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Rogem Hiri - Part 2 Early excavations in 1968 were spearheaded by Professor Yonathan Mizrahi (Department of Anthropology at Harvard University) and Prof. Anthony Aveni (Colgate University), and later by Professor Mizrahi and Professor M. Zohar under Professor M. Kochavi (Institute of Archeology, Tel Aviv University). They found out many interesting things about the site and put forth some possible functions of the site. |
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alignments are important because they show us astronomical functions of
the site, and they are not the only one. Aveni and Mizrahi found that the
eastern side, facing the direction of the rising sun, was constructed better
than the western side. The duo also hit on the astronomical dating of 3300-2300
BC, when one would have been able to observe the summer solstice sunrise
through the northeast entrance from the center. At the same time, the southeast
entrance would have provided a direct view of Sirius. Furthermore, several
star alignements the radial walls had matched the time period of of the
carbon dating, ie the Early Bronze Age.
Several functions
of the site have been suggested. Rogem Hiri's function as a calendar is
plausible; an Early Bronze Age people could have used star risings and
settings as indicators of the seasons. It could have served as a cultic
or ceremonial site, however there is a lack of cultic vessals and other
ritual artefacts in the area Whatever the function, the general conclusions we can make are that Rogem Hiri was built by people with high levels of organizational and planning skill and a practice of astronomical observation and mathematical understanding. They also had to have had the ability or technology to transport and arrange the stones as the they did. Check out Barry Chamish's writings here. |
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Their
lichenometric tests and carbon dating of potsherds put the site at the
late Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age (3 millennium BC, or 5000 years
ago). This sets their construction at an earlier time than the currently
accepted dates for the Egyptian pyramids and the Babylonian temples. The
central cairn they found to postdate the circles, meaning that it was
built later during the Late Bronze Age and not incorporated into the original
construction, thereby possibly explaining it's off centred location. It
was found to be empty after Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used on
it during a geophysical survey. Inside it they found a empty, looted burial
chamber with a few gold earrings and bronze artefacts. They realised that
a basalt slab on the bedrock and a dromos in the cairn were aligned with
the northeast entrance of the site.
to support this. Despite this it is interesting to know the geographical
relationship of the site with Psalms 89:12, as Aveni pointed out : "Tabor
and Hermon sing for joy at your [god’s] name." Both Mount Hermon
and Mount Tabor can be seen from Rogem Hiri, with Mount Hermon being directly
north of it. The focus of the site may have changed with the addition
of the burial chamber later on. Men like Israeli journalist and author,
Barry Chamish, have even suggested it as having been built by the biblical
giants (Refaim); and, going even further into biblical correlations, the
tomb of Og, King of the Bashan and last of the giants. (Deuteronomy 3:11)
Such arguments involve the inability of local nomadic tribes of the Early
Bronze Age to have been capable of building such a complex.