Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations(Dover Books on Astronomy)

Popular, authoritative look at the world of archaeoastronomy, the study of ancient peoples' observation of the skies and its role in their cultural evolution. 208 illustrations. "It should be read by anyone even remotely interested in the long saga of the universe's profound and lasting influence on mankind's development." - New Scientist "A grand book." - Publishers Weekly "Dr. Krupp teaches us once more to look up at the stars and marvel." - Ray Bradbury The intriguing world of archaeoastronomy - the study of ancient peoples' observations of the skies and the impact of what they saw on their cultural evolution - is the focus of this eminently readable and authoritative survey. Author E. C. Krupp, an astronomer, is the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. He is one of the world's greatest experts on archaeoastronomy, and the author of numerous books including Beyond the Blue Horizon (1992) and In Search of Ancient Astronomies (1978). His interpretations of sky-watching customs from around the world range from everyday pursuits such as measuring time and calculating planting seasons to philosophical issues concerning the role of humanity within the larger context of the universe. Beginning with an explanation of how the sky works and how people have relied upon its guidance for centuries, Dr. Krupp explores ancient and prehistoric observatories, from sites in China and Babylonia to Scotland and Peru. He relates sky god mythology from many cultures, discusses astronomy's influence on funerary rites and other vigils and rituals, and profiles sacred places such as Stonehenge and the kivas of the American Southwest. An extraordinary interdisciplinary work of investigation and discovery, this book offers a compelling portrait of the ancient stargazers, their beliefs, and their customs. "This remarkable book, written by one of the greatest experts on archaeoastronomy is packed with valuable information." - Message to Eagle

Table of Contents:
1. The Lights We See How the sky works and how we use it: Day and night Directions The seasons The year Precession Cycles of planets Cycles of the moon The sky symbolism of Osiris 2. The Skies We Watch "Ancient and prehistoric observatories: "Stretching of the Cord" ceremony (Egypt)" Bronze age inscriptions in China Babylonian astronomical tables "The "Sun Circle" at Cahokia, Illinois" "Kintraw, Scotland" Megalithic lunar observatories Inca skywatchers at Machu Picchu "The Caracol of Chichen Itza, Yucatan" Gnomons in ancient China 3. The Gods We Worship "Sky gods around the world?why we have them and what they mean: Sun gods, divine planets, and sacred stars" "Gods of rain, fertility, and storm" Sacred kingship?the connection between sky and earth 4. The Tales We Tell "Sky myths and the cycle of cosmic order: Phaethon, a Greek myth" "The Pleiades and the opossum (Barasana Indians, Colombia)" The Omaha Indian myth of the sacred pole The birth of Huitzilopochtli (Aztec) The retreat of the sun goddess and her return (Japan) 5. The Dead We Bury The celestial components of funerals and tombs and the journey of the dead: The Great Pyramid Royal Tombs of New Kingdom Egypt The tumulus of China's first emperor and other Chinese tombs Burial and the city plan of Cahokia The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque (Maya) Newgrange (prehistoric Ireland) 6. The Vigils We Keep Shamanism and the celestial travels of the soul: California Indian sun shrines Mystical star treaders of China Tukano Indians and their shamans (Colombia) Medicine wheels of North America Sun priests in the American Southwest "Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico" 7. The Days We Tally Calendars and the sacred structure of time: Notation and the Ice Age hunters of Europe Stone rings and the calendar of prehistoric Britain Namoratunga II and the calendar in ancient Kenya The three calendars of dynastic Egypt "Calendars, omens, and kings in China and Babylon" The Inca calendar and Inca society Calendar cycles of the Maya and the Aztec 8. The Rituals We Perform Ceremonies that celebrate the sky: The Hopi Indians and the winter solstice "The "Burning of Tara" and the Irish Celts" Imperial ritual in old Beijing The Inca festival of Inti Raymi The Babylonian New Year "Bundling the Years" in ancient Mexico (Aztec)" "The "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony in ancient Egypt" 9. The Space We Enclose "Astronomy, geometry, and sacred space: Stonehenge" Other megalithic rings in England Scotland's recumbent stone circles Sarmizegetusa?a Thracian temple 10. The Temples We Align Astronomical orientation and symbolism in ancient temples: Casa Rinconada and other kivas (American Southwest) The Skidi Pawnee earth lodge Kogi temples (Colombia) "Alta Vista, Monte Alban, Uaxactun, and Uxmal?celestial alignment in ancient Mexico" Solar sanctuaries of New Kingdom Egypt 11. The Cities We Plan Sacred capitals and the source of world order: Beijing Pueblo Bonito Tenochtitlan Cuzco Teotihuacan 12. The Symbols We Draw How we code the sky and what those messages say about our brains: Mescalero Apache and the four-pointed star Cross glyphs and pecked crosses from ancient Mexico "The Aztec "Calendar Stone" The serpent of equinox sunlight at Chichen Itza "Irish rock art, Knowth" A honeycomb mural from prehistoric Turkey (Catal Huyuk) Babylonian boundary stones Winged suns from Mesopotamia and Egypt Horizon symbols and astronomical observation The UFO?a modern sky symbol 13. The Universes We Design Cosmology and why we do it: The Desana Indian cosmos (Colombia) The bell-shaped universe of the Warao (Venezuela) Greek cosmologies The sky and earth in ancient China "The heralds of modern cosmology?Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton" The hierarchical universe of ancient Mexico Hubble's redshift and the expanding universe Bibliography Index