SOCIAL SCIENCES ARCHAEOASTRONOMY

Archaeo-astronomical hypotheses on some Ligurian engravings
Study of rupestral engravings in Italy.
www.archaeoastronomy.it

ISAAC - International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture
Contact details for this international academic society.
www.wam.umd.edu

Aboriginal Star Knowledge
Native American Astronomy, with a focus on Lakota star knowledge.
www.kstrom.net

Archaeoastronomy: An Interview with David Dearborn
Interview with David Dearnorn, a specialist in Peruvian Astronomy.
archaeology.about.com

Carving the Cosmos
Astronomical analysis of petroglyphs on sandstone panels, Arizona.
www.viewzone.com

AR315 Lecture Timetable
Archaeoastronomy Lecture notes and photographs from Leicester University.
www.le.ac.uk

Ancient African Skies
An article on the Borana Calendar by Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute.
www.space.com

JC Holbrook's Publications and Web projects
A variety of projects ranging from African Astronomy to Zodiac Mosaics.
www.u.arizona.edu

Ethnoastronomy of the Lakota
Dr. Mark Hollabaugh presents his ethnographic research of Lakota astronomy.
faculty.normandale.edu

BBC World Service: The Stargazers of Ancient Egypt
Dr Kate Spence's theory of the cardinal alignment of Great Pyramid explained.
www.bbc.co.uk

Solar Astronomy in the Prehistoric Southwest
A slide show of Anasazi astronomical sites with extensive notes.
www.hao.ucar.edu

Chevalier's ASTR 341 Home Page
Course notes for the Archaeoastronomy course at the University of Virginia, USA.
www.astro.virginia.edu

Archaeoastronomy
Introduction to Irish megalithic complexes; includes future astronomical sight times.
www.bluhorizonlines.org

Lakota Ethnoastronomy
Well referenced article by Steven Mizrach upon astronomy as practiced by the Lakota.
www.fiu.edu

Indiana Jones and the Astronomers of Yore
Introduction to basic archaeoastronomical concepts with examples from across the world.
www.astrosociety.org

Southern Stars: Aboriginal Astronomy
Evidence of highly complex astronomy within Australian Aboriginal society.
library.thinkquest.org

Megalithic Sites of Great Britain
Re-evaluation of the existence of the Megalithic Calendar proposed by Alexander Thom.
www.megalithicsites.co.uk

Loughcrew Megalithic Cairns - Ireland
An introduction the to astronomical theories surrounding these Irish Neolithic Cairns.
www.knowth.com

Ligustic archaeoastronomy
Ligurian Archaeoastronomy, mainly in Italian but with some English and German translations.
www.archaeoastronomy.it

The Sophia Project
The Centre for the Study of Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at Bath Spa University, UK
www.sophia-project.org.uk

Ice Age Star Map Discovered
A controversial discovery of a 16,000-year-old "map of the night sky" in Lascaux caves. BBC article.
news.bbc.co.uk

Parowan Gap displays yearly spectacle
A news story on a solsticial alignment at a petroglyph site in Utah. (June 20, 2005)
www.casperstartribune.net

Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra (The Sky Disc of Nebra)
Largely German description of the Bronze Age artefact umearthed in Saxony-Anhalt, with FAQs in English.
www.archlsa.de

A Critical Look at Archaeoastronomy and the Anasazi Culture of the American Southwest
An overview of the theoretical foundations of archaeoastronomy with a case study of the Anazazi Culture.
www.geocities.com

Lithuanian Ethnoastronomy
An online book of the folkore in Lithuania surrounding the sun, moon and stars by Jonas Vaiðkûnas.
ausis.gf.vu.lt

Ancient Astronomy
An interactive atlas of the world links to the archaeoastronomy and multicultural cosmology of ancient times.
www.astronomy.pomona.edu

Germany's Sky Disk seen as key for archaeoastronomy
A description of the Sky Disc of Nebra from The Cosmic Mirror #243 (October 5, 2002)
www.astro.uni-bonn.de

BBC - Radio 4 - Stars In Their Eyes
Rajesh Mirchandani looks at the ancient cosmologies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India. Requires Real Player.
www.bbc.co.uk

Archaeoastronomy
Well developed site featuring articles and photographs on a number of significant sites and their Archaeoastronomy
www.cloudbait.com

Oldest Astronomical Monument Found
Discovery of a 6,500-year-old monument at Nabta, Egypt. BBC article. (April 1, 1998)
news.bbc.co.uk

Ancient Observatories: Chaco Canyon
The Exploratorium's multimedia website on the site of Chaco Canyon. Includes a webcast from the Winter Solstice 2004.
www.exploratorium.edu

Archaeoastronomy
A comprehensive introduction to archaeoastronomy including a look at various people groups and case studies of sites.
library.thinkquest.org

Archaeoastronomy
Dr. Cornelius Holtorf ponders the relationship of Archaeoastronomy to the megaliths of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
tspace.library.utoronto.ca

Center for Archaeoastronomy
Founded in 1978 at the University of Maryland to advance research, education and public awareness of archaeoastronomy.
www.wam.umd.edu

SEAC - Société Européene pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture / European Society for Astronomy in Culture
An interdisciplinary website dedicated to research, education and care of heritage in Astronomy in Culture.
www.archeoastronomy.org

Scientific American: Circles for Space
An article on how a German "Stonehenge" may be the world's oldest observatory. (December 8, 2003)
www.sciam.com

An archaeoastronomy sensation from Germany?
Report on the display of the Sky Disc of Nebra from The Cosmic Mirror #236. (April 19, 2002)
www.astro.uni-bonn.de

The Shaw Butte Notebook
This site makes extensive use of Quicktime to describe and demonstrate the workings of an Hohokam observatory.
www.amug.org

The Dogon and Sirius
A detailed examination of M. Griaule's 1950 paper "Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius" in terms of both ethnography and astronomy.
www.geocities.com

Pyramids Lined Up With The Stars
British Egyptologist puts forward an astronomical theory for the northern alignment of the Great Pyramid at Giza. BBC article.
news.bbc.co.uk

Sites in Asuka, Japan
Stone relics and monuments, of unknown age or origin, with possible Solstitial and/or Principle Term alignments. With photos.
www2.gol.com

Sundial, calendar and Khmer temples
Determination of the orientation of ancient Khmer temples based on solar observations. Presents the data for several sites.
www.sundial.thai-isan-lao.com

The Material World
BBC Radio 4 interview on the methodology of archaeoastronomy with Prof. Clive Ruggles and Dr. Frank Prendergast. Requires Real Player.
www.bbc.co.uk

Sun Earth Day 2005
The NASA site for Sun-Earth day 2005 (March 20). The theme is 'Ancient Observatories, Timeless Knowledge'. Includes webcasts.
sunearthday.nasa.gov

Pathfinder - Ancient American Calendar
Observe video of light/shadow interplay on 1,000+ year old rock art marking equinox sunrise at a remote, newly discovered Colorado site.
archaeoastronomy.com

Cosmic link to stone circles
Ancient stone circles and tombs in Ireland align with the Sun and the Moon, say astronomers. BBC Article (April 8, 2003)
news.bbc.co.uk

Cursus: solving a 6,000-year-old puzzle
An article from "British Archaeology" magazine arguing for an astronomical motive for the building of some cursus monuments in prehistoric Britain.
www.britarch.ac.uk

Encounter with the Moon stone
The BBC's science editor comes face to face with what is claimed to be the oldest map of the Moon ever made. (March 6, 2001)
news.bbc.co.uk

Aztec Astronomy and Observation of Nature
Explains how the alignment of some of the temples illustrated the spring solar equinox, the relationship to the stories of the gods, and the calendar systems.
www.artcamp.com.mx

Cultural Astronomy
A multimedia introduction to archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy suitable for K-12 teachers and students. Part of the University of Chicago's Digital Library.
ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu

Kitora Kofun - Japan
Referenced article exploring this ancient Japanese kofun (burial mound). Astrological charts have been determined from the "star paintings" inside the tomb.
www2.gol.com

Prehistoric Moon Map Unearthed
The BBC reports that astronomer Dr Philip Stooke has found a map of the moon in an Irish tomb that pre-dates the earliest known one by about 5000 years.
news.bbc.co.uk

Stone Age Astronomy: Mythical Ireland
New information and research about the astronomy of the Irish Stone Age, plus sections on the movements of the heavenly bodies and links to other sites.
www.mythicalireland.com

Ancient Tomb Captured Both Sun and Moon
A unique prehistoric tomb in Ireland has been revealed to align to both the midsummer Sun and the midwinter Moon. BBC article (April 8, 1999)
news.bbc.co.uk

German Site Predates Stonehenge
A possible astronomical observatory has been found near Goseck, eastern Germany. From the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (English Edition). (August 22, 2003)
www.ananova.com

Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) Phase IV
Cesare Berrini's hypotheses concerning the relationships between bas-relief carvings on the Gateway of the Sun, the annual solar cycle, and geometric time measurement.
www.astrofilitrentini.it

Dioptra
The earliest dioptra (c.300 BCE) was a device for measuring the angle, in parts of a "Sign", between two celestial objects. Photos and descriptions of how to make one and how they work.
members.tripod.com

Stones of Wonder
A guide the megalithic monuments of Scotland and their astronomical alignments. Also contains illustrations, a bibliography and suggestions for the best times of year to visit.
www.stonesofwonder.com

Traditions of the Sun: Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Features a collaborative project between SECEF, Ideum, the NPS, other organizations, and individuals. Contains an overview, photos, a timeline, news, credits, and contact information.
www.traditionsofthesun.org

Heavenly Mathematics: Cultural Astronomy
An interdisciplinary course on cultural astronomy. The course has a goal of imparting an understanding of basic astronomical phenomena and an appreciation of their cultural significance throughout the world.
www.math.nus.edu.sg

How the Shaman Stole the Moon
An archaeoastronomy book by William H. Calvin of the University of Washington. The book, which describes a dozen ways of predicting eclipses, can be purchased or downloaded for personal reading at no charge.
www.williamcalvin.com

The Hanwakan Center for Prehistoric Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape Studies, Inc.
Homepage of the Hanwakan Center, organized for the gathering of traditions and stories born of mankind's interaction with the physical environment and his understanding of the relationship between earth and sky.
www.hanwakan.org

University of Massachusetts Sunwheel
A project to build a stone circle aligned to the sunrises and sunsets of the solstices and equinoxes, as well as the north pole star, for use by the community as a tool for education and outreach.
www.umass.edu