About this course: 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.
Created by: Politecnico di Milano
Taught by: Giulio Magli, Full Professor
Dept. of Mathematics
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 2-3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
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.
5 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Supplementary Course Text
- Video: The celestial coordinates and the apparent motion of the Sun
- Video: The constellations and the apparent motion of the stars
- Video: Precession and the reconstruction of ancient skies
- Video: Sightseeing with an archaeoastronomer's eye
Graded: Astronomy with the naked eye: how the ancients saw the sky
WEEK 2
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.
4 videos
- Video: Archaeoastronomy in action: hierophanies and sacred landscapes
- Video: The places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Stonehenge
- Video: The places where Archaeoastronomy was born: Newgrange
Graded: Astronomy, power and architecture
WEEK 3
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.
5 videos
- Video: The Great Pyramid and the stars
- Video: The horizon of Khufu
- Video: Karnak, Abu Simbel and the Egyptian calendar
- Video: The Amarna heresy and the horizon of the Aten
Graded: Ancient Egypt
WEEK 4
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.
4 videos
- Video: Chichen Itza and the Serpent Equinox
- Video: The Inca pillars of the Sun
- Video: Macchu Picchu
Graded: The Pre-Columbian world
WEEK 5
Week 5
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.
3 videos
- Video: Aosta and Augustus' power from the stars
- Video: Astronomy and empire at the Pantheon in Rome
Graded: The Classical world
WEEK 6
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.
1 video, 18 readings
- Reading: Lunar phases
- Reading: The eclipses
- Reading: The change in the rising and setting points of the Moon
- Reading: The Moon in Archaeoastronomy
- Reading: Bibliography
- Reading: The planets visible with the naked eye
- Reading: The Motion of Venus
- Reading: Venus in Archaeoastronomy
- Reading: Bibliography
- Reading: The Earth's atmosphere
- Reading: Extincion and Thom's law
- Reading: Refraction and parallax
- Reading: Visual alignments
- Reading: The horizon formula
- Reading: Graphical tools
- Reading: Handling archaeoastronomical data
- Reading: The use of Probability in Archaeoastronomy
- Reading: Bibliography
Graded: Astronomy insight
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From 2014 Politecnico di Milano started the release of several MOOCs, developed by the service for digital learning METID (Methods and Innovative Technologies for Learning), giving everybody the chance to enhance personal skills.
Ratings and Reviews
Very nice course. It is a real eye opener and enabled me to understand classical Architecture much better.
This was a very interesting course. I joined out of curiosity and finished the whole thing in a couple weeks time. I'm a complete newbie to the subject but still managed to grasp most of it.
Some of the lessons are a LOT more challenging than others though. I especially struggled with the last week's materials but did manage to get the majority of it in the end. All in all, definitely worth taking if you have an interest in the subject.
Fascinating topic and information. Love the way the speaker shows up on site! Quizzes were really difficult.
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JE
Excellent course material. Very Interesting and easy to follow.