Kokino Megalithic Observatory

Location of Kokino Kokino - megalithic observatory Kokino is located in the area of ​​the municipality of Staro Nagoricane. The observatory is at a distance of about 75 km from Skopje, ie 35 km from Kumanovo. An asphalt road leads to it, and the last 500 meters have to be walked to reach the observatory. It is located on the top of "Taticev Kamen", at an altitude of 1,030 meters.

Discovery of Kokino The Kokino Observatory was discovered by accident in 2001. by Bulgarian and Macedonian archaeologists. In 2002. The excavations were started by the National Museum in Kumanovo. It is dated to 1800. BC, ie the Early Bronze Age, and covers an area of ​​5,000 square meters. The Kokino Megalithic Observatory is located on a neovolcanic hill. The rocks were created by the hardening of lava, which erupted from a volcanic crater. Time and erosion made slits and some of those slits were the main markers through which the cycles of the Sun and the Moon were tracked and time was measured. The seven stone markers in the past marked the places where the Sun and the Moon rose.

And that in the periods of short day, flat day and long day, as well as their deviations. The sun, in fact, only on the equinoxes - on March 21 and September 21 - rises exactly to the east and sets exactly to the west. Then, there is a gradual deflection of up to 45 degrees.

Sunrise sites are covered by natural markers of megalithic rocks in Kokino. They point out that sunrises in the same place on the Sun are repeated at 18.6 years. Probably some members of the tribal community had the task of following the movements of celestial bodies on a daily basis and making calendars. They then used them to determine the days for rituals, as well as to begin seasonal work in agriculture and animal husbandry. The Kokino Observatory is located on two stepped platforms from which the planets were monitored. Traces of several objects and parts of ceramics were found on the upper platform.

Archaeological finds in Kokino

According to the findings of the archaeologists at the Kokino site, there were no habitats, but the Kokino Observatory was also a sanctuary. Objects intended for their deities were placed in the crevices of the rocks. There is also a kind of throne on the site, where the elders and leaders of the tribe probably sat. During the discovery of the site, numerous artifacts were found (ceramic plates, amphorae vessels, stone axes, etc.). A large number of artifacts have been discovered in special archeological sites. Kokino has a dominant position on the hill above the immediate surroundings. Occupies a large radius of visibility from its top. The peak can be reached on a gentle slope illuminated by the sun on its southeast side. Archaeological sites and topographic features confirm its use as a mountain sanctuary, where the Bronze Age inhabitants of the surrounding area performed some "mountain" rituals.

Almost all the archeological artifacts were found on the highest part of the site and a little below, on the northern slope of the hill. During the archeological excavations, two types of ritual structures were identified: ritual pits and circular stone structures. The finding of a funnel-shaped container indicates that libation was also used. Many of the archeological finds from Kokino date from the Early Bronze Age (21-17 BC) as well as the Late Bronze Age (14-11 BC). Finds dating to the Middle Bronze Age are much rarer.

Recent archaeological excavations

Archaeological excavations in recent years have revealed traces of an Iron Age settlement (7th century BC) erected on the southern slope of the hill. This is key evidence that the site was not used as a sanctuary after that, although it may have continued to be used as an observatory. Archaeological finds found in ritual pits and circular stone structures are ceramic vessels and their fragments. Hand mills for cereals, pyramidal weights, spindle vertebrae, molds for casting bronze objects, stone axes, etc. were also found.

Small votive ceramic figurines with representations of human body parts and domestic animals are also placed in the ritual constructions. About 100 ritual pits were found on the site, formed around natural cracks in the walls, by enclosing the opening of the gap with finer stone mixed with earth, and sometimes with clay. Archaeological artifacts are found at the bottom of the pits, covered with earth and finer stone. The opening of the pits filled in this way was fenced with stone slabs that do not originate from the site.

Circular stone constructions of Kokino The circular stone constructions consist of circularly arranged larger natural crushed stones with a circle diameter of 1-2 m. After placing the gifts in the central part of the circle, the deposit is covered with earth and finer stone. The ancient Kokino Observatory (or Kokino Megalithic Observatory) is one of the most interesting sites in the area. The space used for this purpose is oriented in the direction west - east. It consists of a lower, western and higher, eastern platform (A and B), with a height difference of about 19 m. among them, as well as the western and northern astronomical platforms (C and D). Platforms A and B were used for ritual actions.

They are monitored from platform C, through appropriate markers. These are the sunrises in the days of the summer solstice and the winter solstice. The markers for minimum and maximum declination of the full moon at sunrise, in winter and in summer, give the Kokino Observatory a special meaning.

The prehistoric inhabitants of this area knew that, on the same calendar day, the same phase of the moon appears at the same place on the horizon every 19 years. Astronomical research has shown that the astronomical platform C and the markers were made in the second half of the 19th century. before n. e. Based on the recording of full moon rises, prehistoric observers of the sky above Kokino have developed a calendar with a cycle of 19 years. Creating a calendar is a great achievement for prehistoric inhabitants. It is a testament to the good organization of life and their spiritual culture.