archaeoastronomy

or ar·che·o·as·tron·o·my

[ ahr-kee-oh-uh-stron-uh-mee ]

noun

1. the branch of archaeology that deals with the apparent use by prehistoric civilizations of astronomical techniques to establish the seasons or the cycle of the year, especially as evidenced in the construction of megaliths and other ritual structures.

archaeoastronomy

/ ˌɑːkɪəʊəˈstrɒnəmɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of the beliefs and practices concerning astronomy that existed in ancient and prehistoric civilizations

Derived Forms

• ˌarchaeoasˈtronomer, noun

Other Words From

• archae·o·as·trono·mer noun
• ar·chae·o·as·tro·nom·i·cal [ahr-kee-oh-as-tr, uh, -, nom, -i-k, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaeoastronomy¹

First recorded in 1970–75; archaeo- + astronomy

Example Sentences

Ivan Sprajc, a specialist in Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pointed to earlier research indicating that these eastern mountains were used to identify specific dates, rendering the team’s findings “not novel at all” in his view.

From New York Times

At the time, she was the director of the New Iberia Library, and Hostetter later attended a talk at the library to learn about archaeoastronomy but to also flirt with the “cute librarian.”

From Washington Times

After conducting radiocarbon testing and carrying out measurements during the winter solstice, scholars in the field of archaeoastronomy determined that an indigenous culture arranged the megaliths into an astronomical observatory about 1,000 years ago, or five centuries before the European conquest of the Americas began.

From New York Times

Either way, John McKim Malville, a solar physicist at the University of Colorado who writes extensively on archaeoastronomy, emphasized how the field is moving away from focusing exclusively on astronomical functions to interpretations that are more holistic, by including the ceremonies and rituals of ancient cultures.

From New York Times

To Anthony Aveni, an astronomer and anthropologist who is widely considered the "father of archaeoastronomy," trying to impose a one-to-one correspondence between a modern star map and a large number of ancient man-made features—whether it's Maya cities or the Nazca Lines— is simply an act of creative imagination.

From National Geographic