Archaeologists working in a remote, high-altitude pass of the Pyrenees Mountains have announced the discovery of a remarkably preserved megalithic observatory dating back to 2,000 BCE. The site consists of a circular stone enclosure with a series of upright granite slabs specifically positioned to track the summer and winter solstices, as well as the rising of specific star clusters associated with early European agricultural cycles.
The excavation team from the University of Toulouse uncovered a central altar containing ritual offerings of charred grains and small copper figurines, suggesting the site served both a scientific and spiritual function for the Bronze Age communities of the region. This find is particularly significant as it provides the first physical evidence of complex astronomical knowledge among the nomadic pastoralists of the high Pyrenees, predating the arrival of Celtic influences by over a millennium.