The Megalithic Spiral in Moonlight

From the photographer: “In the vicinity of Maletto, in the locality of Balze Soprane, it is possible to admire an ancient megalithic spiral dating back to the second half of the third millennium BC.
The structure has an external diameter of 5 meters and an internal diameter of approximately 2.6 meters. It is made up of 10 large slabs of lava stone just roughly hewn and placed vertically. The slabs have an average height between 1.4 -1.6 meters, a width of 0.8-0.9 meters and a thickness of about 30 cm. Initially it was thought that this was a funerary structure similar to the Mycenaean tholoi. Subsequently, subsequent studies have shown that this attribution is not correct since there is no real access corridor to a real burial chamber. The most accredited hypothesis is that the structure had a ritual destination perhaps connected to initiatic type ceremonies given the complex access path to the central environment. The archeo astronomer Andrea Orlando carried out some orientation studies of the structure verifying that the access path is oriented at about 273 ° of azimuth. Therefore it is reasonable to imagine that it is oriented with the setting of the sun during the days close to the equinoxes of spring and autumn.

In this image you can see the structure illuminated from within and illuminated by the light of the full Moon aligned with the constellation of Scorpio.”

Technical details: Canon 6d, Canon 8-15mm, f/4, 30 sec, iso 400