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.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.58/5 (357 Ratings)

Giulio Magli

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(5,930 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Week 1

1 hour to complete

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

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Week 2

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 24 min)

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Week 3

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 30 min)

Week4

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Week 4

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 28 min)

Week5

Week 5

24 minutes to complete

Week 5

24 minutes to complete

4 videos (Total 24 min)

Week6

Week 6

1 hour to complete

Week 6

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 19 min)

Week7

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 phases10mThe eclipses10mThe change in the rising and setting points of the Moon10mThe Moon in Archaeoastronomy10mBibliography10mThe planets visible with the naked eye10mThe Motion of Venus10mVenus in Archaeoastronomy10mBibliography10mThe Earth's atmosphere10mExtincion and Thom's law10mRefraction and parallax10mVisual alignments10mThe horizon formula10mGraphical tools10mHandling archaeoastronomical data10mThe use of Probability in Archaeoastronomy10mBibliography10m

1 practice exercise

Astronomy insight15m

Reviews

4.5

400 reviews

5 stars
64.87%
4 stars
26.49%
3 stars
6.75%
2 stars
1.47%
1 star
0.38%

TOP REVIEWS FROM ARCHAEOASTRONOMY

by SCAug 13, 2017

awesome course, I had a wonderful time and learnt a lot also the material is very good and is of high quality. The course is well designed and it fulfilled all my needs.

by WTSep 16, 2019

It is a great course. I have enjoyed each of the segments covering many more ancient sites than I have known about in the past and explaining the ones I did know about in much greater depth.

by DENov 9, 2017

It was a very interesting course, and had addressed the subject matter in an organized manner. It was challenging at times, but maintained my interest throughout the course.

by BHJun 13, 2017

Helpful in achieving a good basic understanding of the technical aspects of astronomy and as a good general introduction to the study of archaeoastronomy. Clearly presented and well illustrated.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Archaeoastronomy

Archaeoastronomy

About this Course