[POSTPONED]Archeoastronomy: A brief history by Professor Clive Ruggles

Archeoastronomy grew out of interpretations of Stonehenge and other British prehistoric monuments in the 1960s as "ancient observatories" — ideas that generated a huge wave of popular interest but also proved highly controversial among academics, pitting astronomers against archeologists as they reached fundamentally different conclusions on the basis of the same evidence. More than half a century later, archaeoastronomy—the study of beliefs and practices concerning the sky in the past—is pursued by academics around the world, although for many it still remains controversial.

In this talk I'll trace the history of development of this intriguing but often turbulent field, drawing upon examples from around the world (including my own fieldwork in Hawai‘i and Peru) but focusing on prehistoric Britain and Ireland.

I'll also mention how archeoastronomy relates to World Heritage and to dark sky places.

BIO

Clive Ruggles is Emeritus Professor of Archeoastronomy in the School of Archeology and Ancient…