Clive Ruggles

Cultural astronomy

Archaeoastronomy is the study of beliefs and practices relating to the sky in the past, especially in prehistory, and the uses to which people’s knowledge of the skies was put.

Journals, present and past

Cultural astronomy is the combination of archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy, which relates to contemporary cultures.

Professional bodies

The 3-volume Springer Handbook contains 217 chapters on themes, issues, methods and practice, and case studies by authors from around the world.

You might also be interested in some of the materials to be found on cultural-astronomy.com.

Stonehenge and the major standstill moon

During 2024 and 2025 we have been investigating at first hand the rare occasions when the moon rises and sets in line with the Station Stones at Stonehenge

Lunar survey at Stonehenge © English Heritage/André Pattenden

Photo © English Heritage/André Pattenden

Our book on Stonehenge

A year on from publication, this is now available from Historic England at a double-discounted price...

Stonehenge: Sighting the Sun

“This beautifully illustrated book shines new light on this most famous of ancient monuments, and is the first in-depth study of this fascinating topic suitable both for specialists and for anyone with a general interest.”

Preserving dark skies

A recently published IUCN report focuses on preserving natural darkness for nature protection, heritage conservation and night sky appreciation.

About me

I am Emeritus Professor of Archaeoastronomy in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, UK.

Astronomical heritage

The UNESCO–IAU Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy contains a wide range of examples of different types of astronomical heritage together with information relevant to its protection, conservation, evaluation, management and promotion.

The two ICOMOS–IAU Thematic Studies on Astronomical Heritage address key issues on a global scale through thematic essays and case studies.

No. 1 (2010): See here for more information or click here to download a copy

No. 2 (2017): See here for more information or click here to download a copy

Astronomical World Heritage: Download a copy of an article published in A&G (Aug 2019)