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Next Sky and landscape courses to be announced shortly:   

In the meantime check out below the NEW PART TIME M.A. Course at

THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES

LAMPETER

 Sky and Landscape Courses                         

These courses will comprise tours of the wonderful landscapes of the Pembrokeshire National Park combining teaching with site visits. They take in Pentre Ifan, Wales's largest chambered tomb, the superb solar alignment to St.David's, and, weather permitting, a visit to the Stonehenge bluestone site and nearby Gors Fawr stone circle. Course notes will enable you to recreate the ancient sky and learn how to record when and where the Sun and Moon rise and set. The accommodation is flexibly arranged from high class en suite B & B to camping, all set overlooking the fabulous coastal estuary of the River Teifi near Cardigan. Both weekends promise to provide an experience you will not forget.

The courses start from a belief that this is such an interesting and important subject that many more people need to be encouraged to join in. By keeping the numbers small, we hope that we can adapt to individual needs. Some participants may simply want to observe and listen, while others may want the answers to specific questions or help with particular problems. Some will have knowledge of the subject already, while others will be interested newcomers. Some may want to take up serious research into astronomical alignments at prehistoric sites, while others may simply want to enhance their appreciation of such sites when they come upon them in the countryside.

There will be some indoor talks and classes as well as outdoor visits to local sites to illustrate the practical problems and approaches. We want participants on the course to enjoy the weekend, meet like-minded and interesting people, experience a relatively unexplored part of Wales and go home seeing the landscape with new eyes!

Subjects Covered in the Sky and Landscape Courses  included:
 
• Prehistoric Britain, especially the Bronze Age
• History of archaeology and archaeoastronomy, especially the work of Professor Thom.
• Astronomy of the sun and moon and especially Lunar standstills.
• How to find the key positions of the sun at different latitudes.
• The importance of locating sites exactly. Use of the compass, map-reading, GPS systems and theodolites.
• Measurements, megalithic yards and geometry. Why these provide clues about the astronomical purpose of sites.
• Declinations and why you need to understand them.
• Computer programmes and their role in helping you do the calculations.
• The importance of preserving prehistoric sites for future research.

MA in Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology

NEW PART TIME M.A. Course at

THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES

LAMPETER

 A new part-time MA course starts this autumn at Lampeter University.

This will be the first ever MA course in Archaeoastronomy at a British University        

Course tutors:            Trevor Kirk

                                   Robin Heath

                                   Irene Earis                       

 Required residence will be for one week per term (3 weeks each year) for two years.

 Written work and 3^rd Year dissertation completed by students from home.                    

Topics covered include:

• Interpreting ancient skies and landscapes: the history, theory and context of archaeoastronomy.
• Recording and interpreting monuments and landscapes.
• Astronomy in ancient and contemporary societies.
• Analysing and interpreting archaeoastronomical evidence.
• Site visits and field study.

Applications are invited from students with either an arts or a science background.

Would you be interested to join the first group to gain a qualification in this exciting and important subject?

For further details e-mail:    g.stevenson@lamp.ac.uk

Or contact Irene Earis or Robin Heath at the contact page on this website