Northern Labyrinths as Navigation Network Elements

Herzen State Pedagogical University, St-Petersburg, Russia 

Northern labyrinths can be found in England, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia. They are located on isles, peninsulas, near harbors and in river mouths. Their picture is complicated but organized. In terms of structure, there are unispiral, bispiral, concentric and radial types. In terms of outer shape circles, ovals, rarely squares (Yeliseyev 1883, Vinogradov 1927, Gurina 1948, Kuratov 2008, Kem 2000). 

Hypotheses about the designation of stone labyrinths can be divided into two groups calendar and non-calendar. It should be noted that despite aU the diversity of facts of non-calendar use, most part of them is often associated with time and stage of life. 

Author s concept of a lah)Tinth -gnomon technology solves the problem of the calendar use, and is consistent with aU elements of a wide range of symbolic interpretation of the signs of the labyrinth and Labrys. 

The objects of study were the monuments of ancient material culture of European Russia (siedis, menhirs, stone labyrinths, petroglyphs). From 2009 to 2013 

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