Marion Dolan - Decoding Astronomy in Art and Architecture

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Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, England, was my next fascination, then Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth Mounds in Ireland, then the celestially aligned cities of the ancient Maya and similarly orientated sites throughout the ancient world. My fascination with archaeoastronomy continued into the textual transmission of astronomical knowledge through time, and then to architectural designs of temples and churches to manipulate light. My long search eventually led to a PhD, necessary to delve further into the phenomena of archaeoastronomy that I taught many times at the university level.

When studies of archaeoastronomy were first published in the 1970s, the academic community was skeptical and slow in accepting most examples of astronomical alignments of buildings, temples, tombs, and even entire cities. The astronomy of the Stonehenge was the most obvious example, and that was presented by a very qualified astronomer with computer-devised evidence. On occasion, research and new theories involving archaeoastronomy arose from diverse disciplines outside of astronomy, archaeology, or traditional academic circles; these amateur studies were rejected immediately. Even studies published by tenured archaeoastronomers were regarded with a discerning eye; it was thought that the most primitive cultures were not thought capable of such abstract thought and could not have understood astronomy.

Specialists studying physical evidence of astronomical knowledge in early cultures often suffered from a lack of regard by colleagues who followed more traditional and long-established research paths. Since the 1980s, more and more evidence has been uncovered in this burgeoning field. The findings have been steadily gaining recognition and acknowledged authenticity by more conservative astronomers and archaeologists. Fortunately, those initial biases have been proven faulty, and the capabilities of Neolithic peoples and the earliest cultures are now becoming more fully understood. Dating of these ancient sites continues to reach further and further into the past. Now, archaeoastronomy has advanced to become an interdisciplinary field with contributions from a wide range of academic areas.

Archaeoastronomers are now crossing paths with specialists in anthropology, archaeology, architecture, astronomy, cosmology, philosophy, mythology, statistics, and in many areas of history, including the history of art, religion, literature, acoustics, and science. They have discovered that astronomy has been influential in all aspects of human life, especially agriculture and navigation. Specialists search for information in written as well as unwritten examples in order to shed greater light on every area; they are now meeting and working together in holistic ways. Computer programs now calculate in an instant any stellar or solar position at any past date and at any geographical location. Originally focused on monumental megalithic structures and ancient architecture, archaeoastronomy has expanded into most aspects of human culture. Astronomical information has been found encoded into paintings, ceramics, weaving, poetry, legends, myths, burials, and city planning.