13. The Golden Hat of Schifferstadt: An Astronomically Significant Deposit Location?
From the Ground to the Sky - Ten Years of Skyscape Archaeology - Fabio Silva
Luca Amendola
Heidelberg University
Description
Luca Amendola investigates whether the Schifferstadt golden hat was deposited in an astronomically privileged location in a German village close to the river Rhine. His article describes a detailed examination of the horizon as seen from a random sample of locations in the Schifferstadt valley. The resulting statistical analysis indicates that only sites close to the hat’s deposit location have more celestial alignments than would be expected by chance. This analysis highlights the importance of considering the landscapes in which archaeological objects were used and suggests additional examination of Bronze Age sites in a similar vein.