Archaeoastronomy
… is the study of beliefs and practices relating to the sky in the past, especially in prehistory, and the uses to which people's know- ledge of the skies was put.
Journals
Professional bodies
Free software tools
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HORIZON |
See the Tools page for more info
Books
Springer Handbook (2014):
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Ocarina Books publishes and distributes books relating to archaeo- and ethnoastronomy |
Publications
This list of my books and selected papers and articles contains links and downloadable copies where available.
Clive is Emeritus Professor of Archaeoastronomy in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, UK. He has worked in many parts of the world and published numerous books, papers and articles including the 3-volume Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy (2014), for which he was editor-in-chief. He has ongoing fieldwork and analysis projects in Hawai‘i, Peru and Europe and is a leading figure in the joint initiative by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International Astronomical Union working to recognise, protect, and promote the world's most important astronomical heritage sites. He was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s new Agnes Clerke Medal in 2017 for a “lifetime of distinguished work in the overlapping areas of archaeology, astronomy and the history of science”.
Two new astronomical World Heritage Sites
Two very different places linked to astronomy have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at the 2019 World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan. Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK is the first 20th-century astronomical observatory to become a World Heritage Site, while Risco Caído and the sacred mountains of Gran Canaria is a “cultural landscape” highlighting cultural astronomy operating in a rich historical and social context.
For more information on the two sites see the Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy and for more information on the context of the two successful nominations see the article “Beyond Jodrell Bank: astronomical heritage”.
The picture shows the front covers of the nomination dossiers for the two new World Heritage Sites.
Heiau, ‘Āina, Lani published
Heiau, ‘Āina, Lani: the Hawaiian temple system in ancient Kahikinui and Kaupō, Maui, by Patrick V. Kirch and Clive Ruggles has been published by the University of Hawai‘i Press. The book represents the results of a joint fieldwork project by the two authors, spanning more than 15 years, in the south-eastern coastal area of the island of Maui. There is a remarkably well preserved archaeological landscape here containing pre-conquest house sites, walls and terraces for dryland cultivation, and including scores of temple sites (heiau), many of which are newly discovered and reported in the book for the first time.
Heiau, 'Aina, Lani is a collaborative study of 78 temple sites in the ancient moku (districts) of Kahikinui and Kaupō. The title of the book means "Temples, Land, and Sky" and reflects the integrated approach taken by the authors, combining archaeological and archaeoastronomical evidence (detailed mapping of the structures, precise determination of their orientations, and accurate dating) which allows them to offer some provocative interpretations of the complex relationships between the Hawaiian temple system, and landscape, and the heavens (the “skyscape”). The book repositions the study of heiau at the forefront of Hawaiian archaeology and also demonstrates the successful integration of archaeoastronomy into broader investigations of archaeology and landscape.
The photo shows temple site NAK-30 in its landscape setting, looking eastward along the coast with the southern slopes of the Haleakalā volcano in the distance.
Astronomical heritage
Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy
Read more on the UNESCO–IAU Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy and about astronomical heritage in general
Free downloads
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No. 1 (2010): See here for more information or click here to download a copy directly (46 Mb) |
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No. 2 (2017): See here for more information or click here to download a copy (19 Mb) |
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Astronomical World Heritage
Download a copy of an article published in A&G (Aug 2019 issue) |
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Stonehenge and Ancient Astronomy
Download a copy of the Royal Astronomical Society’s factsheet |
Alice Ruggles Trust
If you are looking for things related to Alice and/or information about stalking, please visit the Alice Ruggles Trust website