This is a calendar based on the cycles of the sun and the moon. It  reads like a clock .  The 12:00 position is the winter solstice.  6 o'clock is the summer solstice.  The equinoxes are 3 and 9 o'clock.

This calendar begins at the upcoming winter solstice Dec 21, 2026, and ends at the winter solstice 2027.  The circle of rocks identifies when the 13 full moons  will occur  during  the solar year.   A good observer of lunar phases can identify the date to the day.

The rocks depicting the moons differ in size, reflecting the macro moons that will occur during the winter, and the  micro moons we will experience during the summer months.  Aphelion and Perihelion, when the earth is closest to and furthest from at the sun, are identified by the rocks at the 12:30 and 6:30 position outside the circle.

The calendar is divided into 8 equal periods.  2 solstice periods, the 2 equinox periods, and the four mixed times between these.  

This calendar is based on direct observation of the solar and phases of the moon.    It acknowledges that the orbits of the earth and the moon are both elliptical.   It recognizes the location of aphelion and perihelion in the earth's elliptical orbit.  

This  primitive device  can be created without special tools.   Yet it is accurate to the day.   The user becomes intimate with the phases of the moon and the cycle of the earth.

Aphelion and Perihelion rotate clockwise about every 20,000 years, which works out to a little over a day during the average human life.  The combination the full moons, the pattern of macro and micro moons, and the location of Aphelion and Perihelion is highly unique.  An archeologist finding this calendar 10,000 years from now could identify the year depicted by this calendar by using only these three variables.   Further variable such as eclipses or comets could add another level of specificity to this calendar.

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