Full Description
This book explores the insights that Cultural Astronomy provides into the classical Roman world by unveiling the ways in which the Romans made use of their knowledge concerning the heavens, and by shedding new light on the interactions between astronomy and heritage in ancient Roman culture. Leading experts in the field present fascinating information on how and why the Romans referred to the sky when deciding upon the orientation of particular monuments, temples, tombs and even urban layouts. Attention is also devoted to questions of broader interest, such as the contribution that religious interpretation of the sky made in the assimilation of conquered peoples.
When one considers astronomy in the Roman world it is customary to think of the work and models of Ptolemy, and perhaps the Julian calendar or even the sighting of the Star of Bethlehem. However, like many other peoples in antiquity, the Romans interacted with the heavens in deeper ways that exerted a profound influence on their culture. This book highlights the need to take this complexity into account in various areas of research and will appeal to all those who wish to learn more about the application of astronomy in the lives and architecture of the Romans.
Contents
Pernigotti: Contribution to the study of the orientation of Etruscan temples.- Bagnasco, Pernigotti: Materials for the study of an Etruscan cosmology: the case of the Tumulus of the Broomsat Cerveteri.- DeSantis: Orientation and planning of Roman Albingaunum (Albenga).- Hatz: How Roman is the layout of the colonial town of Augusta Raurica?.- Gonzalez-Garcia, Rodriguez-Anton, Espinosa, Quintela, Belmonte: Establishing a New Order: Current Status on the Orientation of the Roman Towns Founded under Augustus.- Rodriguez-Anton, Gonzalez-Garcia, Belmonte: The varatio and its possible use in the Roman urban planning to obtain astronomical orientations.- Rosada: Ut ad orientem spectet.- Polcaro, Scuderi, Burgio: The socalled Neo-Pythagorean Basilica of Porta Maggiore in Rome: the most mysterious Roman monument.- Magli: The temple of Jupiter at Baalbek: astronomical and architectural analysis.- Belmonte, Gonzalez-Garcia, Rodriguez-Anton: Arabia Adquisita: the Romanization of the Nabataean cultic calendar and the Tannur "Zodiac" paradigm.- DeFranceschini, Veneziano: The symbolic use of light in hadrianic architecture and the "kiss of the sun".- Rossi, Magli: Wind, Sand and Water: the Orientation of the Late Roman Forts in the Kharga Oasis (Egyptian Western Desert).- Carnevale, Monaco: The Mausoleum of Santa Costanza in Rome: a survey of the light phenomenathrough the centuries.- Incerti, Lavorati, Iurilli: relief, geometry, archaeoastronomy of the "Mausoleo di Teodorico" (Ravenna).- Spinazzé: Baptistery and font: an interpretation of the medieval baptistery's orientation in Friuli (Northeast Italy).- Frischer: Simpiricism comes to archaeoastronomy. The use of interactive 3d interfaces for exploratory research of astronomical of ancient Roman buildings.- Hannah: The choreography of time in ancient and medieval buildings.- Papamarinopoulos, Preka-Papadema, Gazeas, Nastos, Kiriakopoulos: Red droplets and Red clouds described in Iliad.- Zotti, Schaukowitsch, Wimmer: Virtual Archaeoastronomy: The State of Stellarium for Research and Outreach.
