Popular, authoritative look at the world of archaeoastronomy, the study of ancient peoples' observation of the skies and its role in their cultural evolution. 208 illustrations.

Popular, authoritative look at the world of archaeoastronomy, the study of ancient peoples' observation of the skies and its role in their cultural evolution. 208 illustrations.

Discover the celestial myths and cosmic rituals of ancient priests and kings . . . Drawing on intimate knowledge of the more than 1,300 ancient sites he has visited, E. C. Krupp, acclaimed writer and preeminent researcher, takes you to the world's essential sacred places and celestial shrines. Join him on a rich narrative journey to see where the rulers of old communed with the gods of the sky. "Highly recommended to everyone interested in the culture of astronomy and those peoples who practiced it in their own ways."-Sky & Telescope "A lively account of the ways in which our ancestors conceived of and used the heavens."-New Scientist "There can be no doubt that this imaginative and readable work by a widely read and widely traveled author will strike a chord in the minds of a great many modern readers."-Isis "The fact that the book is written by an expert in his field comes through on every page, as does his enthusiasm for the subject."-Astronomy Now "Krupp's indispensable volume is fascinating, well-illustrated, and covers much territory."-Parabola

"But there is a different, unexpected answer to the riddle. Lorili and Kyal will have to fight for their theory - and their lives."--BOOK JACKET.

In all of the world’s myths and religions we find traditions of a Great Flood. There are stories too of a Golden Age: the antediluvian paradise that it destroyed. Might these be real memories of the ancient world? And how can we analyze the subject scientifically? The key to unlock these ancient myths lies in astronomy. Under Ancient Skies will examine the astronomical evidence for a prehistoric cataclysm and in the process will explore a number of related anomalies in prehistory, including: • Was there a single great flood in human prehistory, or have there been many? • Could the workings of ancient calendars and the records of ancient eclipses give us clues about the Flood and the antediluvian world? • Did the Celtic Druids use a calendar based on the orbit of Saturn; and is this the same antediluvian calendar that is described in Plato’s myth of Atlantis? • Do Hindu, Chinese and Mayan cosmology myths recall the years after the Flood when our world wobbled on its axis? • Did these same events trigger the building of astronomically aligned monuments such as Stonehenge and the pyramids? • Was the Atenist religion of the heretic Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten inspired by a series of eclipses during his lifetime? • Do the seven good years and the seven bad years of the Joseph story recall a time when a comet struck the Earth? • Did the British Druids use astronomy to calculate the size of the Earth; and could they have used this knowledge to navigate to America? • Why were the ancient Celts so afraid that the sky would one day fall on their heads? • Are comets and asteroids the only danger lurking in the cosmos – or could there be other dangers as yet unknown to science? In 1994 we watched as a comet struck the giant planet Jupiter. Geologists have recently discovered the crater in Yucatan, where an asteroid impact destroyed the world of the dinosaurs. Scientists and astronomers have stopped dismissing the theory that asteroids and comets could have struck the Earth during prehistory – but any suggestion that a comet impact just a few thousand years ago might have caused the Biblical Flood, remains the last taboo. It is time for this prejudice too, to be washed away. The reader is promised 'a real book: a fully referenced textbook with original content in every chapter and a bibliography of over 300 sources, If you have read Paul Dunbavin's other books then you will know what to expect. First published in 2005 and for a long time out of print, this new edition will make the author's unique research available again to anyone who is interested in mythology, astronomy and ancient mysteries. Now also available in Kindle hard and soft editions.

Completely revised and updated, this new edition provides a readable, beautifully illustrated journey through world cultures and the vibrant array of sky mythology, creation stories, models of the universe, temples and skyscrapers that each culture has created to celebrate and respond to the power of the night sky. Sections on the archaeoastronomy of South Asia and South East Asia have been expanded, with original photography and new research on temple alignments in Southern India, and new material describing the astronomical practices of Indonesia, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. Beautiful photographs of temples in India and Asia have been added, as well as new diagrams explaining the alignment of these structures and the astronomical underpinnings of temples within the Pallava and Chola cultures. From new fieldwork in the Four Corners region of North America, Dr. Penprase has included accounts of Pueblo skywatching and photographs of ceremonial kivas that help elucidate the rich astronomical knowledge of the Pueblo people. The popular “Archaeoastronomy of Skyscrapers” section of the book has been updated as well, with new interpretations of skyscrapers in Indonesia, Taiwan and China.With the rapid pace of discovery in astronomy and astrophysics, entirely new perspectives are emerging about dark matter, inflation and the future of the universe. The Power of Stars puts these discoveries in context and describes how they fit into the modern perspective of cosmology, which has arisen from the universal human response to the sky that has inspired both ancient and modern cultures.

Well-balanced, carefully reasoned study covers such topics as Ptolemaic theory, work of Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Eddington's work on stars, much more. Illustrated. References.