Hidden Gems in Black History: Ancient African Cultures’ Contributions To Astronomy

A great deal of our modern knowledge of the universe may be traced back to the astronomical discoveries and advancements achieved by ancient African civilizations. Many of them are cornerstones upon which our modern civilization rests, and the discovery process of some of these is incomprehensible because of how far ahead of its time it was. These accomplishments show that sophisticated societies in sub-Saharan Africa existed long before ancient Egypt. Recognizing the brilliance of these early African civilizations in influencing our view of the cosmos is crucial, yet much of this history is still underappreciated. Egyptians The ancient Egyptians kept exact records of the sun’s, constellations’, and moon’s planetary movements. They created a calendar system with twelve months and thirty-five days. They also used sundial-like clocks and clocks that ran on running water. African Stonehenge An ancient monument called the African Stonehenge was built in what is now Kenya in 300 B.C. In addition to displaying sophisticated astronomical information, this extraordinary site also functioned as an accurate calendar. Located on the western side of Lake Turkana in Kenya, about 50 meters off the Lodwar-Kalokol road, is the outstanding ancient site of Namoratunga, also called Namoratunga II or the Kalokol Pillar...