The Evening Equinox Marker
Alan Gillespie and Jon Polansky became acquainted while investigating a Gloria Farley discovery, the Anubis Caves. Barry Fell had translated a long ogam inscription that suggested the site may be a solar observatory. Polansky and Gillespie were part of the investigating team. They confirmed Fell's translation by observation. They decided to investigate Fell's reading of an Arabic inscription from the Inyo location. The above picture is what they discovered.
Eventually, Alan Gillespie published a paper in The Epigraphic Society Occasional Papers. (See epigraphy ) The heliolithic device is remarkably precise in function. It is designed to be read when the solar disk touches the horizon.
There are several aspects of this device that spark curiosity. Foremost, it functions in the evening. This is very unusual for equinox festivals. Usually celebrations are sunrise events. Additionally, each of the six pecked lines is different. They are deeply pecked and with reasonable precision. It is likely that there is a subtle message contained within. Lastly, the inscription appears relatively recent in construction. It does not share the weathering, patination or surface erosion that is present on most other inscriptions on the location.
Although the exact answers have eluded us, there are clues that may allow solution. Directly adjacent is an inscription that Dr. Fell identified as Christian in origin. It shares similar pecking style. It shares similar style in construction. It is deeply pecked and also recent in construction. Recent being defined as not as old as the rest of the work on the site. However, the age of the construct may exceed a thousand years.
The Christian identification is clue as to why the device was designed to work in the evening. The celebration of the Christian feast of Easter is dependent on a combination of solar cycle and lunar cycle. The display is apparently designed to allow for lunar observation.