Genesis 5 Part 20: Neolithic Art and Other Stone Circles

This is the final part of my series on Genesis 5. We have looked at the different theories to explain the extended lifespans.

I then unpacked my thoughts on the astronomical and theological concepts I believe are contained in the text.

Now we will look at other archaeological evidence which might support my thesis.

Synodic and Sidereal Imagery

This is Long Meg and her daughters. It is a stone circle found in the North West of England.

Long Meg is the standing stone in the bottom of the image. It is a 12 ft tall monolith. The rock is like an observer, overlooking the ring. If the stone circle represents the Heavens and the Earth, then Long Meg could represent the Creator looking upon Creation.

We have seen how the numbers in Genesis 5 can be laid out into celestial spheres. So we can assume the above stone circle may represent the outer sphere. This is not a huge leap in logic.

In the above image we can see the eye. This is commonly known as a cup and ring mark. These are found all over the ancient neolithic world from Britain to Australia and the Americas.

Here is a close up of the Long Meg’s cup and ring.

Many different interpretations have been suggested, but in the context of Long Meg representing the Creator, then the eye could be a presentation of what the Creator is looking upon, the Celestial Spheres.

This cup and ring mark (or 5 concentric circles ) may represent the 5 celestial spheres of the planets with the 1st Heavens (and Earth) at the centre.

At the top of the image, there is a carved straight line dropping through the circles to the centre. I believe this is either to represent the starting point of Creation. Or, as I laid out in a previous post, the Spirit of God creating each sphere while He descends to the formless Earth.

In my research, I have noted the number of rings vary. Sometimes I have seen them with three rings, which would represent the Third Heavens, Second Heavens, the First Heavens and then the Earth at the centre. Sometimes many more, representing all the celestial spheres. Look at this example of 9 rings and a dip at the centre to represent the Earth.

In the above image of Long Meg there are other marks too. Here is a spiral ‘cup and mark ring’. It is just below and to the right on Long Meg’s eye. It is very eroded.

Here is a better version from the Newgrange Neolithic site in Ireland.

These spiral circles sometimes accompany the ‘cup and ring’ marks. I believe, whereas the latter represents sidereal orbits (circular celestial spheres), the spiral represents synodic orbits. This takes into account the strange retrograde motion of the 5 planets.

The ‘cup and ring’ represents the view from the Creator. While the spiral circle represents the view from the Earth. I believe, the Neolithic people were aware of the tension and contradiction between these two views on how the planets moved in the sky. And tried to resolve them the best way they could.

Coming back to the stone circle, we can see it is more of an oval, rather than a perfect circle. We see this at many sites. It could be that the Neolithic people couldn’t draw a circle. But I would hypothesise that the more flat area denotes the period of retrograde. I need to research this more though.

The Purpose of Stone Circles

I believe a function of these stones was to keep track of time; the days, years and decades. This was imperative in an oral culture where they couldn’t write down the date or physically record when events happened.

From a theological angle, the stones were a reflection of the Heavens and the Neolithic cultures used it to engage with the stars.

Stonehenge

Finally, as with any theory about stone circles, we have to mention Stonehenge. The most iconic stone circle in the World.

The first thing to note is the horseshoe in the centre. Compared to my model, I would say it could be used to track the Sun and Moon.

There are thirty outer stones which in the Genesis 5 model could represent the 30 solar years.

Then there is a large space before you get to the edge. This area could have been used to track the planets.

So Stonehenge could not only be used to track the movement of the Sun and Moon, but it is possible for it to track the planets too.

What’s Next?

Well, to the North of Stonehenge is a rectangular strip of land. It is known as the Curcus. I believe the genealogy in Genesis 11 could help unlock how this may have been used.

So, my next series will be on Genesis 11.