quote:Abstract: How humans conceptualize time, space, and quantity is of fundamental importance to science, technology development, and innovation. Extant structures at Nabta Playa, near the Egypt‐Sudan border, provide evidence of an early systematic approach to marking direction. The site is thought to have begun functioning as a regional ceremonial center around 5500 BC, during an extended period of significantly reduced aridity. A stone circle points north and toward the rising azimuth of the sun on the summer solstice. Aligned megaliths radiate outward from a central complex structure, apparently targeting various bright stars. This article presents a reevaluation of the putative stellar alignment data, an analysis of the structure of the stone circle and hypotheses regarding the organization and location of the ceremonial site as a whole. The inhabitants of Nabta Playa may have played a decisive role in the history of science and technology by advancing ways of marking direction, tracking time, and measuring space.
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