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What is Archaeoastronomy? popular

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeoastronomy

10 out of 10 stars (114 votes)

Archaeoastronomy (also spelled archeoastronomy) is the study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky how they used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played in their cultures." Clive Ruggles argues it is misleading to consider archaeoastronomy to be the study of ancient astronomy, as modern astronomy is a scientific discipline, while archaeoastronomy considers other cultures' symbolically rich cultural interpretations of phenomena in the sky. It is often twinned with ethnoastronomy, the anthropological study of skywatching in contemporary societies. Archaeoastronomy is also closely associated with historical astronomy, the use of historical records of heavenly events to answer astronomical problems and the history of astronomy, which uses written records to evaluate past astronomical practice. Archaeoastronomy uses a variety of methods to uncover evidence of past practices including archaeology, anthropology, astronomy, statistics and probability, and history. Because these methods are diverse and use data from such different sources, the problem of integrating them into a coherent argument has been a long-term issue for archaeoastronomers. Archaeoastronomy fills complementary niches in landscape archaeology and cognitive archaeology. Material evidence and its connection to the sky can reveal how a wider landscape can be integrated into beliefs about the cycles of nature , such as Mayan astronomy and its relationship with agriculture. Other examples which have brought together ideas of cognition and landscape include studies of the cosmic order embedded in the roads of settlements. Archaeoastronomy can be applied to all cultures and all time periods. The meanings of the sky vary from culture to culture; nevertheless there are scientific methods which can be applied across cultures when examining ancient beliefs. It is perhaps the need to balance the social and scientific aspects of archaeoastronomy which led Clive Ruggles to describe it as: "...[A] field with academic work of high quality at one end but uncontrolled speculation bordering on lunacy at the other."

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The Runic Sky popular

http://alynptyltd.tripod.com/TheRunicSky/TheRunicSky.htm

Shows how the Norse runes can be applied to star patterns in the Northern Sky and how it relates to the runes' meaning.

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The Nebra Sky Disc popular

http://www.himmelsscheibe-online.de/

An alternative interpretation of the Nebra Sky Disc.

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The Mayan Prophecies popular

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.de.jong/mayan.html

Overview of book by Adrian Gilbert and Maurice Cotterell, linkin sunspot cycles, Mayan myth, astrological tables, ancient Egypt and Atlantis.

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Symbolic Messengers popular

http://www.symbolicmessengers.com/primer.htm

Addresses the widespread use of astronomical symbols on medieval coins, with an introduction to the use of these symbols on ancient coins.

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Sacred Sites popular

http://www.luckymojo.com/sacredlinks.html

Links to sites relevant to astroarchaeology, ethnoastronomy, sacred geometry, geomancy, Ley lines, Feng Shui, and earth mysteries.

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Review-Essay of Mayan Prophecies popular

http://edj.net/mc2012/mproph.htm

By John Major Jenkins, author of Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. A number of flaws in their book are highlighted.

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Prehistoric Northern Europe, from Stone to Iron popular

http://www.rook.org/heritage/euro/prehistoric.html

A part of the Rook family's project, integrating family history and genealogy into the broader context of culture, history, and place.

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Philip C. Steffey, Ph.D. Astronomy popular

http://home.earthlink.net/~pcstef/index.html

Astronomy: scientific, archaic, educational, and popular.

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Oh My God, They Killed SOHO popular

http://www.enterprisemission.com/oh_my_god.htm

On Wednesday, June 24, 1998, at 7:16 p.m., EDT, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint NASA/ESA spacecraft, mysteriously went "off-line".

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Heliocentric System and Precession of the Tholos of Epidavros popular

http://users.otenet.gr/~altagr/english/main.htm

The circular shape of the Monument represents two astronomical theories concerning the Sun: the Geocentric theory of the Sun's apparent course and the Heliocentric theory. In depth discussion of both aspects of this Greek monument.

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Erection of the Holy Cross popular

http://www.lunarplanner.com/HolyCross.html

The geometry of the astrophysical transition occurring now in Earth's 26,000 year precessional cycle; catalyzing a paradigm shift in human consciousness.

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Astrocrud popular

http://astunit.com/astrocrud/astrocrud.htm

Highlights of abuses of astronomy in archaeoastronomy.

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Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association popular

http://www.aas-ra.org/

Official: includes information on astroarchaeology and extraterrestrials on earth; membership and contact information.

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Archaeogeodesy, a Key to Prehistory popular

http://www.jqjacobs.net/astro/aegeo.html

Archaeogeodesy encompasses prehistoric and ancient place determination, point positioning, navigation, astronomy, and measure and representation of the earth and geodynamic phenomena.

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Archaeoastronomy.com popular

http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/

Overview of archaeoastronomy. Includes maps, almanacs and video archive.

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Archaeoastronomy, Astrology and Ancient Egypt popular

http://archaeoastronomy.alisonmoroney.com/

Examines various unique aspects of Egyptian archaeoastronomy including the alignment of Khufu's southern shafts with ecliptic and lunar orbital places, the dating the GP to 4420BC, the astroarchaeological associations of the Narmer Palette and the King Lists.

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Archaeoastronomy Pages popular

http://www.jqjacobs.net/astro/archaeoastronomy.html

Links to all ancient astronomy related articles by James Q. Jacobs. Covers many cultures. Includes a bibliography and photos.

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Archaeoastronomy in Eastern Liguria popular

http://www3.shiny.it/caprione/

Megalithism and shamanism on Caprione's promontory: recent studies. Lerici, Italy.

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Angkor Wat's Astronomical Basis popular

http://www.borobudur.tv/survey_1.htm

A comprehensive investigation into the astonomical alignments at Angkor Wat. Exploration of the religious and social impact of astronomy on the native population.

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Adventures in Astro-Archaeology:Dance of the Gods popular

http://www.rushengineering.com/Siloam.Net/

A research site for astronomical sources of world mythology and religions.

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