There’s an interesting stone circle at Hastevadet, Sweden, that appears to pose some questions concerning design, execution and intent. I don’t know if the monument has been restored (badly?), but taking it at face value it appears not to be circular at all, but a potential square. However, the sides appear not to be straight lines, and present the following possibility - a demonstration of squaring the circle?
![]()
Naturally, with knowledge of Egyptian forays in this direction, one might expect that the ratio of diameter to side of square would be approximately 9:8. There is, then, an intriguing consequence - and it may just be coincidence.
I understand that the structure dates to the Iron Age, during which time there was a European unit of measure that I refer to as the Northern Foot of some 13.2 inches (occasionally referred to on the forum as the Saxon Foot) - a length also known to the Indus Valley civilisation and appearing on some Egyptian measuring rods.
The dimensions of the Hastevadet ‘circle’ present the possibility that the diameter might have been 45 Northern Feet and the sides of square 40 such feet.
I know of no other such monument in megalithic Europe, so it would be risky to generalise, but I continue to wonder whether archaeologists are simply blinkered to the possibility that people who designed circular monuments for 2,500 years knew a few things about circle properties and geometry or they just don’t care to investigate, this being altogether too ‘fringe’ and therefore risky to careers and reputations.
Naturally, with knowledge of Egyptian forays in this direction, one might expect that the ratio of diameter to side of square would be approximately 9:8. There is, then, an intriguing consequence - and it may just be coincidence.
I understand that the structure dates to the Iron Age, during which time there was a European unit of measure that I refer to as the Northern Foot of some 13.2 inches (occasionally referred to on the forum as the Saxon Foot) - a length also known to the Indus Valley civilisation and appearing on some Egyptian measuring rods.
The dimensions of the Hastevadet ‘circle’ present the possibility that the diameter might have been 45 Northern Feet and the sides of square 40 such feet.
I know of no other such monument in megalithic Europe, so it would be risky to generalise, but I continue to wonder whether archaeologists are simply blinkered to the possibility that people who designed circular monuments for 2,500 years knew a few things about circle properties and geometry or they just don’t care to investigate, this being altogether too ‘fringe’ and therefore risky to careers and reputations.