Exploring Ancient Skies (eBook)
XXVI, 612 Seiten
Springer New York (Verlag)
978-0-387-26356-4 (ISBN)
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 students in both astronomy and archaeology, and will be of compelling interest to readers who seek a broad understanding of our collective intellectual history.
Exploring Ancient Skies uses modern science to examine ancient astronomy throughout the World, that is, to use the methods of archaeology and insights of modern astronomy explore how astronomy was practiced before the invention of the telescope. It thus 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 book consists of two parts. The first emphasizes naked-eye astronomy: the motion of objects in the sky, the determination of time and calendars, corrections due to various factors such as parallax or atmospheric diffraction, and rare or transient phenomena such as eclipses, aurorae and comets. The second part begins with a discussion of the Paleolithic and Neolithic roots of astronomy. It then turns to the antecedents of the modern Western Astronomy: Mesopotamia, Greece, ancient and mediaeval Europe. Separate chapters deal with astronomy in ancient Egypt and Africa; India; China, Korea and Japan; the cultures of the Pacific; and the Americas, with particular emphasis on Mesoamerica, since this is one of the few areas for which written evidence is linked to astronomical alignments. Throughout, the discussion emphasizes the main purposes of ancient astronomy, many of which it shares with modern astronomy: astrology, navigation, calendar regulation, and understanding of our place and role in the universe. Exploring Ancient Skies provides a comprehensive review and reference for scholars and students in both astronomy and archaeology.
Foreword 5
Preface 6
Acknowledgments 10
Contents 12
List of Illustrations 18
Color Plates 24
Historical Perspectives 25
1.1. Perpectives of Ancient Astronomy 25
1.2. Archaeological, Anthropological, and Historical Contexts 26
Astronomical Background 31
Principal Features of the Sky 32
2.1. Star Patterns: Asterisms and Constellations 32
2.2. The Sphere of the Sky 36
2.3. Basic Motions of the Sun and Moon 43
2.4. The Planets 59
Observational Methods and Problems 71
3.1. Visibility of Phenomena 71
3.2. Types of Ancient Observations 93
3.3. Instruments and Observatories 98
3.4. Possibilities of Optical Aids 104
Time and the Calendar 106
4.1. The Perception and Measurement of Time 106
4.2. The Bases and Functions of Calendars 120
4.3. Chronology 122
4.4. Astronomical Dating of Artifacts and Cultures 124
4.5. Causes and Effects of Secular Variation 125
Transient Phenomena 129
5.1. Atmospheric Phenomena 129
5.2. Solar and Lunar Eclipses 134
5.3. Other Solar and Lunar Phenomena 148
5.4. Planetary Phenomena 151
5.5. Comets 151
5.6. Meteors and Meteorites 155
5.7. Zodiacal Light 158
5.8. Variable Stars 158
Astronomy in Cultures 174
Paleolithic and Neolithic Cultures 175
6.1. Paleolithic Cultures 175
6.2. Megalithic Cultures 176
6.3. New World Medicine Wheels 223
Antecedents of the Western Tradition 228
7.1. Mesopotamian Civilization 228
7.2. Hellenic Civilization and Its Precursors 256
7.3. Astronomy in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods 261
7.4. Arabic Culture and Islamic Astronomy 268
7.5. Late Indian Astronomy 269
7.6. Astronomy of Medieval Europe 270
7.7. Post-Renaissance Astronomy 272
African Cultures 275
8.1. Egypt and Nubia 275
8.2. Ethiopia 288
8.3. North Africa 289
8.4. The Dogons 289
8.5. Other African Cultures 293
Indo-Iranian Cultures 294
9.1. India 294
9.2. Persia 313
9.3. Southeast Asia 315
9.4. Tibet 323
China, Korea, and Japan 327
10.1. China 327
10.2. Korea 347
10.3. Japan 348
Oceanic Cultures 350
11.1. Australia 350
11.2. Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia 351
11.3. Oceanic Seafaring: Techniques and Instruments 354
11.4. Islander Mythology and Astronomy 360
Mesoamerica 366
12.1. Introduction 366
12.2. Structure of the Calendar and the Mayan Number System 368
12.3. The Correlation Problem 372
12.4. The Old Ball Game at Yaxchilan 373
12.5. Planetary Glyphs from Pacal’s Coffin 375
12.6. Calendar Names of Gods and Planetary Identities 376
12.7. The Dresden Codex Venus Table 382
12.8. Venus, Star Wars, and the Rain and Corn Complex 383
12.9. The Dresden Codex Mars Table 385
12.10. Dresden Codex Ring Numbers 386
12.11. The Dresden Codex Eclipse Table 387
12.12. Calendar Names of Eclipse Deities 392
12.13. Eclipse References on Maya Pottery 393
12.14. New Fire Ceremonies in the Vienna Codex 395
12.15. The Borgia Codex and Eclipses 397
12.16. The Birth of a God on a Maya Vase: Jaguar Baby 403
12.17. The Lords of Palenque 404
12.18. The Tropical Year in Mesoamerica 404
12.19. The War Between the Gods: Calendar Reform 407
12.20. Dresden Codex Serpent Numbers 409
12.21. Caracol Stela 3 412
12.22. Asterisms 413
12.23. Mesoamerican Alignments 416
America North of Mexico 424
13.1. The Southwest 424
13.2. California and Baja California 431
13.3. Plains Indians 434
13.4. The Northwest 440
13.5. The Northeast 441
13.6. The Arctic 442
South American Cultures 444
14.1. The Chibchan Groups of Colombia 444
14.2. Andean Civilization 451
14.3. Other South American Cultures 480
14.4. Caribbean Archaeoastronomy 483
The Descent of the Gods and the Purposes of Ancient Astronomy 485
15.1. Cultural Suppositions Regarding Life on Other Worlds 485
15.2. Astronomy in Mythology and Ancient Religion 486
15.3. Cosmogonies and Cosmologies 498
15.4. Calendars and the Spread of Astronomical Ideas 506
15.5. Comparative Navigational Practices 512
15.6. Astrology and the Purposes of Archaeoastronomy 512
Appendices 515
Archaeoastronomy Tools 516
A.1. Introduction 516
A.2. Spherical Astronomy Aids 516
A.3. Computational and Sky Simulation Software 516
A.4. Planetary Positions 517
A.5. Miscellaneous Tables 518
Modern Star Charts 519
Sample Exercises and Problems 522
Mayan Calendar Progression: A Sample 524
References and Bibliography 533
Index 584
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 6.12.2005 |
|---|---|
| Vorwort | A.F. Aveni |
| Zusatzinfo | XXVI, 612 p. 392 illus., 8 illus. in color. |
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Archäologie |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik | |
| Technik | |
| Schlagworte | Astronomy • Supernova • telescope • Universe |
| ISBN-10 | 0-387-26356-X / 038726356X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-387-26356-4 / 9780387263564 |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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