SKYSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY AS A ROAD TO CULTURAL INSIGHT

Abstract

Archaeoastronomers have made great strides in development of research methodologies, yet there is limited

curriculum available to train new practitioners. If we seek results that address current archaeological re

search questions, then our work must necessarily be pertinent to such questions and grounded in rigorous

archaeoastronomy fieldwork and analytical methods. Furthermore, the inferences we create should be

supported by the points of intersection between archaeoastronomical data and archaeological theory (Iwa

niszewski, 2015). To achieve these objectives, practitioners must be aware of current archaeological research

questions, trained in archaeoastronomy methods, and aware of the intersections between archaeoastronomi

cal data and archaeological theory. Historical and ethnohistorical information from a wide variety of cul

tures demonstrate that visual astronomy may be interconnected with cosmovision, politics, ritual, religion,

and economics in variable and unique ways. Research must be iterative and interdisciplinary. To illustrate

variations in interdisciplinary sources, we briefly present two case studies. These case studies underscore the

variability of sources supporting archaeoastronomy research; therefore, a curriculum and supporting in

structional materials to train practitioners must by definition be interdisciplinary (see, e.g., Magli, 2016).

Such a curriculum is under development for the University of Oklahoma‘s College of Professional and Con

tinuing Studies (OU PACS). One key charter of OU PACS is interdisciplinary study. The OU PACS Archaeo

astronomy program will integrate astronomy, anthropology, archaeology, history of science, and history of

religion. The program is initially planned to include five (5) graduate courses offered as a graduate certifi

cate. The program prominently features North American archaeoastronomy and will include a field meth

ods practicum.