We have, then, now a third term in the astronomical use of stars to herald the sunrise on May morning.
| Temple of Min | Thebes | 3200 | B.C. | Spica. |
| Temple at the Hurlers | Liskeard | 1720 | „ | Antares. |
| Older Erechtheum | Athens | 1070 | „ | „ |
The next barrow to be referred to—it is shown to be a long one on the Ordnance Map—is situated near the top of Caradon Hill, and is visible on the sky-line from the circles. Data: Az. from N. Circle S. 65° E., height of horizon 1° 38′ (Henderson). This corresponds almost exactly with the azimuth of the rise of the sun’s upper limb with declination S. 16° 20′ on the two critical dates in November and February of the May-year (Halloween and Candlemas, see [p. 23]), so I am inclined to consider it more than a mere coincidence that the azimuths coincide so closely. It, however, may be urged that there are other barrows on Caradon Hill, but judging from the Ordnance Map they seem to be of the round variety used for burials, perhaps a thousand years after the circles were in use, and in my opinion by a different race of men; but this matter must not detain us now, I hope to return to it later.
Still one more barrow and a stone, uncrossed and uninitialled, in the same sight-line, data: Az. from N. circle S. 59° 35′ E. Height of horizon 1° 38′ 23″ (Henderson), resulting declination S. 19° 50′. This was the declination of Sirius 1690 B.C. Why Sirius? The table on [p. 117] gives us the answer. Sirius replaced Arcturus as a warning star for the August festival, and we have seen that the last use of Arcturus was connected with the sight-line to the barrow about 1900 B.C.
I pass now from barrows to stones. There is one about which there can be no question. It is a famous Cross, a “Longstone” at which all travellers stop on their way from St. Cleer to the Hurlers. It occupies nearly the same position on the S.W. horizon as does the long tumulus on Caradon Hill in the S.E. quadrant. From the South Circle, and this is important, its Azimuth, S. 64° W., is nearly the same; it marked, and still marks, the sunset point on the critical days of the May year in November and February.
There is another stone marked on the Ordnance Map Az. N. 88° E. from the N. circle. It has been removed, so I may fairly assume that it was really an ancient stone. Captain Henderson’s value for the height of the horizon is 11′ 31″. The table on [p. 117] will show that in this direction we have to deal with Betelgeuse as a warner for the summer solstice. The resulting date is 1730 B.C.
It would appear that possibly this is not the only stone dealing with (later) solstitial alignments. Lukis gives two stones on the west side of the circles which on the Ordnance Map are classed as boundary stones: they lie on a boundary beyond all question, but also beyond all question they are as ancient as the stones of the circles themselves. From the N. circle they are almost but not quite in a line, and the azimuth of the south stone is S. 49° W. This is a solstitial azimuth. I think, therefore, that we may accept this as another evidence of the worship of the setting sun at the winter solstice, from the N. circle, and in this we have still further evidence that to the worship of the May year in the south circle was added later one dealing with the solstitial year which was chiefly carried on in the N. circle.
CHAPTER XV
THE DARTMOOR AVENUES
In [Chapter XI.] I referred to the very numerous alignments of stones in Brittany, and I was allowed by Lieutenant Devoir, of the French Navy, to give some of his theodolite observations of the directions along which the stones had been set up.