Ancient Astronomy Research Project Name_______________________

Astronomy

Essential Questions: Why did ancient cultures study astronomy? How did ancient cultures study astronomy? How
did experimental contributions advance the study of astronomy?

Some ancient cultures include

Stonehenge and the Druids Mayan astronomy
Egyptian astronomy (pyramids/temples or calendar) Aztec astronomy
Babylonian astronomy (ziggurats, zodiac, etc.) Inca astronomy
Jewish astronomy African astronomy (Dogon or other tribes)
Japanese astronomy Native American astronomy (select specific tribes)
Chinese astronomy Native American calendars (Big Horn medicine wheel,
Indian astronomy sun dagger, etc.)
Arabic astronomy Others?

Please note that you will have to narrow down your scope in the research process. You need to select only one specific
aspect (myth, instrument, temple, calendar, stone carving, etc.) to describe and summarize within that culture. When you
have selected a topic, let the teacher know.

Project Components
1. Paper
You will write a 1 page, double-spaced paper using MLA format summarizing your topic. Your paper
must focus on the contributions of your topic to astronomy.
2. Product
You will create a model, a map, a painting, or recreation of the astronomically significant object you
chose or one that represents your culture. This will be presented in class. When discussing your product
to the class, answer the following questions.
1. What is this? Was this an instrument, a myth, a temple, a calendar, stone carvings? Summarize.
2. What was it used for? Or, how was it used?
3. Why was this astronomically significant for this culture? How is this connected to astronomy and
the study of the sky? How did this advance the study of astronomy?
3. Works Cited page (a bibliography) with correct citations according to MLA format (see NoodleBib)

What resources should I use?

Hillgroves Library blog with links http://hillgrovehighschool.typepad.com/hillgrove_library/
To NoodleBib (citation generartor):

Knight Cite (citation generator) http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

Archaeoastronomy list of links: http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/hist_astr/ha_items_archaeo.html

(this is hit-or-miss, lots of the links contained in this page are broken)
http://ephemeris.com/history/

Google Book Search (go to Google and click more and select Books)

Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations By Edwin C. Krupp
Exploring Ancient Skies: An encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy By David H. Kelley and Eugene F. Milone

Google Scholar Search (go to Google and click more and select scholar).

Be very critical if you find another website. Who is the author? Is the author an authority on the subject? Is the website
credible? Generally speaking , the author is an authority if he/she is a professor with a university.
Why do I need to cite?

Citations are used to give support to your research and your argument. Furthermore, citations give credit to the
original author. In your paper, you will need to have at least one citation within your writing that follows MLA
format. The source of the citation should match your source on the works cited page. Examples below are from
these websites where you can also find additional information about citations.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/02/ (for MLA in-text citations)

http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s1.html (for MLA in-text citations)

Direct quotations obviously require citations. Please keep in mind that even if you are paraphrasing, you
must cite the work.

MLA Example 1 Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

MLA Example 2 One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and
colonialism" (Garcia,"Herzog: a Life," par. 18).

MLA Example 3 Christine Haughney reports that shortly after Japan made it illegal to use a handheld phone while driving,
"accidents caused by using the phones dropped by 75 percent" (92).

MLA Example 4 Most states do not keep adequate records on the number of times cell phones are a factor in accidents; as of
December 2000, only ten states were trying to keep such records (Sundeen 2).

What does an online book citation look like?

When a book or a book-length work such as a play or a long poem is posted on the Web as
its own site, give as much publication information as is available, followed by your date of
access and the URL.
Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame. Cambridge: MIT P, 1996.

11 Nov. 2004 <http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/Moths/contents.html>.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: H. G. Clarke and Co., 1844. Google Book Search.

22 Dec. 2006 <http://books.google.com/>.