The Archaeoastronomy of Tomnaverie Recumbent Stone Circle: A Comparison of Methodologies

Henty, Liz

doi:10.5334/pia.464

Cited by 15 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Liz Henty, co-editor of JSA, presented her thoughts on "Skyscape Archaeology: Bridging the Gap between Archaeoastronomy and Archaeology". She explained how the concept of skyscape archaeology was conceived by herself and Fabio Silva in separate papers in 2014 (Henty 2014;Silva 2014) as a new field -bridging cultural astronomy and archaeoastronomy in order to address questions of belief, cosmology and ritual that archaeoastronomy alone is unable to address. The resulting holistic methodology advocated within skyscape archaeology combines a thorough examination of data derived from archaeological and archaeoastronomical methods together with phenomenological and reflexive approaches to research.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“The Archaeology of the Sky”, 26th August, 2020, Organised by Emília Pásztor (Hungary) and Marc Frincu (Romania). Session 63 of the European Association of Archaeologists

O’Donnell¹

2021

JSA

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confidence: 99%

“The Archaeology of the Sky”, 26th August, 2020, Organised by Emília Pásztor (Hungary) and Marc Frincu (Romania). Session 63 of the European Association of Archaeologists

O’Donnell¹

2021

JSA

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“…Sprajc 2015;González-García and Sprajc 2016), and European archaeoastronomers starting to take the wider archaeological and even ethnographical records into account (e.g. Henty 2014, Silva 2015.…”

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confidence: 99%

Inferring Alignments I: Exploring the Accuracy and Precision of Two Statistical Approaches

Silva

2017

JSA

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Using computer simulations, this paper explores and quantifies the accuracy and precision of two approaches to the statistical inference of the most-likely targets of a set of structural orientations. It discusses the curvigram method of wide currency in archaeoastronomy (also known as Kernel Density Estimation or Summed Probability Densities), and introduces the largely unused maximum likelihood method, that is quite popular in other fields. The analysis of their accuracy and precision is done for a scenario with a single target, from which resulted equations that can be used to estimate the minimum number of surveyed structures to ensure a high-precision statistical inference. Two fundamental observations are also made: that, although both approaches are quite accurate, the maximum likelihood approach is considerably more precise than the curvigram approach; and that underestimating measurement uncertainty severely undermines the precision of the curvigram method. Finally, the implications of these observations for past, present and future archaeoastronomical research, is discussed.

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“…Importantly, it retains all the valuable data as well as surveying and analytical methodologies deployed by archaeoastronomers, while also allowing for the integration of other methodologies well-established in the archaeological and anthropological worlds, such as phenomenology. We believe that this approach is the way forward, and while JSA was still in the planning stage we introduced the term skyscape archaeology in our own papers in archaeology journals (Henty 2014a;2014b;Silva 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Editorial

Silva

Henty

2015

JSA

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We are delighted to welcome you to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Skyscape Archaeology (JSA), a publication concerned with the role and importance of the sky in the interpretation of the material record. Currently, elements of this study can be found separately in the disciplines of archaeoastronomy, archaeology, cultural astronomy, anthropology and history, but there is no journal that specifically caters for this interdisciplinary field. JSA brings these elements together in order to promote cross-fertilization towards an understanding of the cosmologies of the societies who constructed and used the rich archaeological heritage we study today. Consequently, it will encourage articles that consider the relationship between material culture, the sky and society, from a wide range of disciplines.The relationship between the sky and past and present societies is highlighted by the work of historians and anthropologists, who have explored the subject under the banner of "cultural astronomy". The textual and ethnographic records that form the primary sources of these disciplines are testament to the role and importance of the sky in culture. American archaeology has also embraced archaeoastronomy as a means of understanding and exploring how a society's worldview, which invariably includes the sky, is encoded in its material culture. In this it differs from British and European studies, which have been hampered by a historical divide between archaeoastronomy and archaeology. Archaeoastronomy today is an academic discipline deeply rooted in fieldwork and statistical tests for validity but, in the process of redefining itself to withstand scientific scrutiny, it failed to forge links with the wider archaeological and anthropological communities. The reasons for this are now historical but the consequences are clear: different approaches are not being integrated into holistic interpretations of the archaeological record. Traditionally, the focus of archaeologists has been on the ground, whereas archaeoastronomers have looked up to the sky. This separation is detrimental to both archaeology and archaeoastronomy, which have much to gain by working together towards a more comprehensive understanding of past and contemporary cultures. Furthermore, archaeoastronomical works have been confined to obscure and irregularly published journals or overpriced conference proceedings which are often delayed by several years. Because of this, those involved in archaeoastronomical research have difficulty finding a proper venue for

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The Archaeoastronomy of Tomnaverie Recumbent Stone Circle: A Comparison of Methodologies

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

“The Archaeology of the Sky”, 26th August, 2020, Organised by Emília Pásztor (Hungary) and Marc Frincu (Romania). Session 63 of the European Association of Archaeologists

“The Archaeology of the Sky”, 26th August, 2020, Organised by Emília Pásztor (Hungary) and Marc Frincu (Romania). Session 63 of the European Association of Archaeologists

Inferring Alignments I: Exploring the Accuracy and Precision of Two Statistical Approaches

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