Archaeoastronomy

Politecnico di Milano

About this Course

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Archaeoastronomy is the “science of stars and stones”.  It is an interdisciplinary science in between architecture, archaeology, and astronomy. It studies the relationships between the ancient monuments and the sky, in order to gain a better understanding of the ideas of the architects of the past and of their religious and symbolic world. The course provides the first complete, easy introduction to this fascinating discipline.
During the course, many spectacular ancient sites of archaeology – such as Stonehenge in England, Giza and Karnak in Egypt, Chichen Itzá in the Yucatan, Macchu Picchu in Peru and the Pantheon in Rome – will be visited and the fascinating events occurring there in special days of the year (such as solstices, equinoxes, or the day of the foundation of Rome) will be shown and explained. The course also provides the necessary background on Astronomy with the naked eye and a general introduction to the role of Astronomy in religion and in the management of power among ancient cultures.

Learner Career Outcomes

11%

started a new career after completing these courses

30%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

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Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.57/5 (206 Ratings)

Giulio Magli

Full Professor

Dept. of Mathematics

31,627 Learners

1 Course

Learner Career Outcomes

11%

started a new career after completing these courses

30%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish

Offered by

Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di Milano is a scientific-technological University, which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(4,701 ratings)

Week

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Week 1

In this week we shall learn the basic tools which are needed for studying Archaeoastronomy. Essentially, this means learning Astronomy with the naked eye, since the ancients did not have telescopes, and becoming acquainted with a simple instrument - the magnetic compass - and amazing softwares: virtual globes and digital planetariums.

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 25 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

5 videos

Archaeoastronomy: the science of stars and stones2m

The celestial coordinates and the apparent motion of the Sun6m

The constellations and the apparent motion of the stars6m

Precession and the reconstruction of ancient skies4m

Sightseeing with an archaeoastronomer's eye4m

1 reading

Supplementary Course Text5m

1 practice exercise

Astronomy with the naked eye: how the ancients saw the sky15m

Week

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Week 2

The core of the course: understanding how astronomy, religion, and the management of power were connected in ancient cultures, and the way in which these connections are reflected in architecture and landscape since the Neolithic. At the end of the week we shall thus visit the places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Stonehenge and Newgrange.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 24 min)

4 videos

Astronomy and architecture: a very early connection6m

Archaeoastronomy in action: hierophanies and sacred landscapes6m

The places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Stonehenge6m

The places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Newgrange4m

1 practice exercise

Astronomy, power and architecture15m

Week

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Week 3

An archaeoastronomical tour in a wonderful land: Egypt of the Pharaohs. We shall visit Khufu's (Cheops) Great Pyramid and assist to the spectacular hierophany which occurs every year at Giza at the summer solstice. Then, we shall move to the huge temple of Karnak at the winter solstice, to finally encounter the "heretic" king Akhenaten and the astronomy-related project of his new capital.

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 30 min)

5 videos

The stellar destiny of the Pharaohs5m

The Great Pyramid and the stars6m

The horizon of Khufu7m

Karnak, Abu Simbel and the Egyptian calendar6m

The Amarna heresy and the horizon of the Aten5m

1 practice exercise

Ancient Egypt15m

Week

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Week 4

An introduction to pre-Columbian Archaeoastronomy, with key topics such as the Maya Calendar, the role of astronomy in Maya architecture, and the sacred space of the Incas at Cusco and Macchu Picchu.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 28 min)

4 videos

Maya astronomy and calendar8m

Chichen Itza and the Serpent Equinox7m

The Inca pillars of the Sun6m

Macchu Picchu4m

1 practice exercise

The Pre-Columbian world15m

Week

Week 5

24 minutes to complete

Week 5

An archaeo-astronomical visit to fascinating places of ancient Asia: the Xian area, with the Terracotta Warriors and the pyramids of the Chinese Emperors of the Han Dynasty, and Angkor (Cambodia) with Angkor Wat and the other state-temples of the Khmer Kings.

24 minutes to complete

4 videos (Total 24 min)

4 videos

The first emperor and the Terracotta Army4m

The pyramids of ancient China7m

Angkor Wat5m

Between sun and waters: the temples of the Khmer heartland6m

1 practice exercise

Archaeoastronomy in Asia

Week

Week 6

1 hour to complete

Week 6

A fascinating travel in Greek and Roman Italy, in search of astronomy in the project of some of the masterpieces of the classical age, from the Greek temples of Sicily to the Pantheon in Rome.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 19 min)

3 videos

Houses of the Gods: the Greek temples of Sicily5m

Aosta and Augustus' power from the stars6m

Astronomy and empire at the Pantheon in Rome6m

1 practice exercise

The Classical world15m

Week

Week 7

3 hours to complete

Astronomy insights

Archaeoastronomy is not only "speaking about the Sun and the other stars". Interest in the cumbersome, apparent motion of the Moon and in the alternating behaviour of Venus as morning star/evening star is also present in ancient architecture, for instance in the Americas. This section provides the tools needed to investigate in such cases, as well as insights on the physical effects affecting measures in Archaeoastronomy.

3 hours to complete

1 video (Total 6 min), 18 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Conclusions and perspectives5m

18 readings

Lunar phases10m

The eclipses10m

The change in the rising and setting points of the Moon10m

The Moon in Archaeoastronomy10m

Bibliography10m

The planets visible with the naked eye10m

The Motion of Venus10m

Venus in Archaeoastronomy10m

Bibliography10m

The Earth's atmosphere10m

Extincion and Thom's law10m

Refraction and parallax10m

Visual alignments10m

The horizon formula10m

Graphical tools10m

Handling archaeoastronomical data10m

The use of Probability in Archaeoastronomy10m

Bibliography10m

1 practice exercise

Astronomy insight15m

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Archaeoastronomy