Archaeoastronomy

general courses

The aim of the classes is to present to the general public an overview of the most known examples of the impact of sky observation on culture in ancient and ancient times societies. Students will also be presented with methods and methodological problems archaeo-astronomical research.

Blended learning

A lecture offered to the students of the University of Warsaw. The cases of practical use of the knowledge about sky in the Ancient Times and in the early Middle Ages will be discussed. The course topics are: primitive methods of sky observance, astronomical knowledge in megalithic culture, astronomical knowledge of the Greeks, Aztecs, Incas and Vikings; politics and sky observance in ancient Roma, as well as orientations of the archaeological constructions and sites.

A lecture offered to the students of the University of Warsaw. The cases of practical use of the knowledge about sky in the Ancient Times and in the early Middle Ages will be discussed. The course topics are: primitive methods of sky observance, astronomical knowledge in megalithic culture, astronomical knowledge of the Greeks, Aztecs, Incas and Vikings; politics and sky observance in ancient Roma, as well as orientations of the archaeological constructions and sites.

Compulsory literature :

Aveni, Anthony F (tłum. Jacek Bieroń) Schody do gwiazd: obserwacje nieba w trzech wielkich starożytnych kulturach. Poznań: Wydaw. Zysk i S-ka, 2002.

Krupp, Edwin C. Obserwatorzy nieba, szamani i królowie. Astronomia i archeologia mocy

Warszawa: Prószyński i S-ka 2001

Włodarczyk, Jarosław Astrologia: historia, mity, tajemnice, Warszawa: Świat Książki - Bertelsmann Media, 2008

Compulsory literature:

Aveni, A. F., S. L. Gibbs, i H. Hartung. „The Caracol Tower at Chichen Itza: An Ancient Astronomical Observatory?” Science 188, nr 4192 (6 czerwiec 1975): 977–85. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.188.4192.977.

Bersanelli, Marco, Wielki spektakl na niebie: osiem wizji wszechświata od starożytności do naszych czasów. Kraków: Copernicus Center Press, 2020

Iwaniszewski, Stanisław, Archeoastronomia Przeszłość społeczna: próba konceptualizacji. red. Tabaczyński, Stanisław i in. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2012, strony 344-352.

http://e-archaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Iwaniszewski-3.pdf

Krupp, Edwin C. Za horyzontem Mity i legendy o słońcu, księżycu, gwiazdach i planetach, Warszawa: Prószyński i S-ka 2006

Thom, Alexander. Megalithic Sites in Britain. Repr. from corrected sheets of the 1nd Ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979.

Urton, Gary. At the crossroads of the earth and the sky: an Andean cosmology. 1st ed. Latin American monographs. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981.

Włodarczyk, Jarosław Tajemnica Gwiazdy Betlejemskiej, Warszawa: Świat Książki - Bertelsmann Media, 2005

Knowledge:

Students have a structured general knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, medieval and modern communities, including terminology, theories and methodology in the field of archaeo-astronomy (K_W04).

Students have basic knowledge of the links between archaeology and other fields and scientific disciplines, from the area of humanities, social, natural and exact sciences (K_W06).

Students have basic knowledge about human development and its main strategies for adaptation to different environmental conditions (K_W14)

Skills:

Students will be able to search for, analyse, evaluate, select and use archaeo-astronomical information using literature, electronic media and programmes to recreate the appearance of the sky in different places and periods (K_U01)

Students become acquainted with the examples of scientific debates in archaeo-astronomy and are able to quote current research theses, formulate conclusions and select argumentation strategies at elementary level and construct arguments and counter-arguments (K_U15).

Students are able to detect simple relationships between artefacts and old cultural and social processes (K_U13)

Competence (Attitudes):

Students will develop an attitude that appreciates the unique values of archaeological sources and their role in reconstructing the human past (K_K03)

Students will be ready to recognise and respect different points of view determined by different cultural backgrounds (K_K12)

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Written examination