Orientaciones astronómicas en las necrópolis tumulares de La Osera (Ávila) y El Cigarralejo (Murcia)

Abstract

The orientation has been calculated of 96 Iron Age burial mounds in the necropolis of La Osera (Ávila) and of 91 mounds in El Cigarralejo (Murcia). The most common orientations fall within 135° and 225° north and with a great symmetry according to the meridian. This allows us to relate them with the trajectory of stars and planets in the sky. After reviewing the interpretive possibilities, we conclude that the orientations have a direct relation with the beginning and the end of the visibility of the planet Venus in specific dates -1 February and 1 November- which is when this planet achieves its maximum magnitude in certain years, more specifically between 700 and 200 BC. We also review the importance of Venus in the ancient world, thus explaining the interest of pre-Roman peoples in orienting toward this planet many burial mounds, even in distant and unrelated sites.