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Presentation at the 24th annual conference of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC). ‘The Marriage of Astronomy and Culture: Theory and Method in the Study of Cultural Astronomy’, 12th-16th September 2016, Bath, UK
After more than thirty years of research into this question, it is now clear that unusual units of measure, based on seven and its multiples, structured the laying out of traditional landholdings not only in the Basque Country, but also in France, Normandy, Ireland, Scotland and even England. The question we now face is whether these survivals can be traced back further back in the ethnocultural record of these zones. Taken together these septarian units of measure form what is called the Septarian Package. In this talk, we will see how this metrological Sprachbund and its geographical diffusion can be brought into play to examine cultural conceptualizations and social practices found along the Atlantic Façade and that much earlier might have played a role in the construction of megalithic structures found along the Atlantic Façade, such as Avebury. As we will see, in the Basque Country the septarian units are central to the design of circular figures called saroiak, found scattered across the landscape. They are referred to as ‘seles’ in Spanish and in English as ‘stone octagons’, a term reflecting the curious and quite meticulous way they were laid out. The septarian units of measure also form an integral part of a remarkable coordinate system used in terrestrial and celestial navigation. In sum, all along the Atlantic Façade there is evidence that similar septarian units were employed, suggesting a continuity of metrological practice and more particularly the association of the Septarian Package with agro-pastoral practices. However, exactly how old these septarian units are is still an open question.