Many ancient, even prehistoric, monuments and temples aroundthe world show an amazingly sophisticated understanding of the heavens. Theyreflect this sacred knowledge in celestial alignments – to the eternal cyclesof the sun, moon, stars and planets. The ceremonies performed at sites such as Stonehenge inEngland or Teotihuacan in Mexico are now lost to us. But the time-worn stonesand structures remain, and archaeoastronomers (experts in ancient astronomy)have studied how their sightlines relate to astronomical phenomena such asmidwinter or midsummer sunrise or the rising of the Pleiades star cluster. Within, Ken Taylor dives into the fantastical:The principles of astronomy – the seasons, the solstices and equinoxes, the rising and setting of stars, the “lunar standstills”Solar alignments – the language of light and shadow, and the life-giving shows of the sunLunar alignments – the drama of the eclipse and the mysterious energies of the nightAlignments to stars and planets – reaching out to the immensity of the cosmosIn exploring such connections, in words, superb photographsand clear explanatory artworks, Celestial Geometry opens a whole universe ofmystery and wonder, and a window on the inner life of ancient civilizations.
