Astronomy in Ancient Cultures - Amgen

2009 

Winning Lesson Plan 

from Lafayette, CO 

Astronomy in Ancient 

Cultures: An investigation 

in Archeoastronomy 

by Emily L. Haynes 

Centaurus High School 

Subject: Astronomy 

Grade Level: 10 

Duration: one week 

Overview and Purpose 

Students will observe the appearance of the night sky during the time and place of an ancient culture 

using previous knowledge of the motion of the sky (relative to the observer), sun, moon and planets 

with the sky simulation software "Starry Night Pro". Students will also investigate the existing 

evidence collected by archeologists left by these cultures about their astronomical observations and 

calendars developed. In some cases, myths and legends may have survived which can be 

correlated with their astronomical observations. 

Connections between the appearance of the night sky and the everyday culture of a people will be 

developed by the students through guided-inquiry and questioning. This summative assessment can 

be developed with differentiated outcomes based on the students' interests. 

© 2009 Amgen Award for Science 

Teaching Excellence 1

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How This Instructional Plan Is Innovative 

The lesson requires students to think critically about how astronomical observations are done, how 

the motion and path of the sun is related to seasons on earth and how these depend on the 

geographic location of the observer. Students go beyond standard charts and figures in a textbook 

that explains seasons and apply their thinking to a different time, place and culture. This type of 

approach is not often incorporated into science instruction. Students are engaged and connect 

methods of science to other fields that are interesting to them. 

The "ancient cultures" project is an option that the class can vote on as an extension of a unit on 

observational techniques. A lot of student interest in applying astronomy to a culture is evident 

because the class always self-selects this project. Many students who take astronomy as an elective 

course at the high school level are curious about their own heritage, enjoy the sense of history in this 

project and having the opportunity to find scientific answers to questions that they formulate 

themselves. For many non-traditional students, the relevance to their own cultural history allows that 

connection to science and to school, which may otherwise not "feel" like a good fit. 

This lesson is inquiry-based and models how a scientist could apply astronomy to another academic 

discipline. The lesson is also multicultural in that students are invited to explore the roots of 

civilization by placing them "at the time and place" and build an understanding of the skill and 

insights the people were able to obtain from observing the natural world. Students will also be able 

to view the sky outside of the framework of our modern bias about the motion of the heavens and 

our place in the Universe. 



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Goals 

This lesson is a culminating activity in the portion of the one-semester Astronomy course that 

explores "Observational Astronomy". 

Previous lessons Include: 

� Students first learn the major stars and constellations and build a "star wheel" to aide in finding 

these stars and constellations in their own night viewing of the sky. 

� Students follow the motion of the stars as a daily and annual cycle using sky simulation 

software, and draw "star trails" and observe how the positions of the planets vary in relation to 

the other stars and discuss the reasons for these observations. 

� Alt-azimuth and equatorial coordinate systems are used to determine the positions of stars and 

other objects in the sky. 

� "Astrology Day" is an activity where students explore the history of astrology and astronomy. 

Investigations and collaborative discussions are conducted about the scientific process and 

how the use of this process in astronomy is clearly different than the basis of many astrological 

beliefs. 

� Students use scientifically-designed experiments to investigate some of the ideas of astrology 

to evaluate the scientific validity of an idea. 

� Students determine positions of the sun "through" the sky at solstices and equinoxes and trace 

this on a plastic hemisphere. 

� Students collaboratively investigate the reason for the seasons using a kinesthetic approach, 

their hemispheres with sun paths, demos and a heliocentric model for the solar system. 

� Lunar phases are related to the motion of the earth and moon relative to the sun using 

observation and kinesthetic astronomy. 



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Educational Standards 

Colorado State Standard 1: Students apply the processes of scientific investigation and design, 

conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. 

• This lesson has components of guided-inquiry and targeted questions for data collection, 

recording and analysis as well as student-designed application of these observations to a body 

of research in the literature. 

• Students must communicate their findings in a summative assessment of their choice. 

Colorado State Standard 4: Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand the 

processes and interactions of Earth's systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other 

objects in space. 

• Students will demonstrate competency in orienting in the night sky. They will use simple tools 

to measure the position of objects in the sky and use star charts to predict how the sky will look 

at specific times or locations. 

• Students investigate the relative motion of the sun, moon and planets to an observing position 

on the earth, which helps them to understand modern explanations for the motion of the 

planets, seasons, lunar phases and eclipses. 

Colorado State Standard 5: Students understand that the nature of science involves a particular way 

of building knowledge and making meaning of the natural world. 

• Students explore the observations of the sky with the modern heliocentric model of our solar 

system. Students understand that a geocentric model of our universe dominated many cultures 

throughout human history. 

• Development of the scientific process and many modern techniques allowed for advancement 

in the understanding of the Universe that we have today. 

Our school district has a strong initiative to support multicultural approaches to education. With this 

project, students get to research aspects of their own culture as well as understand scientific 

accomplishments of a variety of cultures. 



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Objectives 

At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: 

1. Analyze data to describe the motion of the sun including equinox and solstice paths in the sky 

for an Ancient Culture 

2. Use alt-azimuth and equatorial coordinate systems to describe the position of a celestial 

object 

3. Evaluate the archeological record to describe the astronomical evidence 

4. Demonstrate knowledge of the process of science as a path to understanding of their natural 

world 

5. Obtain a broader multicultural view of astronomical observations 



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Assessment Strategies 

This lesson, "Astronomy in Ancient Cultures" is used as a summative assessment, where students 

apply their skills and knowledge of observational astronomy to the night sky as seen by an ancient 

(or prehistoric) culture. This is an authentic use of science to gain insight into the history and culture 

of a people. 

The lesson provides for different preferences in learning style and assessment. Students may 

choose the format of the final project: a research paper with diagrams, a "power-point" presentation, 

or other artwork that they complete to illustrate their ideas. 

Students present their findings to the class, so each student shares the experiences of each group. 

Each presentation includes the use of diagrams to display patterns of motion of the sun, planets and 

stars in the sky. Generally they also have diagrams or images of the archeology of the site where 

the culture lived which illustrates the use of astronomical observations. Hypotheses are presented 

where students discuss how the people uses of astronomy for calendars, influenced their view of the 

world and their belief system. 

Materials 

� The required materials are a globe of the Earth, Sky simulation software program, a plastic 

hemisphere and water soluble marker for drawing the paths of the sun, guided inquiry packets 

(attached), other materials as indicated by the type of final product each student group decides 

on. 

� Instructional Materials: Perhaps the best way to communicate the lesson is through the original 

instructional materials. They have been include here, annotated and reformatted instead of as 

a paper attachment. In the student handouts, there is more space for notes and expression of 

ideas. 



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Procedure 

Introduction: Students are to use their previous skills in observational astronomy to prompt 

discussion of what the sky would look like to a people in a different time and place. 

Example Questions to think about for discussion: 

� Where would the sun rise and set in China? South America? 

� Would people see the same stars during the night in China? South America? 

� Is it possible for the sun to be directly overhead here? Where? 

� How can a civilization keep track of time during the day? Year? 

Each group of 2 students chooses a different ancient culture to investigate. For the project, students 

will then be guided through each part of the lesson as indicated on the instructional handouts 

(included in the attached supported documents): 

� Choose an ancient civilization to work with in groups of 2. 

� Determine the geographic location on a globe, and decide on a year of observation. 

� Work through the attached guided inquiry worksheet using the sky simulation program 

"Starry Night Pro". 

� Map the path of the sun that occurs during different parts of the year with a plastic 

hemisphere, note the equinox and solstice positions. 

� Collect information available about the astronomical observations left by the people in the 

form of archeological evidence and written records, if available. Use a variety of books and 

the internet which include at least 4 sources. 

� Formulate a list of questions to be explored in their final "report" or project, focusing on the 

connection between the observations made by the people and their interpretation of the 

observations that had the most meaning in the everyday lives of the ancient civilization. 

� Organize their information and ideas together into a paper, "power-point" or a shorter paper 

with your own original artwork 

� Present their findings to the class in the form of a "power-point", artwork, overhead 

transparencies and always with class discussion. 



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Activities Outside the Classroom 

Students are encouraged to view the night sky as often as weather conditions allow. They have built 

a star wheel to use in identification of common stars and constellations. This project adds interest 

and incentive to view the sky often. I lead night observing sessions for students at the school. They 

are also invited to go to public observing nights sponsored by local astronomy clubs, and to go to 

observing sessions at the University of Colorado on Friday evenings. Often, students choose a 

culture they are studying in another academic subject to broaden their understanding of a specific 

people. This experience broadens their multicultural education. 



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NAME: 

GROUP MEMBERS: 

Project: “Astronomy in Ancient Cultures” 

Objectives: 

1. Choose an ancient culture and find out what the sky looked like to these people throughout the 

year. Map sunrise and sunset positions in the sky, position of a pole star and the path of the 

sun during the day and the stars at night. Are there other significant observations? 

2. Determine what evidence is available about this culture: ancient monuments, archeology, and 

written records or myths and legends that record astronomical observations and/or 

interpretations of astronomical observations made by the people. 

3. Develop questions and investigate answers about the significance of astronomy to this culture. 

“Archeoastronomy” is the study of the practice of astronomy by ancient cultures of the world. Our 

project for the sky observation part of the Astronomy Course is to view the sky from the perspective 

of a culture that existed before recorded history. We are looking for a time when a people 

determined the time of day, day of the year and seasons in a yearly cycle from the motions of the 

sky rather than a calendar or clock. 

Your project will be to examine the sky as one ancient people would have observed it. You will have 

use of the “Starry Night” sky simulation program to help you. Then, you will research the evidence 

available about the astronomical observations they recorded. Explore the relationship the people 

had to the sky through their values and stories using books that have been collected for your use. 



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NAME: 



The project will consist of the following parts: 

A. 10 points Choose a pre-historic peoples from the following list 

B. 20 points Complete the worksheet on the view of the sky for these people using the sky 

simulation program “Starry Night Pro”. 

C. 20 points Collect information about the archeology and legends that have survived from 

the people you have chosen. Use the worksheet as a guide to find out 

everything available about this culture. Be sure to write down the references you 

have used. 

D. 20 points Formulate a list of questions to be explored in the final “report” of your project. 

You may use the list from the worksheet and also ask questions of your own. 

Focus on the connection between the observations made by the people and 

their interpretation of the observations that had the most meaning in their 

everyday lives. 

E. 50 points Organize your information and ideas together into a paper, power-point or a 

shorter paper with your own original artwork. Be sure to include diagrams and 

illustrations of archeology and the patterns in the sky that are needed to tell the 

stories of the people. 

F. 30 points Present your findings to the class. Use the overhead to display diagrams and 

patterns of stars in the sky. Discuss the contents of the worksheets you have 

completed about the people’s view of the sky and the relevance to their culture. 



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NAME: 

What should your project include?: 



Title (and subtitle which reflects the nature of your investigation) 

Introduction: Paragraph of 5–6 sentences which include the name, approximate time, location of the 

people you are studying. Include the most significant aspect of the sky as they would have seen it 

and the major relevance to their lives and culture. 

Observations: Diagrams and word descriptions of the observations of the sun, planets, stars, pole 

star and other noteworthy events (such as aurora) that would have been observed by these people. 

Include the sunrise and sunset positions, positions of the solstices and equinoxes, length of day at 

different times of the year. 

Archeological and/or Written evidence of astronomy as used by this group of people. Correlate the 

observations you did with the sky simulation and sun hemisphere with these records. Detail all 

astronomical observations that were recorded by this culture. Detail the calendar or other device 

used to keep track of time. 

Conclusions: Choose 2 questions you have asked, discussed with your group and formed an 

hypothesis about pertaining to this culture’s observations and the connection to their belief system or 

“world view”. This should bring all the evidence in your paper together. 

Length varies depending on the format. Research papers can be expected to be about 5 double 

spaced pages plus about 5 more pages of diagrams and pictures with at least 4 references listed in 

a Bibliography. A power-point presentation should have a comparable amount of information with 

20–25 slides (depending on how much is on each slide). 

Creativity is encouraged, with ongoing discussions with the teacher about what and how much is 

included. 



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NAME: 



Peoples you can choose from (remember, these are from ancient pre-historic times). 

The underlined locations/peoples have more available information than others: 

Location Peoples and Places 

Southwest U.S. Anasazi, currently Navajo (Hovenweep, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verdi), 

Hopi, Zuni – also Petroglyph Calenders. Shaw Butte Prehistoric 

Observatory (Phoenix, AZ) 

North American Indian Cherokee, Pawnee and Sioux (plains, including Big Horn Medicine 

Wheel, Wyoming), Chumash (California, Viejas Mountain), Inuit 

(Alaska), and others 

England Stonehenge builders – Neolithic age, Celtics – many stone circles 

Mexico Mayans – Chichen Itza and Caracol tower, Aztecs (Quetzacoatl, 

Temple Mayor) 

South America Incas (including Cuzco), sun towers, Intihuatana Mesopotamia, 

Babylonia and Arabia (built Astrolabes) 

Australian Aborigines (also Maori in New Zealand) 

Iceland Norse 

Egypt Egyptians and the pyramids of Giza 

Polynesia, India (Jantar-Mantars), Central or Eastern Europe, China, Africa (myths, less 

monuments), Greece. 



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NAME: 

The Sun: 


Teaching Excellence 13 

CLASS: 

Project: “Astronomy in Ancient Cultures” Project Worksheet 

Azimuth of Sunrise 

Azimuth of Sunset 

Highest Altitude of the Sun 

Is there a “Zenith Passage”? 

Is the sun ever Circumpolar? 

Dec 21 

Solstice 

March 21 

Equinox 

June 21 

Solstice 

If so, when? 

If so, when? 

Sept 21 

Equinox 

2. Draw the path of the Sun during the two solstices and the equinox on the dome below: 

North 

East 

West 

South

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NAME: 



CLASS: 


The Stars: 

3. Where is the position of the North (or South) Celestial Pole among the stars? Note the distance 

(in degrees) to the nearest naked eye star. ____________________________ 

4. Let the time advance through a night time and trace the “Star Trails” looking in each direction: 

East South West North 

5. What times of the year is the Milky Way visible? Note if the Milky Way goes across the horizon 

or a path directly overhead. 

6. The Ecliptic is roughly the path of the Sun, Moon and Planets which orbit in the plane of our solar 

system. The moon and planets go across the sky in a motion like that which you drew for the 

Sun on the dome above. Are the moon and planets easily visible in the sky? 

7. Are aurora borealis (or australis) visible very often in the sky?

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NAME: 



CLASS: 


QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CHOSEN: 

Answer as many of these as possible. Much information has survived through legends or 

monuments, much may not be attainable. Occasionally, it may be appropriate to make good 

guesses (theories). Write out answers to each of these to prepare for the paper and presentation. 

Be sure to write down references to use in a bibliography!! 

1. What is the astronomical system: who observes (or what is observed) what, when, where, 

how and why? 

2. What records for astronomical observations were kept? Explain in detail the records or 

monuments that have survived to this day, and how they recorded the different astronomical 

observations. 

3. Explain the observations used to keep a type of calendar. How do these people keep track of 

the specific dates of the year? Do they keep a solar calendar (based on the position of the 

sun) or a lunar calendar (based on appearances and phases of the moon)? 

4. How do astronomical observations relate to other components of culture? This is where you 

discuss the myths and legends resulting from observations of the stars, the sky and the 

motion. What constellations were named? What was the significance to the culture, did 

astronomical sightings mean different activities were done, for instance?

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NAME: 



CLASS: 


QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CHOSEN (CONTINUED): 

The Sun: 

1. Is solar position used to tell time on a daily basis? (If so, note method) 

2. Is movement of the sun marked for seasonal activities? What are the seasons, and what 

activities are associated with each? 

3. Are solstices observed and recorded? 

4. Are equinoxes observed and recorded? 

5. In the Tropics: Did the people note the zenith passages? 

6. In the Arctic, how are the summer period of light and the winter’s great darkness perceived 

and understood? How do people relate to the circumpolar sun (when 24 hour sunlight)? 

7. Is a solar eclipse known, and how is it explained? 

The Moon: 

1. What positions of the moon are noted? Especially regarding the reappearing new moon, is 

it’s angle, size or brightness significant? 

2. Is there a system of moon-related months? 

3. Are lunar conjunctions with stars/planets noted, and if so, with what significance? 

4. Is a lunar eclipse known, and if so, how is it explained? 

5. If time is determined by lunar observations (lunar calendar), how do people adjust for the few 

days difference to coincide with the seasons?

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NAME: 



CLASS: 



The Stars: 

1. What stars/constellations seem to have the greatest cultural significance? 

2. Is the celestial pole noted? 

3. Are heliacal risings and settings important? (These are objects that rise just before the sun, 

or set just after the sun, as observed for the first or last time) 

4. What stars are used to tell time during the night? 

5. What seasonal associations are made with the stars/constellations? 

6. Is there an ecliptic-like path noted among the stars? Do they use stars along the celestial 

equator as significant instead? 

7. What is the Milky Way? Are its dark areas observed as “constellations”? 

8. Is there significance to the position of the Celestial Pole? For example, some cultures where 

the stars move overhead they feel they are in the center of the “universe”. Likewise, if a 

culture sees stars moving around a distant point, they often feel that a “higher power” is a 

distance away.

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NAME: 



CLASS: 



The Planets: 

1. What planets are observed and why? What planet has the most significance? 

2. If Venus and/or Mercury are identifiable, are they recognized as the same planet whether it is 

in the evening or the morning sky? 

3. Are the planets as a group distinguished from the stars? 

4. If there is a “morning star” or “evening star” observation, is it considered a planet? 

5. Is there a classification for inner/inferior and outer/superior planets? 

6. Is there awareness of retrograde motion of the planets? Does this have special significance? 

Other Celestial Phenomenon: 

1. What is the sky? How is movement across it by astronomical objects explained? 

2. What is a shooting star/meteor, and what is the reaction to one when directly observed? 

3. Are comets known? What are they? What do they mean? 

4. What is the aurora borealis (or australis) and its meaning?

Astronomy in Ancient Cultures - Amgen

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