Journal article
Solstice and Solar Position Observations in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditions
DW Hamacher, RS Fuller, TM Leaman, D Bosun
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage | National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand | Published : 2020
Abstract
A major focus of archaeoastronomical research conducted around the world is to understand how ancient cultures observed sunrise and sunset points along the horizon, particularly at the solstices and equinoxes. Scholars argue that observations of sunrise and sunset points are useful for developing calendars and predicting seasonal change, which is the foundation of the Eurocentric four-season Julian (and later Gregorian) calendar. Famous examples include Stonehenge, Newgrange, Chichen Itza and Chankillo. Studies at these and other sites around the world tend to focus on solar point observations through alignments in stone arrangements and the orientations of monuments, such as temples. Despit..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
Leaman and Fuller are both completing PhD programs at the University of New South Wales under the supervision of Hamacher, and Councillor Bosun is an artist on Mua island working with Hamacher on the Australian Research Council project DE140101600. Hamacher's ethnographic fieldwork was approved by University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics project HC15035. Fuller receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and ethnographic fieldwork was approved under UNSW Human Research Ethics project HC16335. Leaman receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Central Tablelands Local Lands Services project CT00156, and ethnographic fieldwork was approved under UNSW Human Research Ethics project HC15037.