Astronomical Megalith of the Jato Valley
The Astronomical Megalith of the Jato Valley , called " U Campanaru " or " the stone where the sun is born ", is one of the best examples Sicilians of prehistoric clock .
The area of the Jato Valley, in the area of the Sicani Mountains, is a territory of great archaeological interest in which the presence of man has been found since the Neolithic. The prehistoric megalith in sandstone, which stands on Mount Arcivocalotto, served as a real astronomical calendar.
The megalith has a triangular shape, and has a length of approximately 4 meters, a height of 3 and a thickness of 1 , 5 meters on the ground. At the center of the lithic slab there is an artificial hole that has a diameter of about 2 meters. The side facing west is almost vertical, at the base of it an inclined step has been obtained on which there is an incision representing 4 concentric squares oriented following the axis of the hole.
For 5000 years, on December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the first ray of sunlight of the morning passed silently and precisely in the hole specifically dug, despite the fact that for millennia it had been forgotten by everyone.
In a mirror image, from the perforated stone of Cozzo Perciata, in the locality of Camporeale, sunrise could be observed on the Summer Solstice. Unfortunately, this holed megalith, similar in size to U Campanaru, has now almost completely collapsed since it was struck by lightning about thirty years ago.
A third monument, recently discovered, is oriented towards the garden point of the Sun at the solstice of winter, is visible near Gela.
