Megalithic Science

Fülszöveg

Megalithic Science
Ancient Mathematics and Astronomy in Northwest Europe
DOUGLAS C. HEGGIE
Was Stonehenge an elaborate astronomical observatory, or a ritual site orientated to midsummer sunrise? Were the standing-stone sites of prehistoric Britain designed using a precise 'megalithic yard', or were they simply paced out? Did the builders of the megalithic rings know Pythagoras' Theorem long before Pythagoras?
In this book, the first critical guide by a scientist and astronomer to the large literature on megalithic science, the author gives an objective assessment of the evidence for and against theories such as these. All the significant sites are included
- Stonehenge. Callanish. the Carnac menhirs, Ballochroy. Kintraw - as is the work of the principal scholars in the field, from Lockyer to Hawkins, Hoyle and Thorn. Writing from the point of view of a scientist, but with the archaeologist and the more general reader in mind. Dr Heggie stresses the importance of statistical... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Megalithic Science
Ancient Mathematics and Astronomy in Northwest Europe
DOUGLAS C. HEGGIE
Was Stonehenge an elaborate astronomical observatory, or a ritual site orientated to midsummer sunrise? Were the standing-stone sites of prehistoric Britain designed using a precise 'megalithic yard', or were they simply paced out? Did the builders of the megalithic rings know Pythagoras' Theorem long before Pythagoras?
In this book, the first critical guide by a scientist and astronomer to the large literature on megalithic science, the author gives an objective assessment of the evidence for and against theories such as these. All the significant sites are included
- Stonehenge. Callanish. the Carnac menhirs, Ballochroy. Kintraw - as is the work of the principal scholars in the field, from Lockyer to Hawkins, Hoyle and Thorn. Writing from the point of view of a scientist, but with the archaeologist and the more general reader in mind. Dr Heggie stresses the importance of statistical analyses, which help distinguish sound from purely speculative theories. The text contains no mathematics, but enough simple statistical discussion to enable a non-mathematical reader to enter into the argument; many of the statistical results in fact appear here for the first time. There is also a chapter describing the astronomy needed for a proper appreciation of the astronomical theories.
The view of megalithic science which emerges is an unusual but convincing one
- more cautious than has often been the case, but by no means wholly sceptical. With its clear, dispassionate approach, and helpful diagrams and photographs, this book will establish itself as the standard introduction to the scientific knowledge of the megalith-builders.
With 114 illustrations Vissza