Orientation studies have recently received considerable attention in the archaeological domain as a source of information that may shed light on a number of anthropologi- cal issues, such as belief systems or landscape and territory understanding by past cultures. This is especially important in those cultural contexts, such as the megalithic phenomena, where there are no written sources. Megalithic monument orientations can in many instances be explained only within an astronomical context, as has been shown by extensive archaeoastronomical fieldwork surveys and by statistical approaches to the problem.

This work has been partially financed within the framework of the projects P/309307 Arqueoastronomía of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and Orientatio ad sidera III (AYA2011-26759) of the Spanish MINECO. ACGG is Ramón y Cajal researcher of MINECO. AP would like to acknowledge the support of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.

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