People and the Sky
Subtitle: Our Ancestors and the Cosmos
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: May 26, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 252
ISBN-13: 9780500051528
Subjects: Popular astronomy; Popular science; Astronomy - General; Science / Astronomy; Science; Science/Mathematics
Description: "Anthony Aveni reveals how!Kung and Mursi hunter-gatherers depended on signals in the sky for their survival and sustenance; how Polynesian sailors navigated a seemingly limitless watery world by star bearings; how social cohesion in cultures as diverse as the Pawnee and the Inca was mirrored in celestial imagery; and how the cosmic connection between the arrangement of Chinese and Aztec cities and the constellations served as an expression of political authority." "For most of human history, people found meaning in the dance of the cosmic denizens. Today, many aspects of this intimate contact between daily life and what happens in the sky have disappeared. Did our ancestors have an understanding of the cosmos that we ourselves lack? How and why did it all happen? These are the questions addressed in this engaging and erudite book."--Jacket.