Skyscapes seems to foresee new ways for development in the field that ought to be useful to any potential readers, notably archaeologists.
Journal for the History of Astronomy
Eleven papers extend discussion of the role and importance of the landscape and the wider environment to past societies, and to the understanding and interpretation of their material remains, into consideration of the significance of the celestial environment: the skyscape. The role of the sky for past societies has been relegated to the fringes of archaeological discourse. Nevertheless archaeoastronomy has developed a new rigour in the last few decades and the evidence suggests that it can provide insights into the beliefs, practices and cosmologies of past societies. Skyscapes explores the current role of archaeoastronomical knowledge in archaeological discourse and how to integrate the two. It shows how it is not only possible but even desirable to look at the skyscape to shed further light on human societies. This is achieved by first exploring the historical relationship between archaeoastronomy and academia in general, and with archaeology in particular. The volume continues by presenting case-studies that either demonstrate how archaeoastronomical methodologies can add to our current understanding of past societies, their structures and beliefs, or how integrated approaches can raise new questions and even revolutionise current views of the past.
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Papers exploring the current role of archaeoastronomical knowledge in archaeological discourse and how to integrate the two.
Preface: Meaning and Intent in Ancient Skyscapes – An Andean PerspectiveJ. McKim Malville1. The Role and Importance of the Sky in Archaeology: an introductionFabio Silva2. Skyscapes: Locating Archaeoastronomy within AcademiaNicholas Campion3. An examination of the divide between archaeoastronomy and archaeologyLiz Henty4. Skyscapes: Present and Past – From Sustainability to Interpreting Ancient Remains Daniel Brown5. 30b – the West Kennet Avenue stone that never was: interpretation by multidisciplinary triangulation and emergence through four field anthropologyLionel Sims6. Can archaeoastronomy inform archaeology on the building chronology of the Mnajdra NeolithicTemple in Malta?Tore Lomsdalen7. Star phases: the naked-eye astronomy of the Old Kingdom Pyramid TextsBernadette Brady8. An architectural perspective on structured sacred space – recent evidence from Iron Age Ireland Frank Prendergast9. The Circumpolar Skyscape of a Pembrokeshire DolmenOlwyn Pritchard10. The View from Within: a ‘time-space-action’ approach to Megalithism in Central PortugalFabio Silva11. Afterword: Dances beneath a diamond skyTimothy Darvill
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Skyscapes seems to foresee new ways for development in the field that ought to be useful to any potential readers, notably archaeologists.
Considers the importance of the sky to past societies at different periods and across a wide geographical area
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781782978404
Publisert
2015-03-12
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxbow Books
Høyde
242 mm
Bredde
170 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
210