Ancient Swedish Goths had surprisingly accurate calendars

A team of archaeologists and astrophysicists discovered that the ancient Swedish Goths had an exceptionally accurate calendar system, which they used to determine the dates of their midwinter sacrifices. The calendar was based on precise measurements of the moon and the sun, and it was used to mark the eight-year cycle of sacrifices. The discovery was made by Goran Henriksson, an astrophysicist who studied the alignment of poles in the burial mounds near Uppsala, Sweden. The poles were oriented toward the full moon and the rising sun, and they were used to determine the exact dates of the sacrifices. The calendar was so precise that it could measure the phases of the moon to six digits of accuracy. The sacrifices were held every eight years, and they were believed to be necessary for the gods to ensure order and good times for the next eight years. The burial mounds, which are now surrounded by a large plain, were less than half a mile from the Baltic Sea at the time, and the sea level was 19.5 meters higher than it is today. The sun's rays were reflected in the sea on both sides of the posts, and the shadows from the posts were aligned with the rows, creating a precise way to determine the correct date for the sacrifices. The discovery suggests that the Goths had an advanced understanding of astronomy and had a sophisticated calendar system that was more precise than the Catholic Church's later calendar.

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