African Cultural Astronomy: Current Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy research in Africa

Jarita Holbrook, R. Thebe Medupe, Johnson O. Urama

Springer Science & Business Media, Jan 1, 2008 - Science - 260 pages

Astronomy is the science of studying the sky using telescopes and light collectors such as photographic plates or CCD detectors. However, people have always studied the sky and continue to study the sky without the aid of instruments this is the realm of cultural astronomy. This is the first scholarly collection of articles focused on the cultural astronomy of Africans. It weaves together astronomy, anthropology, and Africa. The volume includes African myths and legends about the sky, alignments to celestial bodies found at archaeological sites and at places of worship, rock art with celestial imagery, and scientific thinking revealed in local astronomy traditions including ethnomathematics and the creation of calendars. Authors include astronomers Kim Malville, Johnson Urama, and Thebe Medupe; archaeologist Felix Chami, and geographer Michael Bonine, and many new authors. As an emerging subfield of cultural astronomy, African cultural astronomy researchers are focused on training students specifically for doing research in Africa. The first part of the volume contains lessons and exercises to help the beginning student of African cultural astronomy. Included are exercises in archaeoastronomy, cultural anthropology, and naked-eye astronomy penned by authors who use these regularly use these methods for their research. This collection of lessons and research papers provides a foundation for the cultural astronomy researcher interested in doing work in Africa.

Contents

• The 2006 Ghana Eclipse Conference: 1
• The Use of Ethnographic Methods in Cultural Astronomy Research: 21
• A Brief Outline on the Geographical Background of Africa: 29
• The Astronomical Gnomon: 39
• Nakedeye Astronomy for Cultural Astronomers: 53
• Leadership: 77
• Integrating African Cultural Astronomy into the Classroom: 83
• A Contemporary Approach to Teaching Eclipses: 95
• On the Development and Evolution of the Syllabus at Bath Spa University and the University of Wales Lampeter: 109
• Evidence of Ancient African Beliefs in Celestial Bodies: 121
• Astronomy of Nabta Playa: 131
• Urban Form and Orientation of Islamic Cities of Tunisia: 145
• The Timbuktu Astronomy Project: 179
• A Light on Yoruba History and Culture: 189
• The Relationship Between Human Destiny and the Cosmic Forces A Study of the IGBO Worldview: 209
• Cultural Astronomy in the Lore and Literature of Africa: 217
• Astronomy and Culture in Nigeria: 231
• Participation and Research of Astronomers and Astrophysicists of Black African Descent 19002005: 239
• Index: 257

Bibliographic information

• Title: African Cultural Astronomy: Current Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy research in Africa; Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings
• Editors: Jarita Holbrook, R. Thebe Medupe, Johnson O. Urama
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media, 2008
• ISBN: 1402066392, 9781402066399
• Length: 260 pages
• Subjects: History / General; Science / Astronomy; Science / Physics / Astrophysics; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social; Social Science / General