A beautiful photo of Stonehenge, the birthplace of archeoastronomy
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of Corel Photography.

Archeoastronomy

"The movements of the heavenly bodies are an admirable thing, well known and manifest to all peoples. There are no people, no matter how barbaric and primitive, that do not raise up their eyes, take note, and observe with some care and admiration the continuous and uniform course of the heavenly bodies." - Bernabe Cobo (1653)

From the beginning, man has observed the heavens. Early man observed the heavens because the Sun, Moon and stars gave indication of coming seasons to farmers and hunters. The sky aided in navigation especially for nomads and sailors. The sky provided a clock to measure the time in a day. And many ancient civilizations thought the sky gave signs of life, health, war, earthquakes, the fate of kingdoms...and more.

The new field of archeoastronomy has blossomed since its beginnings in the 1960s discoveries at Stonehenge, the world's most famous megalithic structure. Archeoastronomy has been called the 'anthropology of astronomy' to distinguish it from the history of astronomy. This means that archeoastronomy pays attention to the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, and religions of ancient cultures. It sets to find out just how astronomy fit into a certain culture's life.

And so it touches on ancient calendar systems, concepts of time and space, mathematics (especially counting systems and geometry), navigation, and urban planning too. Archeoastronomers will look at drawings and writing left by a civilization. They will look at architecture, especially to see if the buildings or megaliths have any orientations towards the Sun or Moon or even Venus. The most common orientation is to look for alignment with sun rise on the date of a solstice.

Archeoastronomy is fascinating because it spans so many fields. It has at times suffered because it has involved more enthusiasm than evidence. But organizations such as ISAAC (the International Society for Archeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture) have been founded to promote professional standards within the field.

Journey through many topics in archeoastronomy by choosing which way to start your journey:

Journey through Time
Journey by Region
Meet the People Involved
Just Look at Megaliths!

Last modified September 11, 2000 by Jennifer Bergman.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

What Causes the Seasons?

Let's get rid of some common misconceptions about the seasons. The Earth's orbit is in the shape of an ellipse, so that sometimes the Earth is a little bit closer to the Sun than at other times. Is this...more

The Stonehenge Monument

There are over 900 stone rings located in the British Isles. Scholars say that over twice this many may have existed long ago. The most famous of these stone rings is of course, Stonehenge. Stonehenge...more

Megaliths Revealed

Many people are interested in the mysterious megalithic structures that can be found around the world. This page will give you all the ins and outs so these structures aren't such a mystery! First, a megalithic...more

Pentre Ifan Dolmen Tomb

The stone structures of England and France are very famous. But, one can also find megalithic sites in such places as Wales, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Malta, Russia and the Netherlands. The most...more

Native American Astronomy

By 30,000 B.C,. Asian hunter-gatherers had crossed the Bering Strait into North America. These people were the first to inhabit this new land and so they are known as the Native Americans of North America....more

Archeoastronomy

"The movements of the heavenly bodies are an admirable thing, well known and manifest to all peoples. There are no people, no matter how barbaric and primitive, that do not raise up their eyes, take note,...more

The Stones of Carnac

The stones of Carnac, France, are probably the most famous stones markings outside of those found at Stonehenge in England. Where Stonehenge is composed of standing stones, the Carnac area has many different...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA