What is astroarchaeology?

Astroarchaeology is a confusing term has sometimes been used as alternative to archaeoastronomy and sometimes to means study of astronomical alignments at ancient monuments - in other worlds, to represents only as a segment of the wider endeavor of archaeoastronomy.

Astroarchaeology is the study of ancient astronomical observances. The movements of the sun and Moon and other heavenly bodies played an important role in many ancient societies, among them the Egyptian, Maya, and many Andean cultures.

It is an important source of information about ancient religious beliefs and cosmologies. Astroarchaeology holds that human beings have always been interested in the cosmos and that this interest has influenced humanity’s development.

Events that took place in heaven impinged directly upon the minds of ancient people, who attempted to classify the universe and find temporal order in celestial events.

Astroarchaeology has been applied to among other places, Stonehenge, England’s famous Bronze Age megalithic monument. Astronomer Gerald Hawkins speculates that Stonehenge was an ancient ‘computer capable of calendar calculation and eclipse prediction.
What is astroarchaeology?