Credit & Copyright: J. M. Malville
(U. Colorado) & F. Wendorf
(SMU) et al.
Explanation:
In the Sahara Desert in
Egypt
lie the oldest known astronomically
aligned stones in the world: Nabta. Over one thousand years before the creation of
Stonehenge,
local herders built a stone circle and other
structures on the shoreline of a lake
that has long since dried up.
Over 6000 years ago, stone slabs three meters
high were dragged over a kilometer to create the site.
Shown above is one of the stones that remains.
Little is known about the ultimate purpose of
Nabta
and the nature of the people who built it.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day