Anne Macaulay facts for kids

Anne Macaulay (born March 11, 1924 – died 1998) was a Scottish expert in music, a writer, and a speaker. She studied how music works and its history.

About Anne Macaulay

Anne Macaulay was born in Aithernie, Fife, Scotland. This was near the Lundin Links standing stones. She was the youngest child of Alison and Sir David Russell. Her family later moved to Silverburn.

During the Second World War, Anne went to St Leonards School in St Andrews. After that, she briefly studied at the University of Edinburgh. She then traveled to South Africa. There, she learned how to fly an aeroplane.

Her brother, Patrick Russell, passed away around this time. Anne went with her father to Istanbul, Turkey. Her father had helped pay for an archaeological dig there. In Istanbul, she met Bill Macaulay. He was a curator at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. He was also an expert in mosaics and Byzantine art.

In 1953, Anne and Bill got married. They moved to Johnsburn House in Balerno, near the Pentland Hills. They had five children together. Anne became very interested in playing the classical guitar. She became very good at it.

Her Research and Discoveries

Her love for guitar led her to Pythagorean mathematics. This is an ancient way of thinking about numbers and their connection to music. She wondered how these ideas related to music. This sparked her interest in stone circles and prehistoric geometry. She started reading the work of Alexander Thom. He was a famous engineer who studied ancient stone circles.

For several years, Anne re-examined much of Thom's work. She traveled widely to places like Turkey, Malta, Egypt, Greece, and all over the British Isles. She was looking for more proof of Thom's ideas.

After her marriage ended in 1971, Anne spent 17 years organizing her research. She had collected a lot of information. Other experts and musicians learned about her work. These included Professor Jay Kappraff and Keith Critchlow. She gave talks at conferences in the United States and the UK. In 1994, the University of Edinburgh gave her an honorary award.

Anne Macaulay was interested in many topics. These included the origin of the alphabet and the history of the guitar. She also studied the Greek god Apollo and ancient Pythagorean mysteries. She was a trustee for the Salisbury Centre in Edinburgh. She also gave lectures for the Research into Lost Knowledge Organization (RILKO). Anne passed away in 1998. Her family said she "uncovered the truth as easily as drinking a cup of tea."

Megalithic Measures and Rhythms

After Anne Macaulay passed away, her work was put together and published in 2006. Vivian T. Linacre and Richard A. Batchelor helped with this. Linacre is a surveyor from Perth, Scotland. Batchelor is a geologist and researcher at the University of St Andrews.

Their book looked closely at the shapes and measurements of over 180 stone circles. These circles were first surveyed by Alexander Thom. Anne Macaulay used the megalithic yard and the megalithic rod to measure them. These were ancient units of measurement.

Anne believed that the ancient Greek Fathom was similar to the megalithic rod. The Greek Fathom was about 2.072 meters long. She also thought that many ancient stone structures used a "third yardstick" length. This was one Greek Foot, which was about 0.296 meters. It was also one seventh of a megalithic rod. However, some experts like Jay Kappraff noted that there wasn't a standard "foot" unit in ancient Greece.

Anne Macaulay suggested that a smart culture of bards or druids grew in Britain. This happened after new farming methods arrived around 5000 BC. She thought these people could figure out Pythagorean mathematics. They did this by listening to harmonious musical sounds played on ancient Lyres. Anne believed these math ideas were then used to build stone circles. She also thought these ideas were later shared with Greece through the tin trade.