Papers by Michael Rappenglueck
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Mar 18, 2023
Archaeological sites undoubtedly destroyed by a meteorite impact had not been identified so far. ... more Archaeological sites undoubtedly destroyed by a meteorite impact had not been identified so far. For such a proof, both a meteorite impact and its definite effects on an archaeological site would have to be evidenced. This review article reports on geoarchaeological investigations, involving mineralogy, petrography, and geophysics, which established evidence that two prehistoric human settlements have been affected by the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (ca. 900-600 BC) Chiemgau meteorite impact in southeastern Germany. One site, the Mühlbach area, was affected by the ejecta from the 600 m Ø-Tüttensee crater, one of the largest craters in a crater strewn field measuring about 60 x 30 km. At the other site, Stöttham close to Lake Chiemsee, the catastrophic layer of the impact was found embedded in the archaeological stratigraphy of a settlement, which had been repeatedly occupated from the Neolithic to the Roman era. At both sites, artifacts have become components of impact rocks, establishing a hitherto unknown form of an impact rock, an artifact-in-impactite. The immediate coexistence of rocks, which exhibit impact-diagnostic shock metamorphism, with relicts of metallic artifacts, as encountered in finds from Stöttham, are unprecedented evidence of human experience of a meteorite impact.
"The existence of caves gave people an excellent reason where to locate the cele... more "The existence of caves gave people an excellent reason where to locate the celestial bodies at the time of their invisibility: They moved through secret realms under the ordinary world, somehow at the "backside" or the interior of the customary perceptible landscape. Caverns made accessible this "subterranean" space-time, wh ich ancient people regarded as a special lounge of the celestial bodies, and other beings. Thus, it is obvious why caverns fascinated people from Palaeolithic epochs to Jules Verne's "Voyage au centre de la terre (1864)": Going into the underground galleries, and following the mighty celestial bodies on their course through the subterranean area, offered a unique possibility to explore the inner structure of the cosmos. Moreover, at another level of understanding, ancient people interpreted the entry into a cavern and the passage through the inner space-time ofthe world as a voyage to the generative interior of an enormous female, representing the Great Mother of the World. They thought that the cosmos and the cave, the outer and the inner structure of the world, run parallel to the physical body and the psychonoetic essence of a human being. Going into a cave then meant not only to travel to the creative realm of the cosmos, but in a figurative sense also to undertake a voyage to the innermost person. It isn't surprising that since Palaeolithic time caverns had been regarded as sacred places, were often used as shrines, cult places, or for burials and served as a model ofthe world."
Nutzungsbedingungen: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine Weiterverbreitung-keine B... more Nutzungsbedingungen: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine Weiterverbreitung-keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Mit der Verwendung dieses Dokuments erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen an. Terms of use: This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Redistribution-no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, nontransferable, individual and limited right to using this document. This document is solely intended for your personal, noncommercial use. All of the copies of this documents must retain all copyright information and other information regarding legal protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the document in public, to perform, distribute or otherwise use the document in public. By using this particular document, you accept the above-stated conditions of use. URGESCHICHTE DER NAVIGATION SEEFAHRER DES EISZEITALTERS V ON M IC HAEL A. R APPENGL Ü CK Unsere Urahnen im Eiszeitalter waren keineswegs »wasserscheu < < und nur »Landratten<<. Sie gingen bisweilen, was neue Forschungen belegen, ganz gerne >>Zur See<< und >>auf große Fahrt<<. Wie sie sich auf dem Wasser bewegten und an ihre Zielorte gelangten, davon handelt diese Studie. Wege übers weite Meer-Seefahrten vor Jahrzehntausenden Während der Eiszeiten war ein großer Teil des irdischen Wassers weltweit in den Glet schern gebunden. Daher sank der Meeresspiegel erheblich ab. Den tiefsten Stand erreichte er um 53 000 vh1 und 17000 vh mit 160m unter NN.2 Die Schelfe der Kontinente, der Inseln in den Meeren und der ein oder andere unterseeische Tafelberg lagen trocken. Die ver größerten Inselländer in den Meeren erlaubten den Menschen der Urgeschichte, manche Meerespassage mittels einfacher Wasserfahrzeuge im Zuge eines >> Insel-Hüpfens« zu mei stern. Der in jenen Epochen gegenüber heute erheblich tiefer liegende Meeresspiegel erleichterte es, über die Passage kurzer Seewege erneut Land zu betreten. Zwischen 13 000 und 11 000 vh befuhren Menschen vom Typ Homo sapiens sapiens das Mittelmeer.3 Auch andernorts auf dem Globus war man damals auf hoher See unterwegs: 13 000 oder 12 000 vh wurde die Insel Kyushu Qapan) über das Meer hinweg besiedelt.4 Zwi schen 11 000 und 9000 vh erreichten Menschen die Inseln San Miguel (um 10 000 vh), San Clemente (um 9700 vh) und die Channel Islands (Kalifornien, Nordamerika).5 Das zuletzt genannte Eiland liegt etwa 88 km von der Küste entfernt, von ihr allseits durch ca. 700 m tie fes Wasser getrennt. Die Nachbarinsel Santa Catalina befindet sich immerhin noch 40 km nördlich. Seefahrten unternahm man damals auch in der Karibik.6 In Südamerika (Fundort: Ring in Peru) wagten sich die Menschen zwischen 10 000 und 7500 vh immer mit Blick zur Küste auf das offene Meer/ Manche Anzeichen deuten darauf hin, daß beide amerikanische Kontinente während der vergangenen Jahrtausende und Jahrzehntausende nicht nur über Land-, sondern auch über See-und Flußwege besiedelt wurden.8 Vielleicht gab es in der Zeit von 11 000 bis 9500 vh sogar Kontakte zwischen Südamerika und Europa, eine Vermu tung, die seltsam ähnliche und gleich alte Höhlenbilder beiderseits des Atlantiks nahelegen.9 Es gab jedoch noch fr ühere Seefahrten, wie die Forschung in den vergangenen Jahren belegen konnte. Von der Insel Hokkaido Qapan) aus gelangte man zwischen 20 000 und 15 000 vh über die Tsugaru-Straße, die in den vergangenenJahrzehntausenden immer Was ser führte, nach Honshu Qapan).10 Die Insel Okinawa Qapan) wurde um 32 000 vh über eine Meerespassage von wenigstens 100 km erreicht.11 Die hohen Fähigkeiten der Seefahrer des Eiszeitalters, sich auf dem Meer (und auf dem Land) zu orientieren, lassen sich eigentlich erst richtig würdigen, wenn man berücksichtigt, daß Gruppen von Menschen den Kontinent Sahul (Australien, Neuguinea, Tasmanien)
Symbolon, 2014
Zu den grundlegenden Bedingungen der menschlichen Existenz gehört es, sich in Lebensräumen einzur... more Zu den grundlegenden Bedingungen der menschlichen Existenz gehört es, sich in Lebensräumen einzurichten - zu wohnen - oder an außergewöhnlichen Orten besondere Seinserfahrungen zu erreichen. Beides ist seit alters her mit Symbolen, Mythen und Riten verbunden. In ihnen wird einerseits die Wahrnehmung von Ordnungen in Raum und Zeit, der Umgang mit ihnen, aber auch das Übersteigen dieser Strukturen thematisiert. Der Aufbau, die Gliederung und die Gewichtung des Lebensraumes sowie die Einordnung in ihn wurden in den Kulturen seit alters her und weltweit, symbolisch und mythisch, ausgedrückt wie auch rituell begleitet. Ob Landschaft, Zeltlager, Haus, Kulthöhle oder Heiligtum: Es war geordnet und gestaltete Raum-Zeit - ein Kosmos -, in den menschliches Leben sich einbetten ließ und vom dem her es seinen „Horizont“, sein „Zentrum“ und seine „Orientierung“, eine Sinnstruktur erhielt. Archäologische und ethnologische Befunde weltweit zeigen, dass seit dem Paläolithikum Kosmovisionen eine bedeutsame Rolle im Leben der Menschen spielen. Es scheint für sie fundamental notwendig zu sein, die Welt in symbolischen Deutungssystemen zu erfassen, die eine Integration und Orientierung innerhalb sich verändernder Ökosphären ermöglichen. Diese waren auch wichtig, um grundlegende menschliche Fragen nach dem Warum und Wozu von Mensch und Welt zu beantworten. Kosmovisionen des Weltgehäuses, präsentiert an den Beispielen von Höhle, Heiligtum und Haus, können als holistische, vielschichtige Modelle evolvierender menschlicher Ökosysteme aufgefasst werden, die in symbolischer Sprache helfen, die Welt „wohnlich“ zu machen, aber auch sie zu transzendieren.
The aquatic world plays an essential part in ecosystems. On the earth it provides the fertilizing... more The aquatic world plays an essential part in ecosystems. On the earth it provides the fertilizing, vital basis for life. Devastating giant flooding, however, has been destructive and fatal for certain cultures. Archaic people identified the realm of the water world as the primeval and lasting cosmic ocean, which surrounds and intersperses the world. The respective land ("the earth") and the celestial bodies emerged out of the cosmic sea, both swimming there as the first "aquatics". People identified different species of the celestial fauna and flora as having counterparts in the earthly water world, with the moon, single stars and asterisms, open star clusters, zodiacal star patterns, shooting stars, the Milky Way, and the cosmological structure. Ancient cultures, especially those whose subsistence was based mainly on fishing and navigation, often correlated their time reckonings using lunar cycles and star phases with the rhythms of the water realm (e.g. tides, ...
Introduction: Some 30 years ago a metallic, silvery gleaming boulder weighting 8 kg (Fig. 1) was ... more Introduction: Some 30 years ago a metallic, silvery gleaming boulder weighting 8 kg (Fig. 1) was excavated near the town of Grabenstätt on Lake Chiemsee in Bavaria. As an enigmatic object of completely unknown origin the private finder bequeathed it to the family where it fell into oblivion.
Convex cut mirrors manufactured from the volcanic glass obsidian had been known since Neolithic t... more Convex cut mirrors manufactured from the volcanic glass obsidian had been known since Neolithic time (7400/7100 to about 6200 BCE) in Çatalhöyük, Turkey. A Herschelian type telescope made with an obsidian mirror (12 cm) allowed to see the Moon"s craters sharp and distinct, the phases of Venus as well as the discs of Venus and Jupiter. The moons of Jupiter however are not visible due to the low degree of reflection of the used obsidian mirror. A specimen with a much better reflection or a bigger one would result in improved views of celestial objects. The paper reports on the making of the telescope and its potential application. Moreover, as a general basis, the study addresses the prehistory and symbolism of mirrors, with special focus on a possible assignment for skywatching.
Birds played an important role in the cosmographies and cosmovisions of ancient cultures all over... more Birds played an important role in the cosmographies and cosmovisions of ancient cultures all over the world. Evidences are given by artifacts, symbols, myths, and rituals. People studied carefully the body, the behavior, and the phenology of birds. Thereof they associated certain species to the luminaries, special celestial phenomena, archaic calendars, orientation and navigation, social, political, religious, cosmological and cosmogonical conceptions.
The Chiemgau strewn field in the Alpine Foreland discovered in the early new millennium comprises... more The Chiemgau strewn field in the Alpine Foreland discovered in the early new millennium comprises more than 80 mostly rimmed craters in a roughly elliptically shaped area with axes of about 60 km and 30 km. The crater diameters range between a few meters and a few hundred meters. Geologically, the craters occur in Pleistocene moraine and fluvio-glacial sediments. The craters and surrounding areas so far investigated in more detail are featuring heavy deformations of the Quaternary cobbles and boulders, abundant fused rock material (impact melt rocks and various glasses), shock-metamorphic effects, and geophysical anomalies. The impact is substantiated by the abundant occurrence of metallic, glass and carbon spherules, accretionary lapilli, and of strange matter in the form of iron silicides like gupeiite and xifengite, and various carbides like, e.g., moissanite SiC. The hitherto established largest crater of the strewn field is Lake Tüttensee exhibiting an 8 m-height rim wall, a ri...
Carbynes and DLC in naturally occurring carbon matter from the Alpine Foreland, South-East German... more Carbynes and DLC in naturally occurring carbon matter from the Alpine Foreland, South-East Germany: Evidence of a probable new impactite S. Isaenko (1), T. Shumilova (1), K. Ernstson (2), S. Shevchuk (1), A. Neumair (3), and M. Rappenglück (3) (1) Institute of Geology Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation ([email protected]), (2) Faculty of Philosophy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany ([email protected]), (3) Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Gilching, Germany ([email protected]) Unusual carbonaceous matter (UCM) in the form of mostly centimeter-sized lumps and cobbles has been sampled in the southeast Bavarian Alpine Foreland. It is a highly porous blackish material with a glassy luster on freshly crushed surfaces. In some cases aerodynamically shaped cobbles like volcanic bombs were sampled. The material is unknown from any industrial or other anthropogenic processes and thus appears to have a natural origin, which is underlined by findings on a small ...
We studied exotic carbon matter from the field composed of amorphous carbon and the monocrystalli... more We studied exotic carbon matter from the field composed of amorphous carbon and the monocrystalline carbyne allotrope ("chaoite"). The required PT conditions (4-6 GPa, 2500-4000 K) are evidence of a formation in a so-far unsettled shock event.
Mäetagused, 2011
Teesid: Tekstikriitilise analüüsi ja teaduslike tõendite alusel näitavad autorid, et Phaetoni müü... more Teesid: Tekstikriitilise analüüsi ja teaduslike tõendite alusel näitavad autorid, et Phaetoni müüt-kurja tegeva taevase sõjavankri müüt-säilitab mälestusi ajavahemikul 2000-428. eKr Baieri Chiemgau piirkonda tabanud tohutust meteoriidist.
THE CZECH REPUBLIC. M. Molnár, K.Ventura, P. Švanda, Z. Štaffen, M.A. Rappenglück K. Ernstson, Re... more THE CZECH REPUBLIC. M. Molnár, K.Ventura, P. Švanda, Z. Štaffen, M.A. Rappenglück K. Ernstson, Resselovo nám. 76, Chrudim 537 01, Czech Republic; [email protected]. University of Pardubice, Czech Republic; [email protected], [email protected]. Vraclav 8, 565 42 Vraclav, Czech Republic; [email protected]. Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Gilching, Germany; [email protected] Faculty of Philosophy 1, University of Würzburg, Germany; [email protected]
In: Lights and Shadows in Cultural Astronomy, Zedda, Mauro Peppino and Belmonte, Juan Aviles (ed.) , pp. 241-249. Isili: Associazione Archeofila Sarda, 2007., 2007
&amp;amp;quot;The existence of caves gave people an excellent reason where to locate the cele... more &amp;amp;quot;The existence of caves gave people an excellent reason where to locate the celestial bodies at the time of their invisibility: They moved through secret realms under the ordinary world, somehow at the &amp;amp;quot;backside&amp;amp;quot; or the interior of the customary perceptible landscape. Caverns made accessible this &amp;amp;quot;subterranean&amp;amp;quot; space-time, wh ich ancient people regarded as a special lounge of the celestial bodies, and other beings. Thus, it is obvious why caverns fascinated people from Palaeolithic epochs to Jules Verne&amp;amp;#x27;s &amp;amp;quot;Voyage au centre de la terre (1864)&amp;amp;quot;: Going into the underground galleries, and following the mighty celestial bodies on their course through the subterranean area, offered a unique possibility to explore the inner structure of the cosmos. Moreover, at another level of understanding, ancient people interpreted the entry into a cavern and the passage through the inner space-time ofthe world as a voyage to the generative interior of an enormous female, representing the Great Mother of the World. They thought that the cosmos and the cave, the outer and the inner structure of the world, run parallel to the physical body and the psychonoetic essence of a human being. Going into a cave then meant not only to travel to the creative realm of the cosmos, but in a figurative sense also to undertake a voyage to the innermost person. It isn&amp;amp;#x27;t surprising that since Palaeolithic time caverns had been regarded as sacred places, were often used as shrines, cult places, or for burials and served as a model ofthe world.&amp;amp;quot;
Among the archaic cosmologic and cosmogonic concepts of cultures worldwide and across time the me... more Among the archaic cosmologic and cosmogonic concepts of cultures worldwide and across time the metaphor of the world as a giant living entity is significant. People cultures considered the universe to be e.g. an animal, a giant human, or an egg. The anatomy of certain creatures, in particular of the human being, served as an excellent model for the world"s spatial construction, time–factored changes and cycles of reproduction. The giant cosmic living being showed a form of metabolism, respiration, and reproduction, appearing e.g. as wind currents, water cycle, seasons, tides, lifecycles of plants, animal, and humans, linked to celestial phenomena. People especially considered heaven and earth to act like the human reproductive organs and identified the cosmos with a giant womb. Moreover, the cosmogonic first and essential dichotomy, which causes the world"s diversities, was compared with a kind of primordial sacrifice of a giant cosmic living entity. People regarded the la...
Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry, 2006
Since the Bronze Age turtles and tortoises were related to a cosmic symbolism by ancient cultures... more Since the Bronze Age turtles and tortoises were related to a cosmic symbolism by ancient cultures in different parts of the world, with a certain concentration in the northern hemisphere. The paper attempts to categorize aspects of the cosmic turtle symbolism, using mainly an ethnoastronomical approach, partly supported by archaeological evidences. As a result a set of concepts can be identified, which are related to cosmologic, cosmogonic, biological, and psychological aspects.
Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 2018
The symbolism of the World Tree has not hitherto been explored from the perspective of possible a... more The symbolism of the World Tree has not hitherto been explored from the perspective of possible astronomical references, despite widespread examples of the concept across the world and attention from various fields of study. The aim of the current study is to respond to that gap, using an interdisciplinary methodology that draws on approaches from comparative mythology, ritual studies, archaeological records, botany and socio-anthropological analysis.
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2014
During the Upper Paleolithic (40–12 ka BP) people used observation-based and early kinds of rule-... more During the Upper Paleolithic (40–12 ka BP) people used observation-based and early kinds of rule-based astronomical systems of time reckoning. Paleolithic versions of almanacs and calendars based on lunar, solar, lunisolar, and sidereal time reckoning are recorded on mobile objects and cave walls. Typical are combinations and synchronizations of astronomical periods with biological cycles of certain animals and the human female.
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Papers by Michael Rappenglueck
EDITORS
A. César González García is currently the president of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC). Based at the Institute of Heritage Sciences in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), his main research lines are centered in the orientation of past cultures buildings, including possible astronomical and landscape relations.
Roslyn M. Frank has been an active member of SEAC since its inception. Her research areas are Basque culture and language, ethnomathemtics and ethnoastronomy, landscape and skyscape studies, as well as European folklore and ethnography.
Lionel D. Sims, B.Sc. (Hons) Salford, M.Sc. LSE, M.Sc. Surrey, M.Sc. UCL, Ph.D. UEL. Head of Anthropology, University of East London (Emeritus). A film of his research, ‘Stonehenge Rediscovered’, was commissioned for National Geographic and distributed world-wide. He uses inter-disciplinary method by integrating archaeology, archaeoastronomy, anthropology and mythology.
Michael A. Rappenglück Dr. rer. nat. (history of sciences, history of astronomy) and M.A. (philosophy); He carried out studies of history of natural sciences, astronomy and systematical theology at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. Since 1990 he is general manager and head of the Adult Center Gilching, Munich, Germany.
Georg Zotti is computer scientist and astronomer, currently working at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology. His key interest in cultural astronomy is the application of computer graphics and virtual environments for research and demonstration of historical astronomical events, building orientation with enclosing landscape etc.
Juan A. Belmonte is Research Professor of Astronomy at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Tenerife, Spain). He was the President of SEAC from 2005 to 2011. In 2012 he received the "Carlos Jaschek" award of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture for his contributions to the discipline. He is advisory editor of the Journal for the History of Astronomy.
Ivan Šprajc Ph.D. in anthropology (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1997), he is head of the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, of the Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Šprajc's interests have been focused on Mesoamerican archaeology and archaeoastronomy.
The new library in Alexandria, Egypt, was chosen as the knowledge transfer site, as the old library once set it. In libraries, the cultures of all times come together, come alive, and continue to affect the future. It is about the transmission of knowledge and very much about the encounter of people.
The European Society for the Role of Astronomy in Culture
(SEAC), founded in 1992, is committed to studying Cultural Astronomy (with its sub-disciplines and in interaction with neighbouring sciences).
The 17th annual conference took place from 25 to 31 October
2009 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) host. It was about the following topics: Megalithic Phenomena in the ancient Mediterranean and beyond - Archeoastronomy in the ancient Mediterranean and beyond - Eastern Mediterranean Astronomy (Egypt, Greece, and Rhodes) - Astronomy at the Ancient Bibliotheca of Alexandria - Astronomy in Old Europe - Astronomy in Middle Ages - Islamic Astronomy - Copernicus and Galileo Galilei Revolutions - Babylonian Astronomy - Mesoamerican and Pacific Astronomy - Minoan Civilisation Astronomy - Traditional African Astronomy - Other Topics in Cultural Astronomy. More than lectures, including invited ones, were given. Almost 80 presentations, including some invited, were given. This volume contains contributions (peer-reviewed) from them.
http://www.hs.uni-hamburg.de/DE/GNT/events/Archaeo-HH-2017.php
Wir laden Sie herzlich ein, Ihre Beiträge aus den Themenkreisen Archäoastronomie und Ethnoastronomie, aber auch Geschichte der Astronomie vorzutragen und zu diskutieren. Thematik der Vorträge: Die Vorträge, Kurzvorträge und Poster können sich entweder auf das Tagungsthema beziehen oder auch einen anderen Fokus im Bereich der Kulturastronomie haben (Archäoastronomie, Ethnoastronomie, Geschichte der Astronomie); ferner kann die Methodik dieser Fachgebiete diskutiert werden, insbesondere Bezüge der Kulturastronomie zu anderen Fachgebieten (z.B. Archäologie, Anthropologie, Architektur, Kunst, Metrologie, Philosophie, Religionswissenschaften, Soziologie, Vermessungskunde). Es ist geplant, die Vorträge in einem Proceeding-Band zu veröffentlichen, und zwar in der Reihe Nuncius Hamburgensis, Band 42 (2018): http://www.hs.uni-hamburg.de/DE/GNT/research/nuncius.php.