Cultural Astronomy

The 4,000-year-old rock art at Aluruthimalai (Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu) serves as a primitive astronomical record. This paper explores the depictions of the Orion (Mulaikkolunthu) constellation, Sirius, and a unique 'Celestial Boat' found at the site. By integrating field observations with Sangam Literature (Malaipadukadam, Purananuru, etc.), this study establishes the site as an Ancient Observatory. The research also highlights the urgent need to protect this heritage from illegal quarrying and vandalism.

Author(s): Lee, Annette | Abstract: The Native Skywatchers research and programming initiative focuses on the revitalization of native star knowledge of the Ojibwe and Dakota people. Activities include interviewing elders, culture and language teachers, and creating programming around traditional native star knowledge interlaced with Western science. Star maps, curriculum, hands-on workshops, planetarium shows, and artwork have been designed and delivered. Developed for native and non-native communities in light of the new Minnesota State Science Standards implemented in 2009, presented here are two native star maps that were created by the Native Skywatchers initiative: the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan (or the Ojibwe Sky Star Map); and the D(L)akota Makoċe Wiċaŋḣpi Wowapi or (D(L)akota Star Map). This interdisciplinary project includes professional astronomers, professional artists, language and cultural experts, educators, community members and elders.

Stampato presso Lito Terrazzi srl -Iolo con contributi di Annalisa Perissa Torrini e di Lucio Cadeddu Rimangono in me ragioni che non riescono a superare la soglia della scrittura e sulle quali ancora più intimamente mi interrogo. Ciò nondimeno non molti ma neppure pochi mi sono stati vicini in questa lunghissima e singolare ricerca. Riconosco pubblicamente, e me ne scuso, di aver talvolta richiesto molto ai miei pur pazienti interlocutori, riversando su di loro, per entusiasmo, risultati non sempre completi oppure non adeguatamente sintetizzati. Ringrazio infinitamente la mia famiglia. Ringrazio Giovanna Damiani per aver creduto, da subito, nel mio lavoro. Ringrazio Annalisa Perissa Torrini e Lucio Cadeddu per la loro autorevole partecipazione a questo lavoro. Ringrazio il professor Massimo Cacciari per la cortese risposta avuta via e-mail. Altri ancora vorrei citare per affetto e disponibilità, ma sono trascorsi così tanti anni che il rischio di non citare qualcuno sarebbe troppo alto.

Otro ambiente, de Antonio Pou.

Otro ambiente reúne una selección de artículos publicados por Antonio Pou en la columna “Ambiente: Situación y retos” de El Nacional de Caracas coordinada por nuestro compañero Pablo Kaplún. A lo largo de sus páginas, el autor nos propone una mirada original y poco convencional sobre los desafíos ambientales de nuestro tiempo.

Lejos de los enfoques simplistas y de las respuestas fáciles, Pou invita al lector a adentrarse en la complejidad de las relaciones entre naturaleza, sociedad, tecnología, cultura y comportamiento humano. Su reflexión parte de una idea fundamental: los problemas ambientales no pueden comprenderse de forma aislada, porque forman parte de una realidad profundamente interconectada.

Con un lenguaje cercano, creativo y provocador, el libro explora temas como el cambio climático, la sostenibilidad, la educación ambiental, la incertidumbre, la creatividad y la responsabilidad individual y colectiva. Más que ofrecer recetas, plantea preguntas y abre caminos para pensar de manera crítica los retos del siglo XXI.

Otro ambiente es una invitación a mirar el mundo con mayor profundidad, a cuestionar las certezas aparentes y a comprender que la construcción de un futuro más habitable exige aprender a convivir con la complejidad.

El libro se descarga gratuitamente con autorización expresa del autor y de  la Academia de Mérida

EL AUTOR

Antonio Pou Royo (Madrid, 1945) es geólogo y doctor en Ciencias Biológicas por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), donde ejerció como Profesor Titular de Ecología (1985-2015) y, posteriormente, Profesor Honorario (2015-2025). Su trayectoria combina docencia, investigación y gestión en temas de ecología, clima, restauración de ecosistemas y sostenibilidad.

Inició su carrera como becario del Decenio Hidrológico Internacional (UNESCO, 1965-69) y trabajó como hidrogeólogo y geólogo de exploración antes de incorporarse al ámbito universitario. Fue investigador en dinámica de paisaje litoral en la Universidad de Sevilla y desarrolló en la UAM líneas sobre geomorfología, vegetación, erosión, fotointerpretación y restauración costera. Dirigió seis tesis doctorales y participó en numerosos proyectos nacionales e internacionales.

Entre 1989 y 1991 fue Consejero Técnico en la Secretaría General de Medio Ambiente (MOPU-MOPT), representando a España en el IPCC desde su fundación y participando en la redacción del Convenio Marco sobre Cambio Climático (Río 92). Fue gestor español del V Programa Marco de I+D+i de la UE (1998-2002). Posteriormente, colaboró con el National Research Council de Canadá en aplicaciones de inteligencia artificial y machine learning al estudio del clima, la actividad solar y el cambio climático.

Ha desarrollado una amplia labor de divulgación mediante publicaciones científicas, libros, artículos, vídeos y exposiciones. Entre sus obras destacan estudios sobre erosión, criterios ambientales en planificación territorial, variaciones climáticas en España y reflexiones sobre la hipótesis Gaia.

En los últimos años ha escrito sobre medio ambiente en la sección Opinión de El Nacional (Caracas). Su trayectoria refleja un compromiso sostenido con la ciencia, la educación y la divulgación ambiental, integrando enfoques académicos, técnicos y creativos en beneficio de la sostenibilidad y la conciencia ecológica.

This project addresses the lack of accessible, interactive astronomy tools by developing a 3D telescope
simulator using Unity [1]. The program models over 9,000 stars with apparent magnitudes above 6,
accurately representing their positions, magnitudes, and planetary motions. It integrates three main
components: a position plotting system, a rotation management system anchored to Polaris, and a data
retrieval system that provides detailed information for each celestial object. Key challenges included
scaling stars and planets for visibility, managing rotation dynamics, and organizing data pop-ups for
clarity. Experiments tested planet size scaling and star overlap, optimizing visibility while maintaining
realism. Methodology comparisons revealed that prior works—Python-based sky maps, AR-supported
planetarium apps, and Star Walk 2—offered precision or real-time alignment but faced limitations in
interactivity, AR support, device dependence, or star database size [2]. Our project improves usability,
database completeness, and offline accessibility, providing an engaging, educational platform while future
improvements focus on AR integration and sensor-based orientation.

Beginning note. This paper is a highly condensed working version of a substantially larger research archive containing more than 250 pages of empirical data, comparative analysis, computed tables, and supporting notes. The aim of the present version is to restore conceptual continuity and enough tabular material for sustained review while remaining compact enough for circulation as a single paper.

L’articolo esplora la concezione della morte nell'Antico Egitto, interpretandola non come una fine definitiva, ma come un "catalizzatore di cultura" che ha spinto questa civiltà a elaborare complessi sistemi mitici, simbolici e rituali per "domesticare" l’ignoto.

Although violence is often a characteristic attributed to feminine archetypes in mythology such as the warrior goddess or the warrior queen, violence itself doesn't have to be the raison d'être or defining characteristic of a feminine archetype that depicts the darker nature of feminine power. Inherent in the formation and evolution of an aggressive and powerful feminine archetype might be the response to a violation of the goddess' sexual nature. Or the aggression that defines a feminine archetype may exist due to some violence against that goddess' power as a woman. Consequently, the goddess and her actions may be clarified as a response to some

Tourism is recognised as one of the world's most significant socioeconomic tools, with its impact expanding globally. Harnessing community identities as an element of cultural tourism is crucial for the socioeconomic contributions of cultural tourism in southwest Nigeria, which is essential to understanding its importance. This paper examined the influence of community identities on socioeconomic dynamics of cultural tourism in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. However, extant works have appraised cultural tourism from several perspectives. Unexpectedly, the literature search revealed that studies uncovering the importance of community identities in the socioeconomic contributions of cultural tourism are limited. To bridge this gap, this study employed in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) to gather information about the community identities of residents in Ijebu-Ode town, which are essential for achieving the contributions of cultural tourism. Thus, the researchers adopted a narrative method to analyse the data gathered from the key informant interviews and focus group discussions that were transcribed for better understanding. The study's findings indicated that the tools of cultural tourism and community identities should be weaponised to promote the socioeconomic activities of residents and improve their living standards.

Pergantian bulan dalam Islam ditentukan oleh kenampakan hilal setelah terbenamnya matahari pada tanggal 29 bulan berjalan. Jika saat itu hilal terlihat, maka bulan baru telah masuk. Jika tidak, maka malam tersebut masih dihitung sebagai tanggal 30 bulan berjalan. Untuk Idul Adha 1447 H/2026 M ini, kondisi hilal di Aceh jika merujuk pada teori visibilitas hilal Odeh, maka hilal telah dapat terlihat dengan bantuan alat optik, dan bisa dilihat dengan mata terlanjang (visible with optical aid, could be seen by naked eye). Jika ufuk barat cerah tanpa halangan awan, maka hilal akan terlihat.

The Greek alphabet has long served as a universal language of ordering and hierarchy — from alpha particles to omega proteins, from alpha versions of software to the omega point of cosmological theory. In the spirit of this tradition, the Greek AI Designation Framework introduces a structured, aspirational classification system for individuals working in, contributing to, or thinking about Artificial Intelligence.
This framework defines ten designations, spanning from AI Alpha — open to any curious beginner — to AI Omega, the pinnacle reserved for those who have expanded the very conceptual boundaries of the field. These are initial definitions, offered as a foundation. As time progresses, scientists, researchers, and AI communities worldwide are invited to refine, debate, and improve upon them. This is only the beginning.
The framework is inspired by the profile and contributions of OG. Satish Gajawada, who independently coined the designation "AI Omega" to describe the highest form of AI conceptual contribution — and whose 16+ years of independent AI invention and authorship serve as the defining example of what AI Omega means in practice.
The ten designations correspond to the first ten letters of the Greek alphabet used in common scientific and cultural parlance: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, and Omega. Each designation represents a distinct stage of engagement, expertise, and contribution within the AI field.

Colours in Astronomical Phaenomena in Hesiod’s Works and Days and Virgil’s Georgics: A Comparative Literary Study
PhD Thesis, Department of Archaeology and Graeco-Roman Studies, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, 2026.
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Magda El Nowieemy; co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Xenophon Moussas.

The Afon Cynfael is a small wandering river in North Wales which begins near Llyn Morwynion, the Lake of the Maidens. This small mountain river is like many others in the area; however, this river holds a special place in the Welsh mythological stories known as the Mabinogi.

En este trabajo se presenta el modelo 3D de la plaza de las estelas del sitio arqueólogico de Copan. Este se realizó principalmente con tres objetivos: conocer la motivación para construir dichos monumentos, entender la importancia de algunas fechas en el calendario maya al relacionar las decoraciones e inscripciones con las fechas en que ocurren los fenómenos solares según la posición de los monumentos analizados y el tipo de relación que los gobernantes creyeron tener entre ellos y las diferentes deidades en el panteón maya, especialmente las relacionadas con el dios solar, K’inich Ajaw. La conclusión de este estudio es que parece haber una relación entre las estelas A-H y A-I de carácter astronómico enraizado en la cosmovisión maya con la finalidad de justificar el poder dinástico real en Copán ruinas.

Μια φιλολογική έρευνα. Μια λογοτεχνική διαδρομή από την Κωνσταντινούπολη στην Αλεξάνδρεια της εποχής του Καβάφη, κι από κει στο Κογκό και τέλος στην Αθήνα. Η βιογραφία και η εργογραφία του Θύμιου Ξανθόπουλου, ιδρυτικού μέλους του λογοτεχνικού περιοδικού της αλεξανδρινής διασποράς "Αργώ", μας αποκαλύπτεται μέσα από τις δημοσιεύσεις του, τις βιβλιοπαρουσιάσεις, τα διηγήματα και τις μεταφράσεις του, καθώς και μέσα από γραπτά τρίτων, σημειώματα και επιστολές. Σε διαρκή εξερεύνηση της λογοτεχνίας και της ύπαρξης, ο Θύμιος Ξανθόπουλος με τη γοητευτική φυσιογνωμία του και με απαράμιλλο ταλέντο έπλεξε στα κείμενα του τη φιλολογία με τη ζωή και κληροδότησε ψήγματα παρελθόντος στον αναγνώστη του σήμερα.

"Το υλικό συγκέντρωσε και επιμελήθηκε ο Κωνσταντίνος Ξανθόπουλος που κατάφερε με αυτόν τον τρόπο να διασώσει το παραγνωρισμένο έργο του πατέρα του και να παρουσιάσει αριστοτεχνικά μια ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα του αλεξανδρινού συγγραφέα και λόγιου." (κείμενο φιλόλογου Αμαλίας Σκουφάκη)

Σημείωση: Το βιβλίο διατίθεται αποκλειστικά από τον συγγραφέα ΚΞ

Astronomy plays a significant role in the culture of many Australian Indigenous peoples. Traditional Indigenous Australians had an extensive knowledge of the sky and the motion of the bodies within it. That astronomical knowledge was not only important culturally, but also reveals an intellectual complexity that has gone largely unrecognised, including a quest to understand phenomena such as tides and eclipses. More practically, they used that knowledge for navigation, and to regulate their calendars to maximise food resources.

This chapter explores the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples see the realms of Earth, sea and sky as aspects of a unified ‘cosmoscape’ – in which the skyworld is every bit as real as Earth, complete with rivers and forests inhabited by fish, birds, animals and ancestral beings. Certain important stars and asterisms were seen as the skyworld counterpart of terrestrial animals and their annual appearance and movement through the night sky informed people of the seasonal migrations, lifecycles, abundance and food resource availability of the animals they represented. The examples I deal with here are
only a handful of the many Dreamings which harmonise the celestial cycles of the animal constellations in the sky with the lifecycles of their terrestrial counterparts and serve to demonstrate the keen-eyed observations of the natural world by the Indigenous First Australians.
Reflecting the many diverse biogeographic regions and habitats across the
continent, and the Dreamings connecting them to the people of that country, a single star or asterism can represent a different animal ‘constellation’ to each of the many language groups. There is, therefore, no single Aboriginal astronomy – each of the 250 or more language groups has its own Dreamings associated with the land, sea and sky, but they all interconnect through the songlines which criss-cross the land.

Tochtli 9. Un Ueuetiliztli y/o Toxhiu Molpilia contados en el calendario actual 65 La forma de expresarlos es: primero el número que le corresponde, luego el nombre de cada glifo como se muestra en la siguiente tabla N Número en Náhuatl Nombre del glifo N Número en Náhuatl Nombre del glifo

Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad split the moon in two — a miracle witnessed in Mecca and recorded in the most authoritative hadith collections in Sunni Islam. The popular version of the story is vivid and specific: the moon split while the Prophet stood at Minā, with the mountain of Hirāʾ visible in the gap between the two halves.

But that version is a composite. No single canonical report says it. Bukhari 3868 (Anas ibn Mālik) names Hirāʾ but doesn't say where the witnesses stood. Bukhari 3869 and Muslim 2800a–c (Ibn Masʿūd) place the witnesses at Minā but call the mountain only "al-jabal" — "the mountain." Classical commentators stitched the two together. This paper asks what happens when we test the stitched scenario —and the alternatives — against geography, astronomy, and the historical record.

The astronomical result is unambiguous. At Mecca's latitude (21.4° N), the moon can reach the bearings of Hirāʾ — 326° from Minā, or 41° from the Kaʿba — only when it is essentially overhead, at altitudes of ~80° or more. It cannot appear next to a ground-level peak at either bearing. The geometry rules out the composite scenario and every single-strand alternative the canonical corpus actually attests when paired with Hirāʾ. The line-of-sight from Minā is also blocked by Jabal Thabīr, and no civilization on the night-side of the Earth — Chinese, Persian, Byzantine, or Indian —recorded an event that, if literal, would have been the most dramatic celestial phenomenon in human history.
 
Taken together, the geography, the astronomy, and the silence of the archives make a literal reading of the harmonized tradition very difficult to sustain. The most natural alternative is that an austere original report — the moon was seen, two pieces, a mountain — was elaborated by later transmitters who added geographic specifics ("Minā," "Hirāʾ") without checking that those specifics were mutually compatible.

Three unpublished representations of historical comets in a Renaissance painting, fresco and relief reveal a diffuse interest in the celestial novelties of the second half of the sixteenth century, even on the part of artists. The first object, included in the portrait of an astrologer in Prospero Fontana's 1565 painting in the Galleria Spada in Rome, is likely the Halley comet in its 1531 passage and closely related to the representation of a comet in a seventeenth-century portrait of the cosmographer Alessandro Piccolomini. The second, the famous comet of 1577 studied by Tycho Brahe, can be found in the Palazzo del Commendatore of the Hospital Santo Spirito in Sassia, also in Rome. The last comet, on the eastern façade of the Villa Medici, built 1576–1585) is disguised as an eight-pointed star above an antique relief of ‘The Judgement of Paris’ from an ancient sarcophagus. The comet is depicted next to a large fish on a band of zodiacal constellations, suggesting that it could be an allusion to the comet of October 1585 which, according to some astrological theories, heralded a new golden age for the Medici and the personal triumph of Ferdinando de Medici, who became Grand Duke of Tuscany two years later.

The lunar phenomena of standstills of the Moon were introduced by Alexander Thom in the 1960s, but fiercely contested by many archaeoastronomers who did not accept their cultural relevance in ancient and indigenous astronomy. Recently the evidence for such lunistices in past cultures and architectures has been positively reappraised, but the discussion is ongoing. We present a possible case of intentional alignment towards the northern lunistice in one of the most famous city planning projects of the late Italian Renaissance: namely the Sistine Axis, the centre of the new urban arrangement for Rome devised by Sixtus V and his architect and engineer Domenico Fontana (1585-1590). The stretch that connects the obelisks of S. Maria Maggiore and Trinità dei Monti is in fact oriented towards an azimuth of 307°, with an elevation of the horizon of about 1° (the Monte Mario hill, where the Astronomical Observatory of Rome was transferred in the twentieth century), an alignment that transforms the urban 'canyon' in a telescopic framing of the Moon at its most northern setting point (taking into account the local horizon). This section of the ancient 'via Felice' (from the name of Papa Peretti) is a natural extension of the axis of the famous basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fact that strongly suggests a connection with the original paleaochristian church orientation, conceived in order to celebrate the Virgin Mary and her celestial symbol. On the other hand, the sky and its metaphors were certainly in the mind of Sixtus and of his architect, as shown in a map drawn by the courtier Giovanni Francesco Bordino with the road network around the basilica represented in 'syderis formam', in the shape of a star. Furthermore, the lunar theme is reiterated in the Renaissance decorations inside the church, in the famous Ludovico Cardi fresco of the Virgin Mary in the vault of the Pauline Chapel, in which his moon full of craters pays homage to Galileo and to the recent publication of the Sydereus Nuncius. Finally, we provide later iconographic evidence of the connection S. Maria Maggiore-moon cycles from a seventeenth century engraving published by the Dutch engineer Cornelis Meijer, a member of the Accademia Fisico-Matematica led by Giovanni Ciampini.

This essay examines the Second Temple and early Jewish mystical concept of "angelic beings" serving as "priests" in a Heavenly Temple. Drawing on apocalyptic, sectarian, and mystical sources, it argues that the idea of a "celestial priesthood" provided theological continuity during periods of earthly temple crisis and shaped Jewish, as well as Christian, understandings of worship, mediation, and cosmic order.

Il testo illustra la dinamica terrestre come un sistema in costante mutamento, analizzando le variazioni della velocità di rotazione causate sia dai flussi interni tra nucleo e mantello, sia dal rallentamento secolare dovuto all'attrito delle maree. In questo quadro, vengono approfonditi i moti dell'asse, tra cui la precessione e le vacillazioni elastiche, definendo la gravità come risultante tra attrazione universale e forza centrifuga e evidenziando come la sua intensità cresca verso i poli terrestri. La Terra è dunque descritta come un ellissoide di rivoluzione i cui parametri geodetici forniscono i modelli di riferimento necessari per calcolare le altezze ellissoidiche e la forma reale del corpo terrestre. L'analisi prosegue descrivendo le tecniche di misurazione gravimetrica, che si avvalgono di strumenti elastici o a caduta libera per rilevare le variazioni locali del campo gravitazionale e calcolare le relative anomalie. Tali dati sono fondamentali per identificare le disomogeneità di densità nel sottosuolo e definire il geoide, la superficie equipotenziale le cui ondulazioni riflettono i processi geodinamici profondi e la distribuzione irregolare delle masse. Viene inoltre introdotto il principio dell'isostasia per spiegare come i rilievi topografici siano compensati da radici crostali o variazioni di densità, permettendo di distinguere, attraverso l'integrazione di rilievi satellitari e terrestri, tra aree in equilibrio gravitazionale e regioni soggette a tensioni tettoniche attive. La trattazione esamina poi lo spessore della litosfera come espressione del galleggiamento isostatico nell'astenosfera, distinguendo i contributi della crosta e del mantello litosferico per mappare le variazioni strutturali e le dinamiche geodinamiche complesse. A integrazione di questi modelli fisici, viene definita la distinzione tra coordinate astronomiche, legate alla verticale reale, e coordinate geografiche, riferite alla normale dell'ellissoide teorico; la loro discrepanza, nota come deviazione della verticale, risulta essenziale per mappare il campo gravitazionale e orientare i sistemi di posizionamento globale. Infine, il fenomeno delle maree è analizzato come una deformazione ciclica che coinvolge simultaneamente litosfera, idrosfera e atmosfera. Mentre le componenti litosferiche presentano ampiezze ridotte, quelle marine e atmosferiche mostrano dinamiche più estese, governate da un potenziale generatore che raggiunge la massima intensità durante l'allineamento di Sole e Luna. In sintesi, il testo offre una visione integrata e multidisciplinare della Terra, descrivendola non come un corpo statico, ma come un pianeta in continua evoluzione fisica e geometrica. Attraverso il rigore delle formulazioni matematiche e l'analisi dei dati osservativi, il lettore viene guidato alla comprensione dei meccanismi profondi che governano l'equilibrio della litosfera e le sue manifestazioni superficiali. Questo percorso scientifico non solo chiarisce la complessa natura del campo gravitazionale, ma fornisce gli strumenti essenziali per interpretare la dinamica globale del nostro pianeta e le sfide metodologiche della moderna geofisica.

A novel methodology, which we call significant horizons, ranks aboriginal cultural sites according to their potential for astronomical utilisation. This is done by taking into consideration a cultural site's location and position within the environment and examines the surrounding horizon profile from that place. We rank each site on the number of solar, lunar and stellar alignments that occur on "notches" and "points" along accurate and realistic computer-generated horizon profiles using the horizon software package. Here, we examine 24 aboriginal stone arrangement sites within New South Wales, Australia, to statistically determine whether these sites could serve an astronomical function alongside their utilitarian cultural and ceremonial functions. Our results suggest that for many, but not necessarily all, stone arrangement sites studied here appear to have been deliberately placed within the landscape to take advantage of the local horizon for astronomy. We conclude that significant horizons is a useful methodology that has widespread applications for cultural astronomy research, both within Australia and internationally. Warning to Aboriginal Readers: This paper contains brief references to Aboriginal cultural sites, including sites that may have been used for initiations. Apart from inferred possible astronomical connections to these sites, other cultural use and practices are not discussed, as it is restricted

A major focus of archaeoastronomical research conducted around the world is to understand how ancient cultures observed sunrise and sunset points along the horizon, particularly at the solstices and equinoxes. Scholars argue that observations of sunrise and sunset points are useful for developing calendars and predicting seasonal change, which is the foundation of the Eurocentric four-season Julian (and later Gregorian) calendar. Famous examples include Stonehenge, Newgrange, Chichen Itza and Chankillo. Studies at these and other sites around the world tend to focus on solar point observations through alignments in stone arrangements and the orientations of monuments, such as temples. Despite the on-going study of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia revealing a wealth of information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander observations and interpretations of solar, lunar, and stellar
properties and motions, very little has been published about this subject. The authors explore this topic through four case studies, based on ethnography, ethnohistory, archaeology and statistics. This demonstrates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities did, and continue to, observe the solstices and other significant solar points along the horizon for timekeeping and an indication of seasonal change—but in ways that are rather different to the four-season model of Europe.

Aboriginal people connect landscape to the positions of the Sun and Moon throughout the year for time reckoning, seasonal calendars, and mythology as a memory aide. This can include the rising or setting of the Sun, Moon, and stars over significant landscape features. A significant corpus of Wiradjuri (Wiradyuri) astronomical knowledge has been fragmented, lost, or damaged due to colonisation. To aid in reconstructing this knowledge, we develop a novel methodology to examine potential links between the landscape and celestial movements. Our methodology, which we call Significant Horizons, ranks Aboriginal cultural sites according to their potential for astronomical utilisation. This is done by taking into consideration the cultural site"s location and position within the environment and examines the surrounding horizon profile from that place. We rank each site on the number of solar and lunar alignments that occur on “notches” and “points” in these horizon profiles. To accomplish this, we utilize and combine the Horizon software package to generate
these profiles and include the rising and setting positions of celestial bodies along it. We examine Aboriginal cultural sites within Wiradjuri country of central New South Wales as a case study. Our ranking system enables us to predict whether Wiradjuri cultural sites, such as ceremonial grounds, are likely to be astronomically- significant. We predict that ceremonial sites will have a higher ranking than subsistence sites, which hold a more utilitarian function. Our results are consistent with this prediction.We suggest further refinements to the methodology by including stars of cultural significance into the horizon analysis.

The mathematical constant π (approximately 3.14159) appears ubiquitously across geometry, physics, probability, and cosmology. Its universality and non-arbitrariness have prompted philosophical and theological questions about whether π is a human tool, a discovered law, or evidence of design. Purpose: This multidisciplinary review integrates mathematics, physics, astronomy, biblical hermeneutics, theology, and philosophy of science to evaluate the Argument from Design using π. The review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature, scriptural analysis (1 Kings 7:23), and philosophical critiques, including theistic and naturalistic counterarguments. π's universality, logical necessity, and unreasonable effectiveness (Wigner, 1960) are compatible with theism but do not prove it. Major counterarguments include π as human abstraction (Rosen, 2012), logical necessity (Carroll, 2016), no causal connection, God of the gaps (Stenger, 2007), and multiverse hypotheses (Tegmark, 2014). π functions as a "Rorschach test" for worldviews, scientists see a tool, and theologians see a signature. The design argument is probabilistic, not deductive. Future research should integrate empirical studies on mathematical cognition and cross-cultural perceptions of constants.

Le antiche concezioni della Via Lattea variano a seconda delle culture e delle epoche, ma in generale essa è stata interpretata come un Sentiero Celeste, una dimora degli dèi, un fiume cosmico o un portale verso altri mondi. Nella cosmologia buddista, la Via Lattea è parte della grande rete di interconnessioni tra piani esistenziali. I popoli del Nord America credevano che fosse una sorta di ponte usato dagli sciamani per viaggiare tra i mondi. Dunque queste concezioni della Via Lattea convergono tutte nell'idea di un sentiero mistico, un collegamento tra il mondo fisico e dimensioni superiori. Le coordinate galattiche sono un sistema di riferimento usato in astronomia per specificare la posizione degli astri rispetto al piano della Via Lattea e al Centro della Galassia stessa. I due principali riferimenti sono il Centro della Galassia e l'Equatore Galattico.

Ancient Egyptian culture (3rd-1st millennium B.C.) reveals that it developed its own vision not only of the divine, but also of human nature, though it expressed it not through concepts, but through images. This essay reconstructs and translates the Egyptian idea of human nature into concepts, underlining its connections with that of the divine. It proposes an interpretative hypothesis that highlights its affinities, in the earliest period (up to the mid-2nd millennium B.C.), with the Homeric vision of human nature and, in the subsequent era, with that of Plato and, even more so, of Plotinus.

В статье на основе полевых материалов, собранных авторами в ходе этнографических экспедиций по Кыргызстану в 2023-2024 гг., анализируются народные методы предсказания погоды у киргизов. Особое внимание уделено астрономическим приметам. Анализ показывает, что часть примет, связанных с оптическими атмосферными явлениями, имеет научное обоснование и может использоваться для прогнозирования, хотя и с ограниченной точностью. Другая группа примет отражает многовековые астрономические наблюдения, но не имеет прямой причинно-следственной связи с погодой, являясь скорее отражением практик наблюдений за небесными светилами. Третья группа примет, основанная на наблюдениях соединений Луны с планетами и некоторыми звездами (тогоолах), не имеет предсказательной силы и предположительно восходит к тенгрианским представлениям о влиянии небесных божеств на земной мир. Кроме того, в статье рассматриваются народные обряды, связанные с попыткой воздействия человека на погоду. Описывается также деятельность современных народных метеорологов (табыркачи), использующих комплексный подход, который заключается в сочетании традиционных признаков предсказания погоды и современных подходов к оценке и иерархии этих признаков. Ключевые слова: этнография киргизов, народные приметы, предсказание погоды, астрономия, тенгрианство, народные метеорологи

The use of astronomy for collective purposes, both religious and political, is apparent in the earliest astronomical records, from the evidence for Palaeolithic lunar calendars to megalithic monuments and Mesopotamian celestial-omen reports. This paper will consider the application of the heavens to the organisation of the 'Cosmic State', the human polity modelled on the assumption of a close relationship between society on the one hand and planetary and stellar patterns on the other. I will also examine the foundation of Baghdad within the tradition of celestial town planning and argue that the city may be seen as a 'talisman', designed to connect heaven to Earth and ensure peace, stability and political success by harmonising time and space.

This paper will explore a modern example of the tradition of constructing cities and sacred sites as reflections or embodiments of the sky. By creating spaces which were connected to the celestial bodies it was possible to create human communities which were linked to celestial ones, encouraging social stability and harmony. Such ideas underpinned traditions of the foundation of cities from China, through India, the Middle East and Mesoamerica. The paper focuses on Avon Tyrrell House, a substantial private residence which was designed and built in 1891-93. The architect, William Lethaby (1857-1931), was part of the Arts and Crafts movement and one of England's leading modernists. The paper will frame discussion of the building within notions of the continuity of ancient traditions of solar symbolism in architecture, the consideration of function in the archaeology of the present and immediate past, and will refer to the theory of vernacular and material religion.

Tesis de Licenciatura que aborda temas de arquitectura y arqueoastronomía en sitios arqueológicos de la región de Huichapan - Tecozautla (Valle del Mezquital), Hidalgo.
Se analizan cinco sitios pertenecientes a la tradición cerámica Xajay a través de la distribución de sus elementos arquitectónicos, el emplazamiento en la geoforma y las posibles implicaciones geométricas y arqueoastronómicas en su planeación arquitectónica.

In Britain, and six of the most well-known examples in Sweden, are pure pseudoscience. Seven of the eight authors in question are highly qualified, including four professors and one at PhD level. Given this level of education and the fact that several of the researchers have extensive experience, the major deficiencies in their research articles are highly remarkable. During the 20th century, Swedish archaeoastronomical research articles came under very extensive critical review; since 2005, however, such criticism has been conspicuous by its total absence. As the amount of scrutiny decreases, so the risk of a deterioration in the quality of research articles increases. The inexorable consequence of this is that pseudoscience is perpetuated as though it were proper science. That is the situation that we are in today.

從12至17世紀，經院哲學主導了歐洲思想。在這個龐大的思想體系中，亞里士多德主義的自然哲學扮演不可或缺的重要角色，為靈魂論、倫理學、神學等提供理論基礎。亞氏主義的自然哲學也屬於科學史，對近現代科學起著近乎矛盾的作用，一面促進它，另一面又壓制它。具體到宇宙論，情況同樣如此：一方面，亞氏主義宇宙論繼續為16至17世紀的天文學家如伽利略提供理論基礎，另一方面，新宇宙論必須從亞氏主義的限制中脫離出來。與此同時，亞氏主義的宇宙論也有很深的哲學意義，主張人們可以通過自然理性去理解作為一個整體的宇宙。經院哲學家相信，宇宙遵從自然規律，充滿理性，並不是完全神秘的東西，人的理性可以認識其結構和特徵。與今天專業化的科學不同，經院哲學家試圖從整體上把握宇宙，使宇宙論成為包含天文學、物理學、數學、形而上學知識的綜合性學問，並且他們認為宇宙本身有價值，也有某種超越性的目的，因此宇宙論也與倫理學和神學相連結。閱讀《寰有詮》有助於我們更深入地理解西方哲學史和科學史的這一階段。中國的西學研究者可以直接閱讀亞氏的經典，也可以研習經院哲學的作品，包括16世紀末耶穌會士在葡萄牙科因布拉大學編寫的《〈論天〉評論》，為何要閱讀一部晚明時期的譯著《寰有詮》？首要原因還是藉此回到思想史和科學史的跨文化交流的現場，也就是學術界比較熟悉的“西學東漸”研究。當時，傳教士帶來的新宇宙觀對中國造成了非常大的衝擊。外來的“地圓說”嚴重地挑戰了中國傳統的“天圓地方”觀念，西方天文學的精確性也挑戰欽天監測定日蝕和月蝕的權威，導致晚明天文學家不得不吸收西洋曆法。不過，耶穌會士不僅要指導中國人如何修曆，他們更希望介紹背後的理論思想，即亞氏主義的自然哲學，而《寰有詮》可以為耶穌會已經出版的天文學和曆法的著作提供理論根據。中國天主教徒如李之藻和徐光啓視西學為一個整體，認為數學、科學、哲學、神學之間有著密切聯繫。與此相反，一般士大夫試圖區分各個學科，他們願意接受科學知識，卻很排斥哲學和神學，因為他們認為必須這樣做才能保持自己的傳統，結果中西宇宙論的相遇並沒有產生很深刻的思想對話。當中國天主教徒初步吸收西方宇宙論並有所發揮的時候，一些反對者立刻予以駁斥，而大部分士大夫幾乎保持沉默不語。
其實，傅汎際和李之藻所翻譯的《寰有詮》以及《名理探》在思想史意義上甚至可以跟玄奘的《成唯識論》相比。當然李之藻沒有出過國，對拉丁文的把握應該比較有限，但他跟傅汎際的翻譯達到很高的水準，正如玄奘在《成唯識論》處理印度唯識學的複雜辯論，《寰有詮》同樣巧妙地處理西方宇宙論的複雜辯論。《寰有詮》出版將近四百年之後，我們有更好的條件去研究這部著作，不僅可以順著從古希臘、阿拉伯到中世紀、文藝復興的學術脈絡把握其思想背景，還可以探察它如何翻譯科因布拉大學關於《論天》、《物理學》、《論天象》的各種評注本，以及它作出什麼改動來適應中國思想。我們希望《寰有詮今注》可以達到這個目標，增進我們對西學東漸的理解。我們更希望這本書可以促進中西宇宙論的哲學對話。最近一個世紀，天體物理學（astrophysics）和天體化學（astrochemistry）進一步改變了我們的宇宙觀，把宇宙變化置入時間和空間無限廣大的宏觀背景之中。我們相信，宋明理學和經院哲學的宇宙論對話可以豐富近現代科學的宇宙觀，使它獲得更深刻的歷史意義。