the portal doorway of the archaeological site of stonehenge is aligned to coincide precisely with
Archaeoastronomy and Stonehenge The prehistoric monument of Stonehenge has long been studied for its possible connections with ancient astronomy. The site is aligned in the direction of the sunrise of the summer solstice and the sunset of the winter solstice. Archaeoastronomers have made a range of further claims about the siteâ€™s connection to astronomy, its meaning, and its use.
Mycenaean Greece The usual form of burial during this period was inhumation.[174] The earliest Mycenaean burials were mostly in individual graves in the form of a pit or a stone-lined cist and offerings were limited to pottery and occasional items of jewellery.[175] Groups of pit or cist graves containing elite members of the community were sometimes covered by a tumulus (mound) in the manner established since the Middle Helladic.[176] It has been argued that this form dates back to the Kurgan culture;[177] however, Mycenaean burials are in actuality an indigenous development of mainland Greece with the Shaft Graves housing native rulers.[178] Pit and cist graves remained in use for single burials throughout the Mycenaean period alongside more elaborate family graves.[179] The shaft graves at Mycenae within Grave Circles A and B belonging to the same period represent an alternative manner of grouping elite burials. Next to the deceased were found full sets of weapons, ornate staffs as well as gold and silver cups and other valuable objects which point to their social rank.[180]