Astronomy on Tap Atlanta: Ancient Astronomy Part II: Egyptian and Mesoamerican Astronomy – Bringing the Heavens Down to Earth

Speakers: GSU Astrophysics PhD Candidates Emma Galligan & Maura Shea

Abstract: Astronomy is perhaps the world’s oldest science, with the earliest known astronomical cultural influences dating as far back as 2800 BC. Astronomy had multiple purposes in ancient cultures. Perhaps most well-known is the use of astronomy in a cultural sense – using the positions and motions of celestial objects for storytelling and to explain the unexplained. However, for practical purposes, the cyclic motions of celestial objects were used to track the changing of the seasons for agriculture. Over time, astronomy became less about mythology and more about mathematically unravelling the secrets of the heavens. In this talk, we’ll delve into the impacts of astronomy in ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica, specifically from a religious, agricultural, and architectural perspective.