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river and the mountains. At the same time, they had to be at points where the conspicuous peak of Lapoblación was seen in such a way that it possibly marked important times within the community. In this sense, we could perhaps borrow Clive’s
terminology for the Mull study and propose that this area, with the visibility towards
this mountain was, or formed, a sacred landscape for that community.
Interestingly, it has been argued that this is a transitional area between herders,
moving their flocks towards the nearby mountains, and between agricultural communities that tended to occupy the lowlands closer to the river Ebro. The times
indicated by sunrise on the peak, from the end of April to mid-August are the busiest
times in the year for both groups, as they delimit the seasons of harvest for most
crops, particularly wheat and barley. But this time could also mark the season of
moving to the summer grounds for pastoral communities. Therefore, the sighting of
sunrise behind Lapoblación Mountain could have served as a relevant time marker
for such communities. We do not find any relevant time in the heliacal or the acronychal risings the Southern Cross that can be linked with these activities. Another
possibility is a lunar-stellar association. This would point towards the importance of
‘winter’ months. Finally, we could consider that the southern orientation, and thus
its possible association with the Southern Cross, had a ritual function connected
only with the visibility of such stars rising on the horizon.
The folklore connects Chabola de la Hechicera with summer solstice.
Interestingly, the sun rises and sets at particularly interesting spots of the horizon at
this time of the year as seen from the megalith. In view of this, the association of the
passage grave with sorceress and their meetings the night of Saint John, the shortest
night of the year, a moment commonly associated in this land with fire and magic
could be natural given the astronomical phenomena. However, any link of such
folklore with the builders of these sites is clearly farfetched. The association is most
probably occurring at historic times possibly then appearing as a second time in
history when Hechicera was linked to astronomical events.
In conclusion, the peculiar orientation of this group could be the relic of previous
orientation customs maintained through time. At the same time, the positioning of
these monuments in the landscape help us understand the social time of the communities that built and used them several millennia ago.
References
Alday, A., Campos, A. R., Castiñeira, N., Díaz, M., Domingo, J., Echeverría, A. M., Fernádez,
H., & Mugica, B. (2016). 180 años despues del primer dolmen. Reflexiones sobre el quién, el
dónde y el cuándo del megalitismo del area vasca. Estudios de Arqueología Alavesa, 26, 29–45.
Alday Ruiz, A., Ramírez, L. M., & Martínez, V. B. (2012). Cuenca del Ebro. In M. A. Rojo Guerra,
R. Garrido Pena, & I. García Martínez de Lagrán (Eds.), El Neolítico en la Península Ibérica y
su Contexto Europeo (pp. 291–332). Madrid: Cátedra.
Andrés Rupérez, M. T., García, M. L. G., & Sesma, J. (2001). El sepulcro campaniforme de Tres
Montes (Bardenas Reales, Navarra). Intervención de urgencia de 1991 y campañas de 1996 y
1997. Trabajos de Arqueología Navarra, 15, 315–322.
A. C. González-García
river and the mountains. At the same time, they had to be at points where the conspicuous peak of Lapoblación was seen in such a way that it possibly marked important times within the community. In this sense, we could perhaps borrow Clive’s
terminology for the Mull study and propose that this area, with the visibility towards
this mountain was, or formed, a sacred landscape for that community.
Interestingly, it has been argued that this is a transitional area between herders,
moving their flocks towards the nearby mountains, and between agricultural communities that tended to occupy the lowlands closer to the river Ebro. The times
indicated by sunrise on the peak, from the end of April to mid-August are the busiest
times in the year for both groups, as they delimit the seasons of harvest for most
crops, particularly wheat and barley. But this time could also mark the season of
moving to the summer grounds for pastoral communities. Therefore, the sighting of
sunrise behind Lapoblación Mountain could have served as a relevant time marker
for such communities. We do not find any relevant time in the heliacal or the acronychal risings the Southern Cross that can be linked with these activities. Another
possibility is a lunar-stellar association. This would point towards the importance of
‘winter’ months. Finally, we could consider that the southern orientation, and thus
its possible association with the Southern Cross, had a ritual function connected
only with the visibility of such stars rising on the horizon.
The folklore connects Chabola de la Hechicera with summer solstice.
Interestingly, the sun rises and sets at particularly interesting spots of the horizon at
this time of the year as seen from the megalith. In view of this, the association of the
passage grave with sorceress and their meetings the night of Saint John, the shortest
night of the year, a moment commonly associated in this land with fire and magic
could be natural given the astronomical phenomena. However, any link of such
folklore with the builders of these sites is clearly farfetched. The association is most
probably occurring at historic times possibly then appearing as a second time in
history when Hechicera was linked to astronomical events.
In conclusion, the peculiar orientation of this group could be the relic of previous
orientation customs maintained through time. At the same time, the positioning of
these monuments in the landscape help us understand the social time of the communities that built and used them several millennia ago.
References
Alday, A., Campos, A. R., Castiñeira, N., Díaz, M., Domingo, J., Echeverría, A. M., Fernádez,
H., & Mugica, B. (2016). 180 años despues del primer dolmen. Reflexiones sobre el quién, el
dónde y el cuándo del megalitismo del area vasca. Estudios de Arqueología Alavesa, 26, 29–45.
Alday Ruiz, A., Ramírez, L. M., & Martínez, V. B. (2012). Cuenca del Ebro. In M. A. Rojo Guerra,
R. Garrido Pena, & I. García Martínez de Lagrán (Eds.), El Neolítico en la Península Ibérica y
su Contexto Europeo (pp. 291–332). Madrid: Cátedra.
Andrés Rupérez, M. T., García, M. L. G., & Sesma, J. (2001). El sepulcro campaniforme de Tres
Montes (Bardenas Reales, Navarra). Intervención de urgencia de 1991 y campañas de 1996 y
1997. Trabajos de Arqueología Navarra, 15, 315–322.
A. C. González-García