Archaeoastronomy: A Sustainable Way to Grasp the Skylore of Past Societies

Antonio César González-García,Juan Antonio Belmonte

doi:10.3390/su11082240

Antonio César González-García, Juan Antonio Belmonte

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082240

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Abstract

If astronomy can be understood as the contemplation of the sky for any given purpose, we must realize that possibly all societies throughout time and in all regions have watched the sky. The why, who, how and when of such investigation is the pursuit of cultural astronomy. When the research is done with the archaeological remains of a given society, the part of cultural astronomy that deals with them is archaeoastronomy. This interdisciplinary field employs non-invasive techniques that mix methodologies of the natural sciences with the epistemology of humanities. Those techniques are reviewed here, providing an excellent example of sustainable research. In particular, we include novel research on the Bohí Valley Romanesque churches. The results provided go beyond the data. This is because they add new value to existing heritage or discovers new heritage due to the possible relationship to the spatial and temporal organization of past societies. For the case of the Bohí churches the results point to a number of peculiarities of these churches in a valley in the Pyrenees. This links these aspects to the ritual, practical and power sphere of past societies. A wonderful example of such links is the high mountain sanctuaries in Gran Canaria, where archaeoastronomy helps promoting a World Heritage candidacy.

Highlights

Far from being a particular version of the history of astronomy, or a specialized archaeometry, cultural astronomy is something else
As examples to be considered we may count on: Landscape archaeology, understood in a broad sense, including the construction of spatial materiality in relation to the observation of astronomical phenomena [3]; the history of religions, from the orientation of sacred sites to the ritual conditioning of calendars; historic anthropology, understood as a holistic focus on human actions in the past, where cultural astronomy contributes by studying the different images of the cosmos in different societies
We present a site where the local landscape, the distant horizon and the skyscape could interact, but at the same time would allow preserving the spirit of cultural astronomy as a sustainable discipline which respects the environment

Summary

Introduction

Far from being a particular version of the history of astronomy, or a specialized archaeometry, cultural astronomy is something else. As examples to be considered we may count on: Landscape archaeology, understood in a broad sense, including the construction of spatial materiality in relation to the observation of astronomical phenomena [3]; the history of religions, from the orientation of sacred sites to the ritual conditioning of calendars; historic anthropology, understood as a holistic focus on human actions in the past, where cultural astronomy contributes by studying the different images of the cosmos in different societies. It could be seen as a history of science as it studies the knowledge of the universe in different cultures and historical periods. We will present how this endeavor can help in the promotion of heritage sites, taking the high mountain sanctuaries and complexes in the central part of the island of Gran Canaria as an example

Cultural Astronomy in Action

The Canarian Paradigm

Conclusions