Landscape, orientation and celestial phenomena on the 'Coast of Death' of NW Iberia.

This article examines the spatial and astronomical relationships of megalithic dolmens in Costa da Morte, Galicia, focusing on how their locations and orientations correspond with specific topographical features and celestial phenomena. Using detailed 2D and 3D horizon profiles generated from LiDAR data and the software Horizon, the study reveals that dolmen orientations cluster predominantly towards the eastern horizon, aligning closely with solar and lunar events such as solstices, equinoxes, and lunar standstills, with statistically significant non-random patterns. The research highlights that eastern horizons tend to be lower, facilitating illumination of dolmen interiors at sunrise, while western horizons are higher and often associated with precise astronomical alignments viewed from the dolmen backstones, which are archaeologically significant as sacred spaces. The findings suggest a complex interplay between landscape, architecture, and astronomy in the placement and design of these monuments, indicating that both eastern and western orientations held distinct cultural meanings related to light, ancestors, and cosmological cycles.