IAFE   05512
INSTITUTO DE ASTRONOMIA Y FISICA DEL ESPACIO
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Archaeoastronomy and the orientation of old churches
Autor/es:
ALEJANDRO GANGUI
Lugar:
La Plata
Reunión:
Congreso; 58 Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía; 2015
Institución organizadora:
Asociación Argentina de Astronomía
Resumen:
Cultural astronomy is an interdisciplinary area of research that studies how perceptions and concepts related to the sky are part of the worldview of a culture. One of its branches, archaeoastronomy, focuses on the material remains of past peoples and tries to investigate their practices and astronomical knowledge. In this context, the orientation of Christian churches is now considered a distinctive feature of their architecture that repeats patterns from early Christian times. There is a general tendency to align their altars in the solar range, with preference for orientations towards the east. Here we present recent data from our measurements of astronomical orientations of old churches located in two -geographically and culturally- very distant regions, and we discuss the results in the light of the historical and cultural knowledge surrounding these temples.