Augusta Emerita and the Major Lunar Standstill of 24 BC

Augusta Emerita, today Merida, in Spain, was a Roman town founded in 25 BC by Titus Publius Carisius, legate of Augustus, for the veterans discharged after Cantabrian wars. Here we are considering a possible astronomical orientation of this Roman town. Its decumanus has an alignment almost coincident to the moonrise azimuth on a major lunar standstill. In fact, 24 BC was a year of major lunar standstill. From 24 BC to 25 BC the maximum declination of the moon changed from 28.55 degrees to 28.32 degrees, and then, as we can see by simulations, the northern and southern moonrise azimuths are varying of a very small quantity. The coincidence of the date of foundation to a year close to a major lunar standstill reinforces the possibility that the decumanus of this town was deliberately designed with this specific astronomical orientation.

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