Uriel Machine

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An Uriel machine is an example of a solar declinometer first proposed by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas in their 1999 book Uriel's Machine. Using a seven-step algorithm, two sighting rods and a number of wooden posts, an individual can build a simple solar observatory over the course of nine months that tracks the course of the Sun, Moon and Venus, and can predict equinoxes and solstices irrespective of latitude^[1]. The nomenclature is derived from a character of the same name in the Book of Enoch, who warns Enoch about the impending flood, giving him instructions for building a form of solar observatory by teaching him the movement of the Sun against the horizon over a period of time, which Enoch then records in detail in the Book of the Heavenly Luminaries.

1 Evidence for the theory from the book
2 Construction
3 Proposed uses
4 Comments
5 See also
6 References
7 Sources
8 External links

Evidence for the theory from the book

In Masonic mythology there are many references to seven, which could refer to seven cometary fragments, although it is not clear why Masons should have any relevance to supposed events in prehistory, apart from the fact the Freemasonry claims a mythical history which began before the Biblical Flood. These seven cometary fragments are described in the book as hitting the earth in prehistory causing tsunamis. The authors then link this to the the work of geologists Edith and Alexander Tollmann^[2]. Their work proposes a series of meteors hitting the earth over the last 10,000 years, especially circa 7640 BC. Their evidence and the growing counter-evidence is discussed in the article Tollmann's hypothetical bolide. The book proposes that stellar observatories (such as the first wooden Stonehenge) in Britain show sufficient knowledge to be able to predict such cometary impacts. Stonehenge appears to be a stellar and perhaps lunar predicting observatory, not a device for detecting one-off events but was capable of doing both functions. If rituals at Stonehenge involved stargazing (plausible but unproved) there is then the opportunity for an anomalous object to be spotted far more quickly. However spotting an unusual stellar object is a long way from determining that it is a meteor, and even further away from predicting its impact point and time, something that is only just being achieved with any accuracy in the 20th Century. The authors then quote textual evidence from the book of Enoch. There are also other coincidences made between Enoch and astronomy; for example, it is said he lived 365 years, which could be a reference to a year (365.25 days). It is also said that he knew what sacrifices to make during different times of the year, which is at odds with the Jewish lunar calendar. It is suggested that chambers found in Britain might have been attempts to build shelters to be sealed against Tsunami that would have been caused by a cometary impact in the sea - there is also the possibility that existing souterrains could have been used. Current archaeological thought dates souterains as late Iron Age, some 9,600 years after the supposed impact event. Archaeologists and most astronomers have been extremely skeptical about this theory. Prof Archie Roy, an astronomer and Robert Lomas gave a joint talk about technological possibilities in Megalithic society at the 2000 Orkney International Science potentially giving the theory some credence, however their specialties are not known. It has been suggested that artifacts like the Nebra skydisk are a solar calendar and therefore perhaps solar calendars could be built in the Bronze Age. The timing of the proposed event is many millennia prior. It is an acknowledged fact that the technology needed to detect meteors prior to Earth impact is difficult even for modern humans, but with highly luminous objects, such as comets, the problem is much more tractable.

Construction

An Uriel Machine is a circular construction of a number of wooden posts, with the Observer standing in the circle's centre. The position of the posts around the diameter will differ depending on the latitude of the location, as the position of the Sun against the horizon will be different. Thus, a Machine is constructed in situ following a simple set of rules over a period of nine months.

Proposed uses

The machine predicts standard solar events and thus can be used as a calendar for deducing the current day of the year to discern optimal times for planting and harvesting crops, or for discerning when ritual days are approaching.

Comments

As this is a theory from a newly emerging discipline (archaeoastronomy) it is controversial and there has been a mixed response as to its plausibility. There are very few experts with experience in both archaeology and astronomy, and of these none so far have adopted this theory. "A plausible explanation of how prehistoric societies could have developed astronomical observatories such as Stonehenge for practical reasons." ~ Sunday Times "I believe that the astronomical basis of this book is sufficiently flawed as to render any conclusions that the authors draw from it to be highly suspect." ~ Stephen Tonkin^[3]