Delmi ??

[KARL]

In a book published in the mid Sixties I have seen a passing reference to an astronomical observatory at Delmi. Construction is said to have begun in 1710 B.C., a sketch is included suggesting that much of it remained at that point but there is no indication where Delmi is/was. The sketch features a structure akin to a ramp pointing skyward, narrower at the tip than at the base where it sits in what looks like wall with a curved upper surface forming an upward facing arc of nearly half a circle.

Minor googling turns up nothing whatsoever. Does anyone know what and where ?

[Mamyalynne]

Could it be Juntar Mantar, Delhi - the dates fit.

[Mamyalynne]

^ Jantar

[Buenchico]

BC, not AD, Mamyalynne!

As I understand it, the only civilisation known to have been formally observing the skies around that time would have been the Babylonians. (Maya civilisation was well-established but largely village-based. The date seems a little too early for Greece).

Could you scan the sketch and upload it to Tinypic please, Karl, to see if it gives us any clues?

[Mamyalynne]

apologies

[KARL]

Sorry Chris, no scanner - would happily do it otherwise. At my current location without a camera also :(

[Buenchico]

Thanks for your post.

In considering ancient cultures, I forgot about China!
http://www.lehigh.edu/~dwp0/Assets/images/taosisite.pdf

[Peter Pedant]

.

see here
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2010/08/17/world_heritage_list_astronomy_observatories/

I agree it may be jantar mantar
you mishead delmi as Delhi
and 1710 BC as 1710AD

for observatories around 1700BC you are looking at Stone henge

Jantar Mantar was personal - when the ruler died the money went and they stopped using it

[Mamyalynne]

It was the pictorial description, similarity in date and name that took me to Jantar Mantar.

[KARL]

Hah, found it ! It turns out that not only is the book wrong on the dating but there is a printing error in the name of the place: It is not Delmi but Delhi, and the dating is A.D. instead of B.C. The name of the site is indeed Jantar Mantar but there are other related structures/instruments elsewhere in India. I should have simply googled Mamyalynne's hint instead of going the long way around.....

[Mamyalynne]

Glad you're sorted Karl.

[KARL]

Mamya, I rushed to put that on the thread without looking to see if anything had come in since I put in my previous entry.... I now see others were going the same way. I was fixated on the image and took the text in the book at face value, once I tried a slightly less direct search the Jantar Mantar photo cropped up - Bingo. What is annoying is that some years back it would have been so easy to visit the place when working in India. C'est la vie.

[Mamyalynne]

I did find an image that matched your description very well, but then when saw the date was out left it - my thoughts at that point being the design would in many ways have lived on in other observatories.

Hope you do get to visit one day.

[Mamyalynne]

I'm sure you've now found this but will try anyway, my computer is misbehaving re posting videos.....