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.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

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.

Beginner Level

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.58/5 (341 Ratings)

Giulio Magli

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(5,689 ratings)

Week

1

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

Week

2

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)

Week

3

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)

Week

4

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)

Week

5

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)

Week

6

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)

Week

7

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

Reviews

4.5

383 reviews

5 stars
64.95%
4 stars
26.38%
3 stars
6.73%
2 stars
1.52%
1 star
0.40%

TOP REVIEWS FROM ARCHAEOASTRONOMY

by VKFeb 11, 2021

Fascinating topic - great videos but I had read the notes as well because I was having difficulty understanding Prof. Magli's accent. Course covered many different parts of the world. Thank you.

by MKJan 12, 2019

Excellent Course Outline and easy to understand content, Prof. Giulio Magli has done an excellent job to make that all information understandable to the students. Regards!

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 KMNov 16, 2018

This course has lots of good information with an interesting instructor. The integration of visual images and stories with the astronomy and archaeology data is well done.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

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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