Introduction to Archaeoastronomy

I seem to have fallen into the rabbit hole… the online lecture hole. I am so thankful that I discovered these classes this year. With the current Covid-19, situation, it has been difficult to go out and do all the things I normally did. Things were better at the beginning of June. Unfortunately, because the weather has been getting hotter and people are getting inured to the initial fear and panic, more and more people have been congregating in large groups in public. The number of new cases has started to slowly increase again in Korea, so I am taking no chances and staying indoors.

The University of Pennsylvania’s course on the Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization was fantastic. I definitely learned a lot. Although I am tempted by a few of the other history lectures, one very special class caught my eye: Archaeoastronomy. Taught by Dr. Giulio Magli at the Politecnico di Milano, it is an interdisciplinary study based on architecture, archaeology, and astronomy. It explores ancient monuments and their relationship to the stars, as well as delving into the minds of great architects of the past. It will also cover the religious and symbolic importance of these monuments and the secrets that they uncovered in the sky. This class has all the elements which fascinate me: archaeology, astronomy, and religion.