The Ancient Earthworks of Ukraine May Be the Biggest Solar Observatory in the World

Some believe that the era of the greatest archaeological discoveries is over. Many tombs have been excavated and ancient architectural complexes have been discovered. In our time of digital technologies, many mysteries of ancient civilizations have been unraveled. But modern technologies also help us to open new pages in the book that historical science has put on the shelf to gather dust. New research methods allow us to have a different look at civilizations of the ancient world.

In 2012, my attention was attracted by a group of mounds of unusual shape and with an interesting location. They are located on a plateau called Bezvodovka near the town of Ichnia, Chernigiv region, Ukraine. The barrows, instead of the usual conical shape, are cup-shaped and arranged in a circle with a diameter of up to two hundred meters. Dark spots can be seen on the aerial photographs, possibly more of the site destroyed by time and plow mounds. An 1861 topographic map of Schubert’s confirms the existence of other mounds in this complex.

Schubert’s 1861 topographic map, which shows more mounds than what can be seen today.

The questions arise: are these barrows burial mounds? If so, why don’t they look like other graves in the region? And why are they surrounded by earthen walls? Are they defenses? If so, why are they scattered over a large area, which does not conform with the rules of warfare?