Archaeoastronomical Sites by Country 2024

Humans all across the world have been fascinated by the cosmos for tens of thousands of years. And while some might think the practice of astronomy and celestial observation is a modern one, there's plenty of evidence that ancient people watched the skies, too. Archaeological evidence reveals this fact in many sites around the world.

Mexico has the most documented archaeoastronomical sites, with 19. These include the temple of Dzibilchaltun, built to allow the sun to shine directly through one window and out another on the first day of spring. The United States is home to the second-highest number of sites, with 17, ranging from "America's Stonehenge" in New Hampshire to Ohio's Serpent Mound to numerous aspects of Native American life at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. The United Kingdom rounds out the top three, with the internationally famous Stonehenge leading the pack. This is just one of 11 documented sites, which also feature a prehistoric mound tomb that features a distinctive quartz stone that's lit by the sun on the summer solstice. India (10), Ireland (9), and Peru (7, including Machu Picchu) also have significant numbers of archaeoastronomical sites.

More than a dozen countries have just a single archaeoastronomical site. Russia, Turkey, Kenya, Colombia, Syria, and the Netherlands are all on this list. A handful more have just two or three. Noteworthy examples include Saudi Arabia's Kaaba, a stone building in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, and the striking ancient temple complex at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

It's vital to remember that this data only covers discovered, documented archaeoastronomical sites. It's entirely possible that substantial numbers of locations in nations with large numbers of sites may still be unknown. Likewise, it's possible that the many countries that have no documented sites may have one or more that have since been destroyed or haven't been revealed.