Researchers at the Römisch-GermanischesPress Zentralmuseum at Mainz in Germany report that the huge early Celtic mound of Magdalenenberg, located nearby Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest, may be an ancient calendar. When archaeologists studied old excavation plans of the site, they found that the burials' placement around the central tomb seems to follow the patterns of constellations of the Northern hemisphere.
     It looks the 100 meter wide burial mound of Magdalenenberg was focused towards the moon. The builders positioned long rows of wooden posts in the burial mound to be able to focus on the Lunar Standstills. These Lunar Standstills happen every 18,6 year and were the 'corner stones' of the Celtic calendar.
     According to the new study, the position of the burials at Magdeleneberg represents constellation patterns visible between Midwinter and Midsummer. With the help of special software, Dr. Allard Mees, researcher at the Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseum, calculated the position of the sky constellations in the early Celtic period and those which were visible at Midsummer. This archaeoastronomical research resulted in a date of Midsummer 618 BCE, which makes it the earliest and most complete example of a Celtic calendar based on the moon.

Edited from Heritage Portal (11 October 2011)