Courses
SEACTeach. Structure of basics section
Cross-sectional introduction
CSI1 What’s SEAC (video)
CSI2 Aims and concept of this series of short lectures (video)
CSI3 Evolution and meaning of key concepts: “cultural astronomy”, “archaeoastronomy”, “ethnoastronomy”, “skyscape archaeology”, “palaeoastronomy”
Basics of astronomy
AST1 Coordinate systems
AST1.1 Coordinate systems: general introduction(video)
AST1.2 Horizontal coordinate system(video)
AST1.3 Equatorial coordinate system(video)
AST1.4 Ecliptic coordinate system(video)
AST1.5 UTM System
AST1.6 Conversion between coordinate systems
AST2 Seasons
AST2.1 Seasons
AST2.2 Cause of the seasons
AST3 Solar Motion
AST3.1 Observables: Diurnal motion
AST3.2 Observables: Annual motion
AST3.3 Equation of time
AST4 Lunar Motion
AST4.1 Observables: Lunar Motion
AST4.2 Lunar orbit
AST4.3 Definitions of lunar months
AST4.4 Lunistices
AST5 Motion of fixed stars
AST5.1 Observables: Motion of fixed stars
AST5.2 Star phases
AST6 Displacement of constellations
AST6.1 Observables: Displacement of constellations
AST6.2 Precession and nutation
AST7 Influence of the atmosphere
AST7.1 Influence of the atmosphere
AST8 Concept of arcus visionis
AST8.1 Concept of arcus visionis
AST9 Lunar and solar eclipses
AST9.1 Observables: Lunar and solar eclipses
AST9.2 Causes of eclipses
AST9.3 Eclipse cycles
AST10 Visibility of the planets
AST10.1 Inner planets: Mercury and Venus
AST11 Time difference ΔT
AST11.1 Time difference ΔT
AST11.2 Processes which are responsible
AST12 Useful tools and what to be aware of
AST12.1 Useful tools and what to be aware of
AST12.2 JPL Horizons
AST12.3 Horizon (Andrew Smith, SRTM)
AST12.4 PeakFinder
AST12.5 Clive’s programs
AST12.6 HeyWhat’sThat
AST12.7 skyscapeR
AST12.8 Stellarium
AST13 Calendars
AST13.1 Calendar types
AST13.2 Mesopotamian calendars
AST13.3 Egyptian calendars
AST13.4 Jewish calendar
AST13.5 Chinese calendar
AST13.6 Hindu calendar
AST13.7 Greek calendars
AST13.8 Roman calendars
AST13.9 Mesoamerican calendars
AST13.10 Celtic calendar
AST13.11 Julian calendar
AST13.12 Islamic calendar
AST13.13 Gregorian calendar
Basics of ethnoastronomy
ETH1Introduction
ETH1.1 What’s ethnoastronomy in the general context of “cultural astronomy” (video)
ETH1.2 Relations of ethnoastronomy with archaeoastronomy, history of astronomy and astronomical education (video)
ETH1.3 The “ethno” concept (video)
ETH2Social construction of knowledge
ETH2.1 Cosmologies and cosmovisions
ETH2.2 Naturalization
ETH2.3 Knowledge and socialization
ETH2.4 The politics of knowledge
ETH3Field-work A
ETH3.1 Be in “the margin”
ETH3.2 Field access
ETH3.3 Sampling by theoretical saturation
ETH3.4 Participant observation
ETH3.5 Be in “the margin”
ETH4 Field-work B
ETH4.1 Ethnographic interview
ETH4.2 Life stories
ETH4.3 Linguistic elicitation techniques
ETH4.4 Documents
ETH4.5 Statistics and census
ETH4.6 Photography, video, drawings and field notes
ETH4.7 Radio, TV, social media
ETH5 Problematizing some key concepts
ETH5.1 Time, duration, cycles
ETH5.2 Horizon, landscape and territory
ETH5.3 Light/darkness
ETH6Middle-range theories
ETH6.1 Ethnographic induction
ETH6.2 Fruitful comparisons
ETH6.3 “Deep logics” and “details”
ETH7The astronomy of who?
ETH7.1 Person, boundaries and identity
ETH7.2 Group identities
ETH7.3 The politics of identity
ETH8 Knowledge Systems and their change
ETH8.1 Logics and structures
ETH8.2 Structures and change
ETH8.3 Cosmovisions and cosmologies
ETH8.4 Myth and history
ETH9 Astronomy from the body
ETH9.1 The embodied knowledge
ETH9.2 Somatic modes of attention
ETH9.3 The sky experience
ETH10 Astronomical knowledge and European global expansion
ETH10.1 Colonial system and modernity
ETH10.2 Modernities
ETH10.3 Coloniality of knowledge
ETH11Ethnography of the academic astronomy
ETH11.1 Methodological issues
ETH11.2 The boundary problem
ETH11.3 Diversities, academy and inequality
ETH11.4 Dialog with other disciplines
ETH12Gender and astronomy
ETH12.1 Gender roles and knowledge
ETH12.2 Gendered skies
ETH12.3 Field work and gender bias
ETH13 The researcher responsibility
ETH13.1 Field work and ethic
ETH13.2 Informed consent
ETH13.3 Sharing knowledge
ETH13.4 Impact of the research in the local community situation
ETH14 Ethnoastronomy and education
ETH14.1 Knowledge as social product
ETH14.2 Feelings, body and learning
ETH14.3 Understanding the other’s logics
ETH14.4 The importance of naked eye astronomy
ETH15 Heritage
ETH15.1 The concept of heritage
ETH15.2 Heritage, institutions and power
ETH15.3 Heritage and local communities
ETH15.4 Astronomical heritage
Basics of archaeoastronomy
ARA1Introduction
ARA1.1 Archaeoastronomy and its relationships with archaeology (landscape archaeology, cognitive archaeology, archaeometry, etc.).
ARA1.2 The uncertain disciplinary status of archaeoastronomy: multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or other.
ARA1.3 Is there a place for anthropological archaeoastronomy?
ARA2Archaeoastronomical Record
ARA2.1 The meaning of an archaeoastronomical record (“archaeoastronomical fact”)
ARA2.2 Distinct views of the nature of the past material record.
ARA2.3 Types of past record: material, iconographic, and textual evidence.
ARA2.4 The value of the context.
ARA3Field archaeoastronomy . coordinate with Frank!
ARA3.1 Azimuth and altitude of the horizon in the indicated direction
ARA3.2 Surveying with transits or theodolites.
ARA3.3 Surveying with magnetic compass and clinometer.
ARA3.4 Surveying with Google Earth and PeakFinder.
ARA4Alignments and orientations in archaeoastronomy
ARA4.1 Concepts of alignments and orientations in archaeoastronomy.
ARA4.2 The concept of directions.
ARA4.3 The function and meaning of orientations in archaeology.
ARA4.4 Archaeoastronomical obsession with the so-called “intentionality” of astronomical orientations: precise and statistically confirmed “intended” alignments.
ARA4.5 Astronomical alignments
ARA4.5.1 Solar alignments: solstitial and presolstitial, equinoctial and solar zenithal and nadiral.
ARA4.5.2 Solar intersolstitial alignments (calendar horizons)
ARA4.5.3 Lunar alignments
ARA4.5.4 Planetary and stellar alignments
ARA4.5.5 Solar arc and geographical latitude of a site
ARA4.5.6 Directionality: cardinal points and world directions
ARA5 The concept and structure of an archaeoastronomical site
ARA5.1 the need for an observational astronomy to carefully watch and interpret celestial movements and events: the value of a place
ARA5.2 places occupied by the skywatchers to observe celestial bodies
ARA5.3 techniques of observation:
ARA5.3.1 direct: the practical use of the movement of celestial bodies along the horizon (horizon features = reference points = markers)
ARA5.3.2 indirect: the use of a beam of light to cast the shadow (light-and-shadow phenomena, gnomons, sunsticks)
ARA5.4 Discussion: skywatching sites and astronomical observatories
ARA6Inference processes in archaeology
ARA6.1 Inductive vs. deductive types of inference
ARA6.2 Abductive inference and reductive logic
ARA6.3 Analogical reasoning, general comparative approach
ARA6.4 Statistical inferences
ARA7Archaeoastronomy as archaeometry
ARA7.1 Subdivisions of archaeometric research (archaeological chronology, palaeoecological and palaeoecological studies, physical, chemical and engineering analysis, remote sensing, airborne radar, LIDAR, etc. applications)
ARA7.2 Dating by studying astronomical alignments
ARA7.3 Dating by past astronomical events (eclipses, novae and supernovae events, comets,etc.)
ARA8Archaeoastronomy as cognitive archaeology
ARA8.1 Two concepts of cognitive archaeology (processual and post-processual ones)
ARA8.2 Alignments of buildings towards the horizon as expressions of human cognitive models of the world and relationships between human groups and their surroundings
ARA8.3 Alignments as calendric markers, social versus astronomical time.
ARA8.4 Tallying devices, record-keeping techniques
ARA9Archaeoastronomy as an archaeology of time
ARA9.1 Time in the past: time indication vs. time-reckoning
ARA9.2 Astronomical origin of basic time units: day, week, year
ARA9.3 Quarter and mid-quarter days
ARA9.4 Weather and astrometeorology
ARA10Archaeoastronomy as landscape and skyscape archaeologies
ARA10.1 Concepts of landscape and skyscape in archaeology
ARA10.2 From Physical to Social Landscapes and Skyscapes
ARA10.3 Relational Skyscapes
ARA11 Archaeoastronomical Heritage and Public Archaeoastronomy
ARA11.1 The concept of an archaeoastronomical heritage as a current cultural construct
ARA11.2 Astrotourism, Dark Sky initiatives, the rise of post-colonial approaches to native astronomies
ARA11.3 Relationship of archaeoastronomy with contemporary societies: the potential for shaping contemporary culture, of which archaeoastronomy (cultural astronomy) is also part.
ARA11.4 Public Archaeoastronomy: should archaeoastronomy be in the service of popular culture?
ARA11.5 Archaeoastronomy and alternative archaeoastronomies
Basics of western European archaeology
ARC1Archaeological specialisms used in site investigation
ARC1.1 Radiocarbon dates
ARC1.2 Pottery . types
ARC1.3 Bones humans and animal
ARC1.4 Petrological
ARC1.5 Geoarchaeological
ARC1.6 Soils
ARC1.7 Lithics
ARC1.8 Tools
ARC1.9 Archaeoastronomy
ARC2Ethnography
ARC2.1 To be completed …
ARC3Archaeological time-scales
ARC3.1 Palaeolithic
ARC3.2 Mesolithic
ARC3.3 Neolithic
ARC3.4 Bronze Age
ARC3.5 Iron Age
ARC3.6 Early Medieval
ARC4Dating techniques
ARC4.1 Radio-carbon dating
ARC4.2 AMS
ARC4.3 Dendrochronology
ARC4.4 Calibration and calendar dates
ARC5Geophysical surveys
ARC5.1 GPR
ARC5.2 Magnetometry
ARC5.3 Resistivity
ARC6Material culture and artefact types
ARC6.1 Flakes and blades
ARC6.2 Stone axes
ARC6.3 Grave goods
ARC7Domestic architecture in the prehistoric
ARC7.1 Rectangular house
ARC7.2 Roundhouse
ARC7.3 Entrance architecture and orientation
ARC8Burial mound typology
ARC8.1 Ireland
ARC8.1.1Court tomb
ARC8.1.2Portal tomb
ARC8.1.3Passage tomb
ARC8.1.4Wedge tomb
ARC8.2 Britain
ARC8.3 France
ARC8.4 Iberia
ARC9Importance and conventions used in distribution maps
ARC9.1 Cover examples from each region
ARC10Monument architectural elements
ARC10.1 Cairn . long and round
ARC10.2 Kerbing
ARC10.3 Entrances and other features
ARC10.4 Internal architecture
ARC11Landscape and monument siting
ARC11.1 Planimetric considerations
ARC11.2 Vertical evidence of archaeology in height
ARC12Horizon profiling
ARC12.1 Categorising the horizon in direction (azimuth) and range and how this can relate to monument’s role and meaning beyond the burial role
University of Basel, Switzerland
38344-01 - Vorlesung mit Übungen: Paläoastronomie 3 KP
(38344-01 - Lecture with exercises: Paleoastronomy 3 KP)
Language of instruction: German