This study will try to find answers to the question "Why did our ancestors use the snake symbol and sign in their nonverbal communication?" When we observe the snake’s life and behaviour, we come to understand why Neolithic men... more
This study will try to find answers to the question "Why did our ancestors use the snake symbol and sign in their nonverbal communication?" When we observe the snake’s life and behaviour, we come to understand why Neolithic men used the snake symbol, and why it was important for our ancestors to represent the snake. The snake signs as revealed by archaeological finds enable us to deepen the research about these „famous reptiles”. During the Neolithic, the snake was a symbol for good, helping humankind, but also unknowable and unpredictable, so for the Neolithic men the snake became sacred. That is the reason why they represented the sacred snake on vases, bracelets, buildings, even more, the snake can be found on the sky as a unique constellation charting. In Romanian tradition the snake has many meanings, the best known is that of the guardian serpent (the snake of the house), which represents the protector of the household goods, or the foreteller of rain. Connections be...
An achaeoastronomical study is based on orientation. In our case, the orientation of the skeletons in the necropoleis of the Gumelniţa culture is being investigated. The dead can be placed in the pit with a certain orientation towards the... more
An achaeoastronomical study is based on orientation. In our case, the orientation of the skeletons in the necropoleis of the Gumelniţa culture is being investigated. The dead can be placed in the pit with a certain orientation towards the cardinal points, towards some celestial bodies, towards another pit, or without any orientation. The Neo-Eneolithic man had a special funerary behavior. The dead was usually arranged in the pit depending to the Sun position in the sky (most frequently, according to the specialized literature). To our knowledge, the Sun describes a solar arc, the solstices being its extremities. If the orientation of the skeletons in a necropolis show a Gaussian distribution towards a specific cardinal point, then, we could say that the respective community used to orientate its dead towards that specific cardinal point. If these cardinal points are E and W, than we could check if the orientation of the skeletons falls within the solar arc, which would show if the r...
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Research Interests:
Archaeoastronomy is the discipline which studies celestial phenomena looking from the viewpoint of our ancestors (how they understood and used celestial phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures). Archaeoastronomy uses... more
Archaeoastronomy is the discipline which studies celestial phenomena looking from the viewpoint of our ancestors (how they understood and used celestial phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures). Archaeoastronomy uses different methods, derived from archaeology, anthropology, astronomy, statistics, and probability, in order to determine the thoughts of the ancient civilizations. Because these methods are heterogeneous and use data coming from different sources, the collecting and processing require considerable time. In this article two archaeoastronomical case studies in Romania are presented. First, we show a mathematical method used in order to study the astronomical orientation of the skeletons from the Neolithic necropolis of Cernica. We created a detailed data bank for the Cernica necropolis and, using our program written in MATLAB, we obtained interesting results, mostly from an astronomical point of view. Secondly, we provide an astronomical explanation about...
Research Interests: History and Statistics
The only fields for which the correctness of the point-mass representation (Newton's theorem) can be proved are those featured by potentials of the form 2 / Br r A + . The two-body problem in such a field is tackled from the only... more
The only fields for which the correctness of the point-mass representation (Newton's theorem) can be proved are those featured by potentials of the form 2 / Br r A + . The two-body problem in such a field is tackled from the only standpoint of symmetries. The motion equations, written in Cartesian or polar coordinates, present nice symmetries that form eight-element Abelian groups endowed with an idempotent structure. It is the same for McGehee-type coordinates that extend the phase space to collision or escape. All these groups are proved to be isomorphic. Expressed in Levi-Civita collision-regularizing coordinates, the vector field of the problem exhibits symmetries that form a sixteenelement group with the same characteristics.
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There are several integration schemes intended to solve the equations of motion in problems of celestial mechanics. The Lie-integration method is based on the idea to tackle systems of ODE via Lie series. It is applied to solve... more
There are several integration schemes intended to solve the equations of motion in problems of celestial mechanics. The Lie-integration method is based on the idea to tackle systems of ODE via Lie series. It is applied to solve Hamiltonian systems by giving recurrence formulae for the calculation of the Lie-terms. Here we present these recurrence formulae, which considerably simplify the linearized equations of motion. To exemplify, we choose the famous chaotic Henon-Heiles system. Then the Lie-integrator is compared with the well-known Runge-Kutta method and the symplectic integrator for the Henon-Heiles system. The convergence of the Lie- integrator can be regarded as a kind of a symplectic integrator, which conserves the integrals of motion. The Lie-integrator method is found to be very well suited for a long-time integration of orbits in celestial mechanics.
The content of the calendar is as follows: Astronomical constants; Constelations;Guide of use; Calendar for Cluj Napoca which includes: Sunrise, The transit of the Sun, Sunset for the Sun and for the Moon; The Julian Date; Twilights... more
The content of the calendar is as follows: Astronomical constants; Constelations;Guide of use; Calendar for Cluj Napoca which includes: Sunrise, The transit of the Sun, Sunset for the Sun and for the Moon; The Julian Date; Twilights Civil, Nautical and Astronomic Maps of the sky and phenomena with explanations; General data concerning the Sun, Moon and planets; Meteors and Meteors
From the cycle of the constellation symbolism we will approach the „Corona-Crown” constellation. The origin of these dress accessories gets lost in the darkness of time, standing testimony of the „Prehistoric Art”. The "Corona-... more
From the cycle of the constellation symbolism we will approach the „Corona-Crown” constellation. The origin of these dress accessories gets lost in the darkness of time, standing testimony of the „Prehistoric Art”. The "Corona- Crown" is the small constellation Corona Borealis, visible in early summer, its brightest stars form a semicircular arc. The "crown" is a symbol and sign of belonging to the celestial world bearer, supernatural, divine, being worn at rituals of passage; of magic; of gratitude to heroes, to victors, to geniuses and to wise; of martyrdom; of coronation of kings, being a sign of immortality, honor, victory, greatness and joy. Archaeological discoveries will complete the mythological and ritualistic picture of these hairy ornaments, represented by „Moon Goddess” from Turdaș and „Bride of Trușești”. The story behind these clothing accessories represented in the Prehistoric Art and in the stars makes that the man to be closer to sky (heaven, dei...
We know that in ancient times, people were sky watchers, made observations, drew conclusions, and their vision of Universe reflected the sky (macrocosm) into the ground (microcosm) and vice versa. Investigating deeply some symbols and... more
We know that in ancient times, people were sky watchers, made observations, drew conclusions, and their vision of Universe reflected the sky (macrocosm) into the ground (microcosm) and vice versa. Investigating deeply some symbols and signs from the Neolithic period, we find that the knowledge about the sky that some people had in the past represents much more than we’ve known so far. In this incursion into the Neolithic world, we will study two objects discovered in the tombs of the priestesses of Mostonga and Tărtăria.
The story behind these clothing accessories represented in the Prehistoric Art and in the stars makes that the man to be closer to sky (heaven, deity), the microcosmic Earth merging with the macrocosmic Universe. From the cycle of the... more
The story behind these clothing accessories represented in the Prehistoric Art and in the stars makes that the man to be closer to sky (heaven, deity), the microcosmic Earth merging with the macrocosmic Universe. From the cycle of the clothing’s constellation symbolism we will approach the „Collier-Necklace” constellations. The "necklace (collier)" is meaningful myth-ritualistic clothing accessory and is represented on the sky by cluster of seven (nine) star forming the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. Denomination of the "Necklace-Collier" is given in Romanian cosmogony for the Lira and Dolphin constellations. Necklace (collar, choker, lei, band, beads) has a rich sacred and ritualistic symbolism, being a sign of belonging to a certain age and social status, symbol of sentimental, or of gratitude and reward civil, or military, sealing the connection between the giver and the receiver. Moreover, it means the order (strings of beads), the respecting of custom...
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HAEMUS - Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture http://haemus.org.mk Settlements, Culture and Population Dynamics in Balkan Prehistory International Conference 13-14.03.2015 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia ABSTRACTS... more
HAEMUS - Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture
http://haemus.org.mk
Settlements, Culture and Population Dynamics in Balkan Prehistory
International Conference
13-14.03.2015
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
ABSTRACTS OF THE ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS
General Editor: Vasilka Dimitrovska
Cover Design: Vasilka Dimitrovska, Elka Anastasova
Design: Elka Anastasova
Editing and English proofreading: Mark Branov
http://haemus.org.mk
Settlements, Culture and Population Dynamics in Balkan Prehistory
International Conference
13-14.03.2015
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
ABSTRACTS OF THE ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS
General Editor: Vasilka Dimitrovska
Cover Design: Vasilka Dimitrovska, Elka Anastasova
Design: Elka Anastasova
Editing and English proofreading: Mark Branov