Goseck+Circle

By Hank Harnack, Fall 2015

**The Goseck Circle, G****ermany**

[|The Oldest Known Solar Observatory]

__ OVERVIEW __ The page gives a lot of background about the Goeseck circle. It talks about how in 1991, aerial photographs of the town named Goeseck were taken and that it took archaeologist 12 years to realize that what they had discovered was an ancient solar observatory. The site explains that it is a Neolithic Henge structure, “with entrances orientated to the rising and setting solstices.” It’s explained that the people who built the structure were known as the Stroke-Ornamented Ware Culture. Pottery and other like artifacts were found at the site, dating back to around 4700 B.C. Among these artifacts, the skeletons of humans and animals were also found- pointing towards burial rituals or human sacrifice.

__ AUTHOR __ Bryan Hill

__ LAST UPDATED __ June 29, 2015

__ DATE REVIEWED __ November 25, 2015

__ REVIEWED BY __ Hank Harnack

__ ACCURACY __ All of the information seems credible. The site gives specific dates of when it was found, and also dimensions of the structures itself as well as the surrounding areas.

__ READABILITY and CLARITY __ I believe this article could be aimed towards a high school freshman. It is a very easy ready and is very informative. Although there might be more information than needed, it definitely added to the overall structure of the reading.

__ EASE OF NAVIGATION __

There is not much more about the Circle on this website. There are more tabs to choose from on the top of the website's page, but none leading to more information.

[|The German Stonehenge]

__ OVERVIEW __ This website was a bit more specific. It gave the coordinates of its exact location, saying that the Goseck Circle is on the same latitude as Stonehenge. The site continues to explain how Peter Biehl and Francois Bertemes excavated the 7,000-year-old structure. The article reads that similar structures of wooden proportions were built throughout Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic around 4600 B.C; and all varied in size. The Goseck Circle is only one of “250 ring-ditches in Germany, Austria and Croatia- but archaeologists have only investigated 10% of them.”

__ AUTHOR __ Alex Whitaker

__ LAST UPDATED __ April 2012

__ DATE REVIEWED __ November 28, 2015

__ REVIEWED BY __ Hank Harnack

__ ACCURACY __ The Information on this site is more precise than the last. There is specific information on who old it is, where it is/ what the surround areas have in comparison, and even the two men that decided to excavate the site.

__ READABILITY and CLARITY __ The reading isn’t as long but is more informational; any grade high school student would be able to comprehend the article. It gives backround information about Biehl and Bertemes which I found interesting.

__ EASE OF NAVIGATION __ There is not any further information on the Circle beyond this website. The tabs at the top of the page just bring you back to the websites homepage, or to learn more about what the website has to offer.



[|The Solor Circle] OVERVIEW This article was very straightforward. It described the two archeologists (Biehl and Bertemes), during their excavation of the Solar Circle or Goseck Circle. Biehl had said that he thought it was one of the first “monumental architecture’s” in the world, saying that it was a ritual observatory 2,000 years before the Egyptians built the pyramids. The site had noted that many tourists had come to visit the area since the release of the archeologist’s research in 2003. Over 2,000 oak posts were stripped during the reconstruction of the original site to ensure authenticity, to replicated what the Circle would have looked like in Neolithic times.

__ AUTHOR __ Ulrich Boser

__ LAST UPDATED __ July/August 2006

__ DATE REVIEWED __ December 1, 2015

__ REVIEWED BY __ Hank Harnack

__ ACCURACY __ The information on this web page isn’t up to date. Although it had more information about how it became a tourist attraction.

__ READABILITY and CLARITY __ The article is relatively short, and could pertain to an eighth grader doing a research paper. The information given is minimal compared to other web sites, but still interesting to read about.

__ EASE OF NAVIGATION __ This website does not have more information about the Goseck circle. Just other tabs about their marketplaces and other magazines.

[|Patheos] __ OVERVIEW __ This article was more about the stereotypes in history between the Goseck Circle and the Nebra Disk. Both were found in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany- but about 3,300 years apart. The article described the Goseck Circle and how when it was reconstructed the archeological community was shocked. The author says that some archeologists do not believe that the Goseck circle was actually used for what it was designed for. He or she argues that the corresponding angles in both finds match the trail of the sun between the summer and winter solstices.

__ AUTHOR __ Desh Kapoor

__ LAST UPDATED __ June 18, 2009

__ DATE REVIEWED __ December 2, 2015

__ REVIEWED BY __ Hank Harnack

__ ACCURACY __ The information provided isn’t exactly up to date, but does match other websites. The article somewhat goes off topic, when he or she starts to talk about farmers, schooling, and books.

__ READABILITY and CLARITY __ Any peer in middle school would be able to grasp what the author is getting at in this article. It is a very easy read with some interesting views and information not just about the Goseck Circle, but also the Nebra Sky Disk.

__ EASE OF NAVIGATION __

Although this website was mainly just an article, it was the only one that had reference links to other pages about the Goseck circle.

[|Circles for Space]

__ OVERVIEW __

This webpage is very specific is describing the Goseck Circle. It reads that the Circle was 75 meters wide, consisted of three gates (one facing south east, one southwest, and north), and a ditch. The article says that if someone ws to stand in the middle of the structure during the winter solstice, they would see the sun rise and set through the southern gates. The structure was nicknamed the German Stonehenge, although it precedes Stonehenge, “by at least two millennia.” The article also goes on to talk about the discovery of the Nebra Disk, which was found 25 kilometers away near the small town of Nebra, Germany.

__ AUTHOR __ Madhusree Mukerjee

__ LAST UPDATED __ December 2003

__ DATE REVIEWED __ December 8, 2015

__ REVIEWED BY __ Hank Harnack

__ ACCURACY __ This article is great in the way it was structured. It has many facts about the Circle including how big it was, where it was located, and how old it is. It shows a realist picture of what it would look like with the sun setting, while some one standing inside of it; a view of it’s dimensions in a more straightforward approach.

__ READABILITY and CLARITY __ This article would probably be for someone who is in their junior or senior year of high school. It is not a terribly hard read, but there is a lot of information, granted the article was describing not just the Goseck circle but also the Nebra Disk, and the parts that they played in the civilizations that helped create these items.

__ EASE OF NAVIGATION __ This site is specifically about the Goseck circle. Theres more links to other subjects at the bottom of the page, but none relating to the main subject.