Celestial Geometry

Explore 60 of the world's most extraordinary and mysterious archaeological structures and locations to uncover fascinating insights into mankind's early understanding of the cosmos.

---

Many ancient, even prehistoric, monuments and temples around
the world show an amazingly sophisticated understanding of the heavens. They
reflect this sacred knowledge in celestial alignments – to the eternal cycles
of the sun, moon, stars and planets.

The ceremonies performed at sites such as Stonehenge in
England or Teotihuacan in Mexico are now lost to us. But the time-worn stones
and structures remain, and archaeoastronomers (experts in ancient astronomy)
have studied how their sightlines relate to astronomical phenomena such as
midwinter or midsummer sunrise or the rising of the Pleiades star cluster. Within, Ken Taylor dives into the fantastical:






The principles of astronomy – the seasons, the solstices and equinoxes, the rising and setting of stars, the “lunar standstills”
Solar alignments – the language of light and shadow, and the life-giving shows of the sun
Lunar alignments – the drama of the eclipse and the mysterious energies of the night
Alignments to stars and planets – reaching out to the immensity of the cosmos




In exploring such connections, in words, superb photographs
and clear explanatory artworks, Celestial Geometry opens a whole universe of
mystery and wonder, and a window on the inner life of ancient civilizations.