Exploring ancient skies: an encyclopedic survey of archaeoastronomy

David H. Kelley0-387-95310-8

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.

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Table of contents :
Contents……Page 12
Foreword……Page 5
Preface……Page 6
Acknowledgments……Page 10
List of Illustrations……Page 18
1.1. Perspectives of Ancient Astronomy……Page 25
1.2. Archaeological, Anthropological, and Historical Contexts……Page 26
Part I. Astronomical Background……Page 31
2.1. Star Patterns: Asterisms and Constellations……Page 32
2.2. The Sphere of the Sky……Page 36
2.3. Basic Motions of the Sun and Moon……Page 43
2.4. The Planets……Page 59
3.1. Visibility of Phenomena……Page 71
3.2. Types of Ancient Observations……Page 93
3.3. Instruments and Observatories……Page 98
3.4. Possibilities of Optical Aids……Page 104
4.1. The Perception and Measurement of Time……Page 106
4.2. The Bases and Functions of Calendars……Page 120
4.3. Chronology……Page 122
4.4. Astronomical Dating of Artifacts and Cultures……Page 124
4.5. Causes and Effects of Secular Variation……Page 125
5.1. Atmospheric Phenomena……Page 129
5.2. Solar and Lunar Eclipses……Page 134
5.3. Other Solar and Lunar Phenomena……Page 148
5.5. Comets……Page 151
5.6. Meteors and Meteorites……Page 155
5.8. Variable Stars……Page 158
Part II. Astronomy in Cultures……Page 174
6.1. Paleolithic Cultures……Page 175
6.2. Megalithic Cultures……Page 176
6.3. New World Medicine Wheels……Page 223
7.1. Mesopotamian Civilization……Page 228
7.2. Hellenic Civilization and Its Precursors……Page 256
7.3. Astronomy in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods……Page 261
7.4. Arabic Culture and Islamic Astronomy……Page 268
7.5. Late Indian Astronomy……Page 269
7.6. Astronomy of Medieval Europe……Page 270
7.7. Post-Renaissance Astronomy……Page 272
8.1. Egypt and Nubia……Page 275
8.2. Ethiopia……Page 288
8.4. The Dogons……Page 289
8.5. Other African Cultures……Page 293
9.1. India……Page 294
9.2. Persia……Page 313
9.3. Southeast Asia……Page 315
9.4. Tibet……Page 323
10.1. China……Page 327
10.2. Korea……Page 347
10.3. Japan……Page 348
11.1. Australia……Page 350
11.2. Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia……Page 351
11.3. Oceanic Seafaring: Techniques and Instruments……Page 354
11.4. Islander Mythology and Astronomy……Page 360
12.1. Introduction……Page 366
12.2. Structure of the Calendar and the Mayan Number System……Page 368
12.3. The Correlation Problem……Page 372
12.4. The Old Ball Game at Yaxchilan……Page 373
12.5. Planetary Glyphs from Pacal’s Coffin……Page 375
12.6. Calendar Names of Gods and Planetary Identities……Page 376
12.7. The Dresden Codex Venus Table……Page 382
12.8. Venus, Star Wars, and the Rain and Corn Complex……Page 383
12.9. The Dresden Codex Mars Table……Page 385
12.10. Dresden Codex Ring Numbers……Page 386
12.11. The Dresden Codex Eclipse Table……Page 387
12.12. Calendar Names of Eclipse Deities……Page 392
12.13. Eclipse References on Maya Pottery……Page 393
12.14. New Fire Ceremonies in the Vienna Codex……Page 395
12.15. The Borgia Codex and Eclipses……Page 397
12.16. The Birth of a God on a Maya Vase: Jaguar Baby……Page 403
12.18. The Tropical Year in Mesoamerica……Page 404
12.19. The War Between the Gods: Calendar Reform……Page 407
12.20. Dresden Codex Serpent Numbers……Page 409
12.21. Caracol Stela 3……Page 412
12.22. Asterisms……Page 413
12.23. Mesoamerican Alignments……Page 416
13.1. The Southwest……Page 424
13.2. California and Baja California……Page 431
13.3. Plains Indians……Page 434
13.4. The Northwest……Page 440
13.5. The Northeast……Page 441
13.6. The Arctic……Page 442
14.1. The Chibchan Groups of Colombia……Page 444
14.2. Andean Civilization……Page 451
14.3. Other South American Cultures……Page 480
14.4. Caribbean Archaeoastronomy……Page 483
15.1. Cultural Suppositions Regarding Life on Other Worlds……Page 485
15.2. Astronomy in Mythology and Ancient Religion……Page 486
15.3. Cosmogonies and Cosmologies……Page 498
15.4. Calendars and the Spread of Astronomical Ideas……Page 506
15.6. Astrology and the Purposes of Archaeoastronomy……Page 512
Appendices……Page 515
A.3. Computational and Sky Simulation Software……Page 516
A.4. Planetary Positions……Page 517
A.5. Miscellaneous Tables……Page 518
B. Modern Star Charts……Page 519
C. Sample Exercises and Problems……Page 522
D. Mayan Calendar Progression: A Sample……Page 524
References and Bibliography……Page 533
A……Page 584
B……Page 587
C……Page 589
D……Page 592
E……Page 593
G……Page 595
H……Page 596
I……Page 597
K……Page 598
L……Page 599
M……Page 600
N……Page 604
O……Page 605
P……Page 606
Q……Page 608
S……Page 609
T……Page 615
U……Page 617
W……Page 618
Z……Page 619
Color Plates……Page 620