Product Description
Exploring Ancient Skies brings together the methods of archaeology and the insights of modern astronomy to explore the science of astronomy as it was practiced in various cultures prior to the invention of the telescope. The book reviews an enormous and growing body of literature on the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, the Far East, and the New World (particularly Mesoamerica), putting the ancient astronomical materials into their archaeological and cultural contexts.

The authors begin with an overview of the field and proceed to essential aspects of naked-eye astronomy, followed by an examination of specific cultures. The book concludes by taking into account the purposes of ancient astronomy: astrology, navigation, calendar regulation, and (not least) the understanding of our place and role in the universe.Skies are recreated to display critical events as they would have appeared to ancient observers -- events such as the supernova of 1054, the 'lion horoscope' or the 'Star of Bethlehem.'

Exploring Ancient Skies provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between astronomy and other areas of human investigation.It will be useful as a reference for scholars and as a text for students in both astronomy and archaeology, and will be of compelling interest to readers who seek a broad understanding of our collective intellectual history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Explorers of ancient calendars and sacred geometry, take note
One of these days, if gas prices aren't too high, I hope to make a trip to Calgary to meet Kelley and Milone. William Sullivan (author of The Secret of the Incas) urged me to ante up for this terribly expensive book. It is phenomenal.

The authors are teachers/researchers (Kelley an archaeologist of the Maya, and Milone a professor of astronomy and physics) who have worked together with students over more than 25 years as they prepared this text. It includes everything you would ever want to know about naked-eye sky observation. The "naked eye" part is the key. No telescopes. Simply a history of the methods, tools and ritual objects/architectures related to recording what was observed in the sky and how those observations might have been interpreted.

I was impressed to find among the color plates a photo of a calendrically-aligned sun pyramid brought to the attention of researchers by Sullivan and his colleagues in Peru. Also included are references to "mavericks" such as von Dechend and diSantillana. Even more amazing, the book is introduced by Anthony Aveni, who praises the authors for the great service they have done for the field by compiling such an exhaustive reference frame--while at the same time distances himself somewhat from some of the work.

The authors present tidbits of research that would likely otherwise be lost, and it is this material that is so fascinating in understanding ancient culture and its roots in the present. Any researcher, no matter their area of expertise, is likely to find gold in this book. One example is a hand-held geometric artifact related to a stone circle celebration in ancient Ireland. I have not seen this object previously in the plethora of books on sacred geometry I have read over the past 30 years. It may provide a link between the goddess Hecate and her rhombos/magic wheel.

In summary, the authors' intent it to provide detailed observation training, with examples, and then to go at the inventory of worldwide literature. Rather than creating an interpretive frame, they include rather than exclude pieces of work outside the "mainstream." Proponents of 2012 calendrics would do well to read this book. Much work in the direction of precessional calendrics was done without much fanfare prior to the harmonic convergence of 1987. The book's extensive bibliography has the feel of tracking down lost family members whose existence was rendered meaningless in the face of scientific archaeoastronomy. ... Read more

Product Description

This complete, authoritative study of the growing discipline of Archaeoastronomy examines the role of astronomy in antiquity. Professor Giulio Magli provides a clear, up-to-date survey of current thinking on the motives of the ancients for building fabulous and mysterious monuments all over our planet. Was it an attempt to reproduce the sky on Earth, to bring down the power of the stars to where they could see it, worship it and use it? The connecting thread is astronomy: Giulio Magli uses astronomy as a key to understanding our ancestors’ way of thinking. It is a challenge he likes to call ‘predicting the past’ - archaeology as a science is able to make predictions, like any other science, and to check them.

All of the astronomical achievements of the past are considered as a whole, in a comprehensive way that shows the depth and breadth of the thought behind them. In the past, the motives of the ancients – and particularly their scientific thought – have often been misconstrued, maligned or even dismissed. In an ironic, provocative style, Professor Magli shows the limitations of orthodox archaeology in the face of astronomically-based artefacts and tries to understand what led the ancients to construct magnificent buildings such as the city of Teotihuacan in the Mexico Valley, the Ceremonial Centre of Chaco Canyon in the USA, the Avebury stone circle in Great Britain or the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the reader is taken on an ideal ‘world tour’ of many wonderful and enigmatic places in almost every continent, in search of traces of astronomical knowledge and lore of the sky. In the second part, Giulio Magli uses the elements presented in the tour to show that the fundamental idea which led to the construction of the astronomically-related giant monuments was the foundation of power, a foundation which was exploited by ‘replicating’ the sky. A possible interpretive model then emerges that is founded on the relationship the ancients had with “nature”, in the sense of everything that surrounded them, the cosmos. The numerous monumental astronomically aligned structures of the past then become interpretable as acts of will, expressions of power on the part of those who held it; the will to replicate the heavenly plane here on earth and to build sacred landscapes.

Finally, having formulated his hypothesis, Professor Magli returns to visit one specific place in detail, searching for proof. This in-depth examination studies the most compelling, the most intensively studied, the most famous and, until recently, the most misunderstood sacred landscape on the planet - Giza, in Egypt. The archaeoastronomical analysis of the orientation of the Giza pyramids leads to the hypothesis that the pyramids of Cheops and Chephren belong to the same construction project.

Customer Reviews (2)

Archaeoastronomy for Dummies
The book is an English translation of an Italian book.It seems to be well-researched.I have begun to dig deeper into this field because of this book.It is a very easy read even for dummies like me.It helps to keep [...] handy just in case.This field tells us that many of the "Indian" mound complexes, pyramids, and others structures going back thousands of years dealt with ancient peoples' understanding of the heavenly bodies, and using that knowledge to time yearly events such as vernal equinox and other seasons, even though they did not possess the intricate instruments of today. For instance, the pyraminds at Giza were only one site of many, and not the oldest.I've gone on to read about Cahokia in Illinois and Poverty Pointin Louisiana.I've visited Pinson Mounds near Jackson, TN and Mound Bottom on the Harpeth River west of Nashville, TN. It's awe-spiring to read about this history that took place a thousand years and farther in the past.

Realistic Book on Ancient Archaeoastronomy!
Professor Giulio Magli's book Archaeoastronomy provides the reader with a realistic, science-based, review/survey of the major structures used in antiquity to look at the planets and stars and how the night sky often mixed into ancient civilzations global cultures. This book should be used in colleges and universities as a part of the study of Western Civilization inasmuch as his work provides insights to how the ancients viewed the world, the planets, and stars. The author treats the astronomically-based artifacts with the respect and dignity they deserve in human history. The book would also be a classic in the study of the history of astonomy and, to a lesser extent, astrology since astronomy and astology were one in more ancient times.

IF the reader is looking for the UFO alien life-to-ancient civilization nexus, this is NOT the book for such mind play. The professor treats each site examined around the world with careful and cautious analysis of how the facilities were actually used in ancient times (as best as he can in modernity). I perosnally enjoyed the book more because of my visits to many of the sites described in my years of travels.

Ironically, I read this book while in China (July 2009) and during a visit to Xi'an which made the contents more alive while looking at ancient artifacts of the Chinese history of hundreds of years ago while awaiting the Total Solar Eclipse view from the China mainland. Nonetheless, I am pleased to have added this book to my personal collection since it provides the first serious work I have read on Archaeoastronomy. Professor Magli's book is lenghy but worthy read because it treats the topic with serious academic respect and duty. I recommend it to those with a serious appetite for honesty, scientific analysis, and logical reasoning of ancient astronomical achievements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Provokes A Pleasantly Concatenated Sense of Wonder
This book is really terrific.I think that for many of us, "wonder," and a sense of personal contact with grand mysteries, are best experienced through either astronomy or archaeology.What I mean by that is that both of these topics necessitate a personal confrontation with the unknown.The origin of the universe; the fate of ancient peoples; the mythic architecture of dreams uponst which olden folk drew, to explain their place in the cosmos...if these topics don't give you at least a slight frisson of wonder, then, face it, you're hopeless.

This book provides a concatenated sense of wonder by drawing upon both archaeology and astronomy, and distilling many of the most provocative questions explored in each topic.Added to these topics is a tincture of anthropology, which in my mind solidifies the claim that this book has to true neato-hood.

The focus is on the Western Hemisphere, as the title states.The book starts out with a collection of essays by respected, authentic scholars who study this kind of thing.Essay topics include "Archaeoastronomy Today," "Archaeoastronomy and Education," "The Role of Architecture and Planning in Archaeoastronomy," and various and sundry allied topics.If you have a longstanding interest in this kind of thing, you might expect the book to spend a lot of time on the Mayans, because of all the work done on Mayan calendrics, etc.Well, true, there's a lot about the Mayans, but there's also plentiful material about peoples without written records, such as the Chumash, the Apache, some Algonquin tribes, etc.

Let me just point out that the people who contributed to this volume are all respected scholars -- there are no von Danikens, no Velikovskies, no Stichins to call the whole book into question with wild claims about pre-historic extraterrestrial contact, or the like.This book is for real.

The body of the book, like the introduction, is divided into essays by academics with backgrounds in the appropriate fields.The essays are broken up into geographical regions -- North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.Essays delve into all kinds of fascinating subtopics about many archaeoastronomical questions.There is a little essay at the end, about prospects for teaching archaeoastronomy in the classroom.This essay is over twenty years old now, but it still has much of relevance to say.

If you enjoy this kind of thing, you may wish to know about the "Journal of Archaeoastronomy," which you can find either online or in "Magazines for Libraries."Also, you can't go wrong reading anything at all by Anthony Aveni.Anyway, this book is a lot of fun.I would recommend it to anyone. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume summarises the proceedings of a conference which took place at the University of Oxford in September 1981. Held under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union and the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science, the meeting reviewed research in Old World Archaeoastronomy. The publisher received the final typescript for production in March 1982. The papers in this book are concerned with shedding light on a controversial aspect of European prehistory, especially that of north-west Europe: was astronomy practised here in the late Neolithic and bronze ages, and if so, what was its purpose? These questions are of obvious interest to prehistorians, but fresh interest in them has been stimulated largely by those whose professional background is in the pure and applied sciences, while they raise technical issues which have aroused the interest of statisticians and astronomers. ... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1982, this volume summarises the proceedings of a conference which took place at the University of Oxford in September 1981. Held under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union and the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science, the meeting reviewed the progress in the archaeoastronomy of the New World. American archaeoastronomy is growing healthily. Researchers from different disciplines, showing an interest in Native American astronomy, have been collaborating since the early 1970s. Research paths opened by astronomers, archaeologists, historians, anthropologists and ethnologists are converging. In this volume a number of these paths are explored and reviewed. The contents include a survey of progress in understanding Maya astronomy; astronomical and calendric practices of the Hopi and the Incas; and case studies of Bonampak (Mexico), Chaco Canyon, and Casa Rinconada. ... Read more

Product Description

This is the first scholarly collection of articles focused on the cultural astronomy of the African continent. It weaves together astronomy, anthropology, and Africa and it includes African myths and legends about the sky, alignments to celestial bodies found at archaeological sites and at places of worship, rock art with celestial imagery, and scientific thinking revealed in local astronomy traditions including ethnomathematics and the creation of calendars.

Customer Reviews (1)

Where is the beef? (Less than halfstar)
I was so excited to see this book published and yet so disappointed when I read it. Very little actual content about African cultural astronomy and a great deal too much about how to teach African cultural astronomy. This subject deserves SOOO much better. ... Read more

Product Description
Historical astronomical records can play an important role in modern research, especially in the case of ancient Chinese observational data: sunspot and aurora records are important for the study of solar variability; solar and lunar eclipse records for the study of the Earth's rotation; records of Comet Hally for the study of orbital evolution; "guest star" records for the study of supernova remnants; planetary conjunction records for research in astronomical chronology. In the past, Western scientists have not been able to exploit these valuable data fully because the original records were difficult to gather and interpret, and complete English translations have not been available. East-Asian Archaeoastronomy is the first comprehensive translation into English of such historical records for modern research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great resource
Every record of an eclipse, sunspot, nova, auroral event, or other cosmic occurrence from Korea, Japan, and China is documented here -- in English and Chinese. People familiar with Early China will feel right at home with this material; people who are new to East Asian archeoastronomy will find a gold mine of information extremely well documented and explained.

You can't ask for much better than this kind of work. ... Read more

Product Description
A history of how Native Americans foretold the movement of the sun, planets and cosmos with the help of a petroglyph calendar. ... Read more

Product Description
This work comprises a collection of papers on this topic given at an international conference held at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The essays attempt to explain the significance of astronomy to ancient peoples through a study of their texts and oral traditions. ... Read more

Product Description
Until now, important research on the historical records of comets and meteor showers from China, Japan, and Korea has remained the exclusive preserve of those with expertise in the relevant languages. With a compilation like the present volume the authors hope to ameliorate that situation. Applying the same rigorous selection criteria and style of presentation as in the previous catalogue, assembled and translated here are some 1,500 additional observations of comets and meteor showers from China, Japan, and Korea spanning nearly three millennia. With the publication of this volume, most of the important historical records of East Asian astronomical observations are now accessible in English. The introductions and appendices provide all the required information on specialized terminology, recording conventions, and nomenclature the reader will need to make use of the records.In addition to being an invaluable resource for professional astronomers, East Asian astronomical records have materially aided the research of scholars in fields as diverse as mythology, medieval iconography, ancient chronology, and the oral history of pre-literate societies. The book should be of great interest to cultural astronomers, as well as to those engaged in historical and comparative research. ... Read more

Product Description
Papers on the archaeoastonomy of traditional cultures throughout the world. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford Conferences are a series of triennial meetings that have focused on the role that astronomical phenomena have played in human societies, ranging from the applied (such as the basis for calendrics and orientations) to the ceremonial (the significance given the "ritual landscape" of the sky). These conferences serve as a meeting place for those working in anthropology, archaeology, history and prehistory, archaeoastronomy, and other studies of human cultures, who share a common interest in the importance of astronomical phenomena (or "skywatching") to traditional societies of the past and present.

Mankind's fascination with the sky has been a strong and often dominant element in human life and culture. The Fifth Oxford Conference explored this fascination among those cultures that can be best (or only) studied within the disciplines of archaeology and anthropology. Archaeoastronomy adds an extra dimension to these other disciplines and helps create a richer and more complete view of the past.

The papers in this volume are based on those presented at Oxford V and reflect the important interactions among the participants. One group looks at general questions in sociology or astronomy and provides parts of a framework on which the other papers can rest. The remainder of the papers deal with the specific studies in all parts of the world. ... Read more

Product Description
The study of astronomy in ancient societies is becoming ever more popular among archaeologists as is reflected in this collection of twelve papers been taken from a session held at the European Association of Archaeologists Eighth Annual Meeting held in Thessaloniki in 2002. It becomes clear that astronomy is considered as an important motivation for the construction of many monuments across the ancient world. Divided into three section, the contributions discuss archaeological, and astronomical, evidence from ancient Egypt, prehistoric and Hellenic Europe and, in one paper only, Mesoamerica. In addition to examining specific monuments, sites and buildings, the papers discuss what these reveal about the cosmology and technical ability of a range of cultures. Supported throughout by astronomical diagrams. ... Read more