Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings

Author: E. C. Krupp
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Book Description
Discover the celestial myths and cosmic rituals of ancient priests and kings . . . Drawing on intimate knowledge of the more than 1,300 ancient sites he has visited, E. C. Krupp, acclaimed writer and preeminent researcher, takes you to the world's essential sacred places and celestial shrines. Join him on a rich narrative journey to see where the rulers of old communed with the gods of the sky. "Highly recommended to everyone interested in the culture of astronomy and those peoples who practiced it in their own ways."-Sky & Telescope "A lively account of the ways in which our ancestors conceived of and used the heavens."-New Scientist "There can be no doubt that this imaginative and readable work by a widely read and widely traveled author will strike a chord in the minds of a great many modern readers."-Isis "The fact that the book is written by an expert in his field comes through on every page, as does his enthusiasm for the subject."-Astronomy Now "Krupp's indispensable volume is fascinating, well-illustrated, and covers much territory."-Parabola

Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings

Author: E.C. Krupp
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 1620456052
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 580

A People's History of Science

Author: Clifford D Conner
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 0786737867
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 570

Book Description
We all know the history of science that we learned from grade school textbooks: How Galileo used his telescope to show that the earth was not the center of the universe; how Newton divined gravity from the falling apple; how Einstein unlocked the mysteries of time and space with a simple equation. This history is made up of long periods of ignorance and confusion, punctuated once an age by a brilliant thinker who puts it all together. These few tower over the ordinary mass of people, and in the traditional account, it is to them that we owe science in its entirety. This belief is wrong. A People's History of Science shows how ordinary people participate in creating science and have done so throughout history. It documents how the development of science has affected ordinary people, and how ordinary people perceived that development. It would be wrong to claim that the formulation of quantum theory or the structure of DNA can be credited directly to artisans or peasants, but if modern science is likened to a skyscraper, then those twentieth-century triumphs are the sophisticated filigrees at its pinnacle that are supported by the massive foundation created by the rest of us.

Skywatchers

Author: Anthony F. Aveni
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292705029
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 428

Book Description
Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico helped establish the field of archaeoastronomy, and it remains the standard introduction to this subject. Combining basic astronomy with archaeological and ethnological data, it presented a readable and entertaining synthesis of all that was known of ancient astronomy in the western hemisphere as of 1980. In this revised edition, Anthony Aveni draws on his own and others' discoveries of the past twenty years to bring the Skywatchers story up to the present. He offers new data and interpretations in many areas, including: The study of Mesoamerican time and calendrical systems and their unprecedented continuity in contemporary Mesoamerican culture The connections between Precolumbian religion, astrology, and scientific, quantitative astronomy The relationship between Highland Mexico and the world of the Maya and the state of Pan-American scientific practices The use of personal computer software for computing astronomical data With this updated information, Skywatchers will serve a new generation of general and scholarly readers and will be useful in courses on archaeoastronomy, astronomy, history of astronomy, history of science, anthropology, archaeology, and world religions.

Ancient Astronomy

Author: Clive L.N. Ruggles
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1851096167
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 549

Book Description
An authoritative introduction to the fascinating topic of archaeoastronomy—ancient peoples' understanding and use of the skies. Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth draws on archaeological evidence and oral traditions to reveal how prehistoric humans perceived the skies and celestial phenomena. With over 200 entries, it offers a number of ways to approach ancient astronomy, from key examples and case studies worldwide (Stonehenge; Mexican and Egyptian pyramids; Chaco Canyon, New Mexico; the Nazca lines in Peru) to general themes (cosmologies, calendars, ancient ideas of space and time, origin myths), to fundamental concepts and methods (how the sky has changed over the centuries, how to survey a site), and to the field's most frequently asked questions (How did ancient peoples navigate the ocean using the stars? How does astrology relate to ancient astronomy? Can ancient sites be dated astronomically?) By revealing the astronomical significance of some of the world's most famous ancient landmarks and enduring myths and by showing how different themes and concepts are connected, Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth brings a unique authoritative perspective to an area too often left to speculation and sensationalism.

Dictionary of Nature Myths

Author: Tamra Andrews
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195136772
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 302

Book Description
Comprehensive and cross-referenced, this informative volume is a rich introduction to the world of nature as experienced by ancient peoples around the globe. 51 halftones.

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

Author: Muriel Gargaud
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3662650932
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 3376

Book Description
Now in its third edition the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology serves as the key to a common understanding in the extremely interdisciplinary community of astrobiologists. Each new or experienced researcher and graduate student in adjacent fields of astrobiology will appreciate this reference work in the quest to understand the big picture. The carefully selected group of active researchers contributing to this work are aiming to give a comprehensive international perspective on and to accelerate the interdisciplinary advance of astrobiology. The interdisciplinary field of astrobiology constitutes a joint arena where provocative discoveries are coalescing concerning, e.g. the prevalence of exoplanets, the diversity and hardiness of life, and its chances for emergence. Biologists, astrophysicists, (bio)-chemists, geoscientists and space scientists share this exciting mission of revealing the origin and commonality of life in the Universe. With its overview articles and its definitions the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology not only provides a common language and understanding for the members of the different disciplines but also serves for educating a new generation of young astrobiologists who are no longer separated by the jargon of individual scientific disciplines. This new edition offers ~170 new entries. More than half of the existing entries were updated, expanded or supplemented with figures supporting the understanding of the text. Especially in the fields of astrochemistry and terrestrial extremophiles but also in exoplanets and space sciences in general there is a huge body of new results that have been taken into account in this new edition. Because the entries in the Encyclopedia are in alphabetical order without regard for scientific field, this edition includes a section “Astrobiology by Discipline” which lists the entries by scientific field and subfield. This should be particularly helpful to those enquiring about astrobiology, as it illustrates the broad and detailed nature of the field.

The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt

Author: Rosemary Clark
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 9781567181296
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

Book Description
An Egyptologist who reads Egyptian hieroglyphics firsthand examines the esoteric tradition of Egypt in remarkable detail, exploring the dimensions of the language, cosmology, and temple life to show that a sacred mandate--the transformation of the human condition into its original cosmic substance--formed the foundation of Egypt's endeavors and still has great relevance today.

Japanese Mythology and the Primeval World

Author: Peter Metevelis
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 059549711X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 618

Book Description
The Japanese have faithfully preserved their ancient myths as a connected and well ordered system. And as a system, Japanese myths say much about the human condition in the cosmos and about the human place in the cosmic order. Not until now has a book-length, English-language study been released on Japanese mythology. Drawing on his meticulous research, Asianist Peter Metevelis presents this selection of analytic essays that form a mosaic of themes on the primordial world of Japanese myth, adding a rewarding voice to cultural history and the history of ideas around the world. Metevelis shows that, contrary to popular belief, Japanese myths have much in common with other myths around the globe, and are mythically, logically, and symbolically equivalent. This suggests that Japanese culture has always resonated with the rest of the world and provides a valuable touchstone for comparative mythologists. The mythic themes Metevelis explores include: Linkage of birth with death Loss of immortality Containment of souls Effect of time on mortals Creation of the cosmos And many more This incomparable volume also includes detailed notes, bibliographies, and appendices to help further your knowledge of Japanese myth. Under Metevelis's expert guidance, you can expand your understanding of the Japanese myth system, its structure, and its principal actors, and immerse yourself in the ancient Japanese mysteries of the cosmos.

Astrology and Cosmology in the World's Religions

Author: Nicholas Campion
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814717136
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
"Almost every religion uses some form of astrology: some way of thinking about the sun, moon, stars, and planets and how they hold significance for human lives on earth. Astrology and Cosmology in the World's Religions offers an accessible overview of the astrologies of the world's religions, placing them into context within theories of how the wider universe came into being and operates."--Back cover.