Clive Ruggles - Heritage

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.

Astronomical heritage blogs

Four new astronomically related properties were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2023

[top left] © Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium; [top right] © Xavi Marquès Triay; [bottom left] John E. Hancock, © Ohio History Connection; [bottom right] © Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University

Chankillo becomes a World Heritage Site

The prehistoric solar observatory and ceremonial centre at Chankillo in Peru, including its famous thirteen towers, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee held in July 2021.

Two new astronomical World Heritage Sites

Two very different places linked to astronomy were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at the 2019 World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan...

Gran Canaria meeting brings together two UNESCO initiatives

Delegates at the Gran Canaria meeting, 24 May 2018

An international expert meeting held in Gran Canaria, Spain, in 2018 brought together two UNESCO thematic initiatives...

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.