The Springer Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy

General editor: Clive Ruggles

Section editors: Juan Antonio Belmonte, Stanisław Iwaniszewski, Alejandro López, Stephen C. McCluskey, John Steele and Sun Xiaochun

Published in 2014 by Springer

This three-volume reference work aims to provide a definitive picture of the state of art of research in this field, and to be a reliable and wide-ranging source regarding theory, method, interpretation, and best practice.

Published in both electronic and printed form, it is suitable for academic readers and researchers regardless of their disciplinary expertise, and will also be accessible to students and serious general readers.

Full contents list

The 217 articles listed below are accessible on-line at Springer Link if your institution has the relevant subscription.

Part I: Themes and issues

Part II: Methods and practice

Part III: Pre-Columbian and indigenous North America

Part IV: Pre-Columbian and indigenous Mesoamerica

Part V: Pre-Columbian and indigenous South America

Part VI: Indigenous and Islamic astronomy in Africa

Part VII: Prehistoric Western Europe

Part VIII: Prehistoric Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Part IX: Ancient Egypt and the Classical World

Part X: Traditional astronomies in medieval and early modern Europe

Part XI: Ancient Near East

Part XII: India and the Islamic Near East

Part XIII: China and the Far East

Part XIV: Oceania, Australasia and the Malay Archipelago

Stonehenge, United Kingdom (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part I: Themes and issues

1. Concepts of space, time and the cosmos by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
2. Calendars and astronomy by Clive Ruggles
3. Astronomy and chronology—Babylonia, Assyria, and Egypt by Rolf Krauss
4. Astronomy and navigation by Fernando Pimenta
5. Astronomy and power by Edwin C. Krupp
6. Astronomy and politics by John Steele
7. Astrology as cultural astronomy by Nicholas Campion
8. Astronomy, astrology and medicine by Dorian Greenbaum
9. Ancient “observatories”—a relevant concept? by Juan Antonio Belmonte
10. Origins of the “Western” constellations by Roslyn Frank
11. Astronomy in the service of Christianity by Stephen C. McCluskey
12. Astronomy in the service of Islam by David King
13. Interaction between “indigenous” and “colonial” astronomies: adaption of indigenous astronomies in the modern world by Alejandro López
14. Development of archaeoastronomy in the English-speaking world by Alun Salt
15. Disciplinary perspectives on archaeoastronomy by Stephen C. McCluskey
16. Astronomy and rock art studies by William Breen Murray
17. Presentation of archaeoastronomy in introductions to archaeology by Victor B. Fisher
18. Archaeoastronomical concepts in popular culture by Edwin C. Krupp
19. Astrotourism and archaeoastronomy by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
20. Archaeoastronomical heritage and the World Heritage Convention by Michel Cotte

Part II: Methods and practice

21. Cultural interpretation of archaeological evidence relating to astronomy
    by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
22. Cultural interpretation of historical evidence relating to astronomy
    by Stephen C. McCluskey
23. Cultural interpretation of ethnographic evidence relating to astronomy
    by Alejandro López
24. Nature and analysis of material evidence relevant to archaeoastronomy
    by Clive Ruggles
25. Best practice for evaluating the astronomical significance of archaeological sites
    by Clive Ruggles
26. Techniques of field survey by Frank Prendergast
27. Analyzing orientations by Clive Ruggles
28. Analyzing light-and-shadow interactions by Stephen C. McCluskey
29. Visualization tools and techniques by Georg Zotti
30. Basic concepts of positional astronomy by Clive Ruggles
31. Long-term changes in the appearance of the sky by Clive Ruggles
32. Solar alignments—identification and analysis by Juan Antonio Belmonte
33. Lunar alignments—identification and analysis by César González
34. Alignments upon Venus (and other planets)—identification and analysis by Ivan Šprajc
35. Stellar alignments—identification and analysis by Clive Ruggles

Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, USA (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part III: Pre-Columbian and indigenous North America

36. Inuit astronomy by John MacDonald
37. Medicine Wheels of the Great Plains by David Vogt
38. Hohokam archaeoastronomy by Todd W. Bostwick
39. Mesa Verde archaeoastronomy by Gregory E. Munson
40. Great Houses and the sun—the astronomy of Chaco Canyon by Kim Malville
41. Rock Art of the greater southwest by Edwin C. Krupp
42. Hopi and Anasazi alignments and rock art by Bryan C. Bates
43. Sun-dagger sites by Ray Williamson
44. Diné (Navajo) ethno- and archaeoastronomy by Von Del Chamberlain
45. Pueblo ethnoastronomy by Ray Williamson
46. Hopi and Puebloan ethnoastronomy and ethnoscience by Stephen C. McCluskey
47. Astronomy and rock art in Mexico by William Breen Murray
48. Boca de Potrerillos by William Breen Murray

Part IV: Pre-Columbian and indigenous Mesoamerica

49. Astronomical deities in ancient Mesoamerica by Susan Milbrath
50. Astronomy in the Dresden Codex by Gabrielle Vail
51. Counting lunar phase cycles in Mesoamerica by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
52. Astronomical correlates of architecture and landscape in Mesoamerica by Ivan Šprajc
53. Astronomy at Teotihuacan by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
54. Pecked cross-circles by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
55. Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan—Calendar and astronomy by Jesús Galindo Trejo
56. Cave of the astronomers at Xochicalco by Arnold Lebeuf
57. Colonial Zapotec calendars and calendrical astronomy by John S. Justeson
58. Layout of ancient Maya cities by Grant Aylesworth
59. Governor’s Palace at Uxmal by Ivan Šprajc
60. E-Group arrangements by Grant Aylesworth

The thirteen towers of Chankillo, Peru (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part V: Pre-Columbian and indigenous South America

61. Pre-Inca astronomy in Peru by Kim Malville
62. Chankillo by Iván Ghezzi and Clive Ruggles
63. Geoglyphs of the Peruvian coast by Clive Ruggles
64. Inca astronomy and calendrics by David Dearborn and Brian Bauer
65. Inca calendar by Mariusz Ziółkowski
66. Ceque system of Cuzco—a yearly calendar-almanac in space and time by R. Tom Zuidema
67. Inca Royal Estates in the Sacred Valley by Kim Malville
68. Machu Picchu by Kim Malville
69. Island of the Sun—Elite and non-elite observations of the June solstice by David Dearborn and Brian Bauer
70. Inca moon—some evidence for lunar observations in Tahuantinsuyu by Mariusz Ziółkowski, Jacek Kosciuk and Fernando Astete
71. Observations of comets and eclipses in the Andes by Mariusz Ziółkowski
72. Landscape, mountain worship and astronomy at Socaire by Ricardo Moyano
73. Skyscape of an Amazonian diaspora: Arawak astronomy in historical comparative perspective by Fabiola Jara
74. Astronomy in Brazilian ethnohistory by Flávia Pedroza Lima
75. Ticuna astronomy, mythology and cosmovision by Priscila Faulhaber
76. Moxos’ lagoons by Juan Antonio Belmonte and Josep Barba
77. “Chiriguano” astronomy—Venus and a Guarani new year by Gonzalo Pereira
78. Astronomy and cosmology of the Guaraní of southern Brazil by Flávia Cristina de Mello
79. The sky among the Toba of western Formosa (Gran Chaco, Argentina) by Cecilia Gómez
80. Astronomy in the Chaco region, Argentina by Alejandro López
81. Ethnoastronomy in the multicultural context of the agricultural colonies in northern Santa Fe province, Argentina by Armando Mudrik
82. Selk'nam astronomy by Sixto Giménez Benítez

Part VI: Indigenous and Islamic astronomy in Africa

83. Cultural astronomy in Africa south of the Sahara by Jarita Holbrook
84. Indigenous astronomy in southern Africa by Thebe Medupe
85. “Reading” central African skies: a case study from southeastern DRC by Allen F. Roberts
86. Mursi and Borana calendars by Clive Ruggles
87. Yoruba ethnoastronomy—“Orisha/Vodun’” or how people’s conceptions of the sky constructed science by Aimé Dafon Segla
88. Pre-Islamic dry-stone monuments of the central and western Sahara by Yves Gauthier
89. Astronomy at Nabta Playa, southern Egypt by Kim Malville
90. Pre-Islamic religious monuments in North Africa by César Esteban
91. Astronomy as practiced in West African city of Timbuktu by Thebe Medupe
92. Calendar pluralism and the cultural heritage of domination and resistance (Tuareg and other Saharans) by Clare Oxby
93. Pre-hispanic sanctuaries in the Canary Islands by Juan Antonio Belmonte
94. A modern myth—the “pyramids” of Güímar by Antonio Aparicio and César Esteban

View of the skyline from the interior of the painted cave of La Candelaria, Gran Canaria, Spain (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part VII: Prehistoric Western Europe

95. Patterns of orientation in the megalithic tombs of the western Mediterranean
    by Michael Hoskin
96. Seven-stone antas by Michael Hoskin
97. Megalithic cromlechs of Iberia by Fernando Pimenta and Luís Tirapicos
98. Iberian sanctuaries by César Esteban
99. Taula sanctuaries of Menorca by Michael Hoskin
100. Celtic sites of central Iberia by Manuel Pérez
101. Basque saroiak by Luis Mari Zaldua
102. Possible calendrical inscriptions on Palaeolithic artifacts by Michael Rappenglück
103. Possible astronomical depictions in Franco-Cantabrian Palaeolithic rock art
     by Michael Rappenglück
104. Astronomical symbolism in Bronze-Age and Iron-Age rock art by Marco García Quintela and Manuel Santos
105. Stonehenge and its landscape by Clive Ruggles
106. The Neolithic and Bronze Age monument complex of Thornborough, North Yorkshire, UK by Jan Harding
107. Irish Neolithic tombs in their landscape by Frank Prendergast
108. Boyne valley tombs by Frank Prendergast
109. Recumbent stone circles by Clive Ruggles
110. Scottish short stone rows by Clive Ruggles

Part VIII: Prehistoric Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

111. TRB megalithic tombs and long barrows in central Europe by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
112. Neolithic longhouses and Bronze Age houses in central Europe by Emilia Pásztor and Judit Barna
113. Neolithic circular ditch systems (“rondels”) in central Europe by Emilia Pásztor, Judit Barna and Georg Zotti
114. Celestial symbolism of the Vučedol culture by Emília Pásztor
115. Celestial symbolism in central European later prehistory—case studies from the Bronze Age Carpathian Basin by Emília Pásztor
116. Nebra Disk by Emília Pásztor
117. Lessons of Odry by Stanisław Iwaniszewski
118. Astronomical orientation in the ancient Dacian sanctuaries of Romania
     by Florin Stanescu
119. Astronomy in the Bulgarian Neolithic by Alexey Stoev and Penka Maglova
120. Thracian sanctuaries by Penka Maglova and Alexey Stoev
121. Thracian dolmens by César González, Dimiter Kolev and Vesselina Koleva
122. Sardinian nuraghes by Mauro Peppino Zedda
123. Nuraghic well of Santa Cristina, Paulilatino, Oristano, Sardinia by Arnold Lebeuf
124. Temples of Malta by Frank Ventura and Michael Hoskin
125. Minoan astronomy by Mary Blomberg and Göran Henriksson
126. Astronomy in the ancient Caucasus by Irakli Simonia and B. Jijelava
127. Carahunge: a critical assessment by César González
128. Observational and cult sites in pre-Christian Georgia by Irakli Simonia, B. Jijelava, and G. Gigauri

Zorats Karer (Carahunge), Armenia (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part IX: Ancient Egypt and the Classical World

129. Egyptian cosmology and cosmogony by James Allen
130. Egyptian constellations by José Lull and Juan Antonio Belmonte
131. Ancient Egyptian calendars by Anthony Spalinger
132. Egyptian “star clocks” by Sarah Symons
133. Orientation of Egyptian temples—an overview by Juan Antonio Belmonte
134. Monuments of the Giza plateau by Clive Ruggles
135. Karnak by Juan Antonio Belmonte
136. Kingdom of Kush by Juan Antonio Belmonte
137. Greek cosmology and cosmogony by Alexander Jones
138. Greek constellations by Stamatina Mastorakou
139. Ancient Greek calendars by Robert Hannah
140. Greek temples and rituals by Efrosyni Boutsikas
141. Greek mathematical astronomy by Alexander Jones
142. Material culture of Greek and Roman astronomy by James Evans
143. Reconstructing the Antikythera mechanism by Tony Freeth
144. Greco-Roman astrometeorology by Daryn Lehoux
145. Greco-Roman astrology by Roger Beck
146. Etruscan divination and architecture by Giulio Magli
147. Roman city planning and spatial organization by César González and Giulio Magli
148. Light at the Pantheon by Robert Hannah and Giulio Magli
149. Nemrud Dag by Juan Antonio Belmonte and César González
150. Mithraism by Roger Beck

Part X: Traditional astronomies in medieval and early modern Europe

151. Skylore of the indigenous peoples of northern Eurasia by Roslyn Frank
152. Qibla in the Mediterranean by Mònica Rius
153. Interactions between Islamic and Christian astronomical traditions in the Iberian Peninsula by César González and Juan Antonio Belmonte
154. Orientation of Christian churches by Stephen C. McCluskey
155. Orientation of English early medieval parish churches by Peter Hoare
156. Church orientations in Slovenia by Saša Čaval
157. Church orientations in central and eastern Europe by Rimvydas Laužikas
158. Role of light–shadow hierophanies in early medieval art by Kirsten Ataoguz
159. Light–shadow interactions in Italian medieval churches by Manuela Incerti
160. Lost skies of Italian folk astronomy by Piero Barale
161. Folk calendars in the Balkan region by Dimiter Kolev
162. Wooden calendar sticks in eastern Europe by Vesselina Koleva and Svetlana Koleva

Slipper (St. Catherine’s) chapel, Houghton St. Giles, United Kingdom. (Photo by John Salmon, wikimedia commons licence)

Part XI: Ancient Near East

163. Orientation in Hittite monuments by César González and Juan Antonio Belmonte
164. Orientation of Phoenician temples by José Luis Escacena
165. Astronomy in the Levant during the Bronze Age and Iron Age by Andrea Polcaro
166. Petra and the Nabateans by Juan Antonio Belmonte and César González
167. Mesopotamian cosmogony and cosmology by Wayne Horowitz
168. Mesopotamian star lists by Wayne Horowitz
169. Mesopotamian celestial divination by Lorenzo Verderame
170. Mesopotamian calendars by John Steele
171. Astronomy, divination and politics in the Neo-Assyrian empire by Lorenzo Verderame
172. Babylonian observational and predictive astronomy by John Steele
173. Babylonian mathematical astronomy by Mathieu Ossendrijver
174. Late Babylonian astrology by John Steele
175. Transmission of Babylonian astronomy to other cultures by Alexander Jones
176. Ancient and medieval Jewish calendars by Sacha Stern
177. Astronomy in the Book of Enoch by Jonathan Ben-Dov
178. Astronomy and calendars at Qumran by Jonathan Ben-Dov
179. Ancient Persian skywatching and calendars by Arkadiusz Sołtysiak

Part XII: India and the Islamic Near East

180. Islamic mathematical astronomy by Clemency Montelle
181. Islamic astronomical instruments and observatories by Tofigh Heidarzadeh
182. Islamic folk astronomy by Petra Schmidl
183. Folk astronomy and calendars in Yemen by Daniel Martin Varisco
184. Star clocks and water management in Oman by Harriet Nash
185. Astronomy of the Vedic Age by Yukio Ôhashi
186. Use of astronomical principles in Indian temple architecture by BS Shylaja
187. Astronomy of Indian cities, temples and pilgrimage centers by Kim Malville
188. Mathematical astronomy in India by Kim Plofker
189. Vākya system of astronomy by MS Sriram
190. Kerala school of astronomy by K Ramasubramanian
191. Astronomical instruments in India by SR Sarma
192. Observatories of Sawai Jai Singh II by Susan N. Johnson-Roehr

Bronze instruments from the Qing dynasty on the brick platform at Beijing Ancient Observatory, China (Photo © Clive Ruggles)

Part XIII: China and the Far East

193. Ancient Chinese astronomy—an overview by Shi Yun-li
194. Observations of celestial phenomena in ancient China by Sun Xiaochun
195. Chinese constellations and star maps by Sun Xiaochun
196. Chinese calendar and mathematical astronomy by Sun Xiaochun
197. Shang oracle bones by David Pankenier
198. Excavated documents dealing with Chinese astronomy by Guan Yuzhen
199. Astronomy and city planning in China by David Pankenier
200. Gnomons in ancient China by Li Geng
201. Taosi observatory by Sun Xiaochun
202. Dengfeng large gnomon by Xu Fengxian
203. Ancient Chinese sundials by Deng Kehui
204. Chinese armillary spheres by Sun Xiaochun
205. Water-powered astronomical clock tower by Sun Xiaochun
206. Beijing ancient observatory by Shi Yun-li
207. Astronomical aspects of Korean dolmens by Yang Hong-Jin
208. Korean astronomical calendar, Chiljeongsan by Lee Eun-Hee
209. Striking clepsydras by Nam Moon-Hyon
210. Song I-Yeong’s armillary clock by Kim Sang-Hyuk and Lee Yong-Sam
211. Cultural astronomy in Japan by Steven L. Renshaw

Part XIV: Oceania, Australasia and the Malay Archipelago

212. Cultural production of skylore in Indonesia by Gene Ammarell
213. Australian aboriginal astronomy—an overview by Ray Norris and Duane Hamacher
214. Australian aboriginal astronomy and cosmology by Philip A. Clarke
215. Archaeoastronomy in Polynesia by Clive Ruggles
216. Ancient Hawaiian astronomy by Clive Ruggles
217. Archaeoastronomy of Easter Island by Edmundo Edwards

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