Stairways to the Stars

The acclaimed study of the birth of astronomy in three ancient societies One of the founding fathers of the study of ancient astronomy, Anthony Aveni offers startling new insights and conclusions about the hieroglyphic writing known as the "Mayan Code," how the Incan capital city of Cuzco was built as a vast observatory, and why Stonehenge was erected in ancient England.

Introduction: A Different Sort of Cosmos. The Naked Sky. Standing Stones and Stars: Megalithic Astronomy and the People of Ancient Great Britain. Power from the Sky: Ancient Maya Astronomy and the Cult of Venus. City and Cosmos Astronomy and the Inca Empire. The West Vs. the Rest? Appendices. Notes. Illustration Credits. Index.