Overview
- Covers a broad range of fundamental themes, key issues, and aspects of theory and practice ranging from social theory to field methodology
- Authors have established scholarly credentials and come from a wide range of academic disciplines
- Provides a definitive picture of the state of art in this field for researchers and serious scholars
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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About this book
How human communities interpret what they perceive in the sky is vital in fulfilling humankind’s most basic need to comprehend the universe it inhabits, both from a modern scientific perspective and from countless other cultural standpoints, extending right back to early prehistory. Archaeoastronomy, which is concerned with cultural perceptions and understandings of astronomical phenomena, is a rich cross-disciplinary field.
The central aim of “Handbook of Archaeoastronomy” is to provide a reliable source for theory, method, interpretation and best practices that will give a definitive picture of the state of the art research in this field for serious scholars regardless of the discipline(s) in which they are qualified. It will be equally suitable for those already contributing to the field and those interested in entering it. Also included are studies in ethnoastronomy, which is concerned with contemporary practices related to astronomy, particularly among modern indigenous societies.
A major part of this MRW is comprised of a set of wide-ranging archaeoastronomical case studies both geographically and through time, stretching right back to Palaeolithic days, and also in terms of the types of human society and nature of their astronomical ideas and practices. However, these are chosen in order to best illuminate broader issues and themes, rather than to attempt, for example, to provide systematic coverage of recent ‘discoveries.’
Thematic articles cover general themes such as cosmologies, calendars, navigation, orientations and alignments, and ancient perceptions of space and time. They also highlight various aspects of the social context of astronomy (its relationship to social power, warfare, etc) and how we interpret astronomical practices within the framework of conceptual approaches. There are also discussions of broad issues such as ethnocentrism, nationalism, and astronomical dating. The “methods and practices” articles cover topicsfrom field methodology and survey procedures to social theory, as well as providing broad definitions and explanations of key concepts. We are also including a number of “disciplinary perspectives” on approaches to archaeoastronomy written by leading figures in the constituent fields. These articles cover material that, generally speaking, would be familiar to graduates in the relevant discipline but, critically, not so to those with different backgrounds.
The central aim of “Handbook of Archaeoastronomy” is to provide a reliable source for theory, method, interpretation and best practices that will give a definitive picture of the state of the art research in this field for serious scholars regardless of the discipline(s) in which they are qualified. It will be equally suitable for those already contributing to the field and those interested in entering it. Also included are studies in ethnoastronomy, which is concerned with contemporary practices related to astronomy, particularly among modern indigenous societies.
A major part of this MRW is comprised of a set of wide-ranging archaeoastronomical case studies both geographically and through time, stretching right back to Palaeolithic days, and also in terms of the types of human society and nature of their astronomical ideas and practices. However, these are chosen in order to best illuminate broader issues and themes, rather than to attempt, for example, to provide systematic coverage of recent ‘discoveries.’
Thematic articles cover general themes such as cosmologies, calendars, navigation, orientations and alignments, and ancient perceptions of space and time. They also highlight various aspects of the social context of astronomy (its relationship to social power, warfare, etc) and how we interpret astronomical practices within the framework of conceptual approaches. There are also discussions of broad issues such as ethnocentrism, nationalism, and astronomical dating. The “methods and practices” articles cover topicsfrom field methodology and survey procedures to social theory, as well as providing broad definitions and explanations of key concepts. We are also including a number of “disciplinary perspectives” on approaches to archaeoastronomy written by leading figures in the constituent fields. These articles cover material that, generally speaking, would be familiar to graduates in the relevant discipline but, critically, not so to those with different backgrounds.
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Keywords
Table of contents (218 entries)
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Front Matter
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Themes and Issues
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Front Matter
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Editors and Affiliations
About the editor
Dr. Clive Ruggles is currently an Emeritus Professor of Archaeoastronomy at the School of Archaeology and Ancient History, the University of Leicester.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
Editors: Clive L.N. Ruggles
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Reference Module Physical and Materials Science, Reference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4614-6140-1Published: 16 August 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4614-6141-8Published: 14 August 2014
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXXVI, 2297
Number of Illustrations: 597 b/w illustrations, 372 illustrations in colour
Topics: Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Archaeology, Regional and Cultural Studies, Human Geography, History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics