10/12/2026
Did you know there's an ancient, Indigenous solstice temple just an hour southeast of Nashville, Tennessee?
Known as Old Stone Fort, it's one of the most important ancient Indigenous sites remaining in North America.
A state archaeological park today, Old Stone Fort is no fort at all. Built roughly 1,500 to 2,000 years ago during the Middle Woodland Period, Indigenous Americans constructed these impressive earthworks as a ceremonial gathering place. The Entrance Complex – a series of six-foot-tall stone walls purposefully covered with earth – was built to align perfectly with the summer solstice sunrise on the longest day of the year. Following the entrance walk leads to the Enclosed Grounds, a beautiful flat 50-acre area surrounded by the same stone/earthen walls.
Archaeological evidence points to the area seeing great generational use for around 500 years. For comparison, the United States has existed for less than half that time. But when European colonization arrived, this site was long abandoned. These Europeans are responsible for the misnomer of "Old Stone Fort," as they assumed the site was a fortification built by even earlier immigrants or some other long lost civilization. Other theories pointed to similarities to Celtic and Viking earthworks that also celebrated solstice events.
But we know today that the solstices were celebrated by ancient human populations across the planet. This worldwide practice was, in many ways, a universal language – one that marked the changing of the seasons and the natural cycles of life in a time when humanity's survival hinged directly on each.
