Overview
- The first major book on Inca astronomy in over 20 years
- Includes over 300 color images – photographs and many original artistic illustrations
- A rigorous examination of astronomical sites in the Andes
Part of the book series: Historical & Cultural Astronomy (HCA)
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
Astronomy in the Inca Empire was a robust and fundamental practice. The subsequent Spanish conquest of the Andes region disrupted much of this indigenous culture and resulted in a significant loss of information about its rich history. Through modern archaeoastronomy, this book helps recover and interpret some of these elements of Inca civilization.
Astronomy was intricately woven into the very fabric of Andean existence and daily life. Accordingly, the text takes a holistic approach to its research, considering first and foremost the cultural context of each astronomy-related site. The chapters necessarily start with a history of the Incas from the beginning of their empire through the completion of the conquest by Spain before diving into an astronomical and cultural analysis of many of the huacas found in the heart of the Inca Empire.Over 300 color images—original artwork and many photos captured during the author’s extensive field research in Machu Picchu, the SacredValley, Cusco, and elsewhere—are included throughout the book, adding visual insight to a rigorous examination of Inca astronomical sites and history.
Reviews
“The book is astonishingly well illustrated, with a total of 312 figures … . The illustrations include both black-and-white and color photographs of archaeological sites and other items of cultural interest, as well as many original pencil drawings and watercolor paintings of sites and cultural miscellanea by the author’s spouse, Jessica Gullberg. In sum, this is a highly informed and informative book. It raises the standard of the study of Inca astronomy and archaeoastronomy to a whole new level.” (Gary Urton, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 52 (3), August, 2021)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Astronomy of the Inca Empire
Book Subtitle: Use and Significance of the Sun and the Night Sky
Authors: Steven R. Gullberg
Series Title: Historical & Cultural Astronomy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48366-1
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48365-4Published: 07 August 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48368-5Published: 08 August 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-48366-1Published: 06 August 2020
Series ISSN: 2509-310X
Series E-ISSN: 2509-3118
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 370
Number of Illustrations: 42 b/w illustrations, 275 illustrations in colour
Topics: Astronomy, Observations and Techniques, History of Science, History of the Americas, History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics, Cosmology