Myths are passed through the seasons of the night sky as constellations and stars, projecting man’s psyche into the cosmos. Characters that are light years from earth but still within the grasp of the human imagination. Take another look into the dark night sky and our prehistoric inheritance through the lens of archeoastronomy with Before Orion author and naturalist Bernie Taylor.
From Bernie’s Blog
Physics Today – “The Rich Past of Astronomical Discovery“
Exploring the history of astronomy is a more challenging journey than one might expect. To understand how humans have viewed the stars, readers must be ready to grapple not only with astronomical concepts, but with […]
Precession of the Equinoxes Before Hipparchus?
There is no historical basis to gauge a culture’s body of knowledge by the maxim “if we can’t see (or understand) it today, then no one has seen (or understood) it in the past.” We have found […]
Archeoastronomy Conference Poster
Teaching Astronomy Through Art & Myth
Six slide poster describing Upper Paleolithic Iberian constellations as presented at the 2020 International Astronomical Union Symposium (IAUS367) in Argentina.
Archeoastronomy Audio Interviews
The State of the Universe with host Brendan Drachler (Building the Thirty Meter Telescope: Unifying Science and Spirituality)
The State of the Universe with host Brendan Drachler (the Drake Equation, Fermi Paradox and Biological Time)
The Space Show with host Dr. David Livingston (Adding “M” to the Drake Equation)
The Space Show with host Dr. David Livingston (Paleolithic Astronomy)
The State of the Universe with host Brendan Drachler (Paleolithic Astronomy)
Archaeoastronomy Videos
Connecting lunar timing traditions of animals as depicted in Franco Upper Paleolithic cave art with Native American calendars and rock art. Archeoastronomy presentation and discussion of “Lunar Timekeeping in Upper Paleolithic Cave Art” (PDF), at The Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest.
Scientific study relies on our ability to measure time so as to organize and analyze data. The conscious measurement of time is not innate to primates and appears to be a realization unique to humans. How did we come to this conscious state of measuring time? Consider the archeoastronomy evidence in “The Measurement of Time” (PDF), as presented at the History of Science Society 2023 Annual Meeting (#HSS23). Learn more about the path of scientific discovery.
Can rock art be dated by the seasons of flora and fauna? Are we able to measurably survey terrestrial planes and night skies from distant millennia? Could we truly see the visions of Ice Age artists? Consider these archeoastronmical approaches in “The Archaeometry of Space,” (PDF) as presented at the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP) 2023 World Congress (#UISPP2023). Learn more about precession of the equinoxes.https://youtu.be/IO0NnKi8igU
Deep discussion on timekeeping and humanity at the University College of London Anthropology Department “Radical Anthropology Group” evening class series.
Did Native Americans and European Ice Age artists share a common awareness of the natural world? Consider the cultural astronomy evidence in this 2022 San Diego Rock Art Association symposium presentation “Rock Art in Time (PDF).”
Do marks in Ice Age caves form our first verifiable calendar? Consider the astronomical evidence in “Lunar Timekeeping in Ice Age Art,” as presented at the European Society for Astronomy in Culture / Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture conference – SEAC 2022 (PDF). Explore more conference presentations.
Was there a perceived connection between the Underworld, Terrestrial Realm and the Sky World in Ice Age Europe? Re-discover our hunter-gatherer cultural astronomical heritage in “Living Mountains in Ice Age Art,” (English PDF) as presented at The Arts in Society 2022 conference in English, Spanish, French and Basque. Explore more cultural heritage presentations. #ICAIS22
A journey before the records of the Mesopotamians and ancient Greeks to re-discover earlier sources of our astronomical heritage in “Upper Paleolithic Constellations” (PDF). Presented at the European Society for Astronomy in Culture / Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture Conference on Cultural Astronomy & Ancient Skywatching – SEAC 2021. More academic conference videos.
The constellation Ursa Major – the Great Bear – is shared in myths on many continents with a mother bear as the central character. This myth is storied in Gorham’s Cave at Gibraltar from 36,000 years ago. Is this the origin of an intercontinental astronomical myth? Explore these short videos.
Can the birth of the Cosmos be explained through an Upper Paleolithic myth? “The Bird that Laid the Cosmic Egg” as presented at the American Ornithological Society and Society of Canadian Ornithologists 2021 Joint Annual Meeting. #2021AOS_SCO More on Upper Paleolithic cave art.
Were we knuckle-dragging cave people in the Upper Paleolithic or a critical link in what it means to be human? Presentation given at The American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists joint annual meeting Virtual Evolution 2021.
COMING SOON Many Native American spiritual traditions connect to a Great Mystery in the sky. This tradition is observed around the world. How did this connection come to be and what does it tell us about ourselves? Consider the question in this two minute video “Shadows of the Great Mystery” exploring Native American archaeoastronomy. Reconsider our earliest astronomical myths in these short videos.
Archaeoastronomy Papers
“Lunar Timekeeping in Upper Paleolithic Cave Art” from Praehistoria.
“The Rich Past of Astronomical Discovery” from Physics Today
“At the Intersection of Earth and Heaven” from the Griffith Observer
“Are there Geese on Cygnus 3?” from the Griffith Observer
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0494-1452
The astronomical phenomenon of precession can be observed on the Gorham's Etching in Gibraltar's Gorham's Cave and on the Gallery of Discs in the Spanish Cave of El Castillo to 34,000 years ago. This observation in Before Orion for these Paleolithic cave images does not indicate intuitive skywatchers before the 2nd-century-BCE Greek astronomer Hipparchus (or Paleolithic cave artists) understood or could calculate the precession of the equinoxes, as proposed by some authors, such as Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend in their book Hamlet's Mill. Starry Night Pro 7 was utilized for all of the astronomical work in Before Orion. More about the precession of the equinoxes. Before Orion is in line with French archaeoastronomer Dr. Chantal Jègues-Wolkiewiez's research at the Lascaux Cave as featured in the 2007 documentary Lascaux le Ciel des Premiers Hommes (English -Prehistoric Astronomers) and her book Lascaux Et Le Ciel de la Préhistoire.
