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thrown back down the stairs (signaling the sun’s hoped for return across the sky). Solstice dances were usually accompanied by other rituals such as offerings to the dead and worship of the sunimage.
Many centuries ago, the winter solstice was more than just the beginning of a season, as it is today. Past civilizations, intrigued by the sun, used its standstill •position to accurately record time. Sunrise and sunset direction established a definite day only at the times of the summer and winter solstices. Therefore, ancient man used these two significant events as a reference point to develop various forms of solar calendars.
Dr. Paul H. Knappenberger, Jr., director of the Science Museum of Virginia and an astronomer, noted at a recent Museum program that different cultures observed the motion of the sun throughout the year, devising a system of recording days and Reasons by the sun’s position in the sky. According to Or. Knappenberger, the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico developed a complex calendar system over 1,500 years ago using several different types of cycles, one of which marked the seasonal changes by the sun’s motion.
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