| Description |
1 online resource (198 pages) ; illustrations |
| Contents |
880-01 Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- About the Author -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Preamble -- 1.2 Importance of Chronology in History -- 1.3 Problems with Establishing Ancient Indian Chronology -- 1.4 Application of Astronomical Technique -- 1.5 Influence of Astronomy on Society -- 1.6 Structure of Ancient Indian Chronology and Its Self Consistency -- Reference -- 2 Rudiments of Positional Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy -- 2.1 Introduction to Positional Astronomy -- 2.1.1 A Few Basic Points -- 2.1.2 Celestial Coordinates -- 2.2 Variation in Astronomical Parameters -- 2.2.1 Periodic Variations |
|
880-01/(S 5.5.1 Types of Astronomical References -- 5.5.2 Dating Mahābhārata War -- 5.5.3 Consistency of Mahābhārata Date with Other Sources -- References -- 6 Chronology of Vedic and Vedānga Periods -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Hints to High Antiquity of Vedas -- 6.3 Astronomical References in Vedic and Other Ancient Texts -- 6.3.1 Heliacal Rising of Ashvins at Winter Solstice -- 6.3.2 Madhu Vidyā and Heliacal Rising of Ashvin -- 6.3.3 Orion's Head Near Vernal Equinox -- 6.3.4 Heliacal Rising of Maghā (α Leonis) on Summer Solstice Day -- 6.3.5 Dogs of Yama and the Direction to Pitriloka |
|
2.2.2 Secular Changes -- 2.3 Eclipse -- 2.4 Physical and Descriptive Archaeoastronomy -- 2.4.1 Physical Archaeoastronomy -- 2.4.2 Basics of Descriptive Archaeoastronomy -- 3 Astronomy in Ancient India -- 3.1 Importance of Understanding the Ancient Indian Astronomical System -- 3.2 Rediscovery of Ancient Indian Astronomy -- 3.3 Major Features of Astronomy in Ancient India -- 3.3.1 Presiddhāntic Astronomy -- 3.3.2 Siddhāntic Astronomy -- 4 Descriptive Archaeoastronomical Approaches -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Effects of the Precession of the Equinoxes on Observational Astronomy |
|
4.2.1 Changing Relation of Seasons with Lunar Month -- 4.2.2 Simultaneous Transit of Important Stars -- 4.2.3 Heliacal Rising of Stars and Constellations -- 4.3 Exaltation of Planets -- 4.4 Ancient Eclipses -- 4.5 Advance of Perihelion of Earth's Orbit -- 4.6 Saptarshi Cycle -- References -- 5 Archaeoastronomical Study of Ancient Indian Chronology: Dating Mahābhārata -- 5.1 Introductory Comments -- 5.2 Ancient India's Geographic Boundaries as Implied in Ancient Texts -- 5.3 Structural Framework for Ancient Indian Chronology -- 5.4 Genealogy of Puranic Dynasties -- 5.5 Date of Mahābhārata |
|
6.3.6 Prajāpati-Rohini Legend -- 6.3.7 Solar Eclipse Recorded in Rigveda and Tāndya Brāhmana -- 6.4 Astronomical References in Brāhmanas -- 6.4.1 Krittikā Never Swerves from the East -- 6.4.2 Solar Eclipse and Heliacal Rising Described in Brāhmanas -- 6.5 Vedānga Jyotisha -- 6.6 Dating Through Astrological References -- 6.7 The Emerging Picture -- References -- 7 Archeaological, Geological and Genealogical Indications of Ancient Chronology -- 7.1 Consistency of Astronomical Dating -- 7.2 Lost River Sarasvati -- 7.3 Changing Sea Level |
| Summary |
This book presents the basic fundamentals of descriptive archaeoastronomy and its application to the astronomical descriptions found in ancient Indian scriptures. Archaeoastronomy is a branch of positional astronomy that helps to determine the epochs of ancient astronomical alignments and special astronomical events. In this book, only the descriptions of special stellar alignments and events found in ancient texts can identify the antiquity of the descriptions. India possesses a large volume of ancient scriptures like Vedas and Puranas which contain many astronomical descriptions as in ancient India positional astronomy was well developed. The antiquities of these texts are determined through archaeoastronomical techniques. Major events like Mahabharata War are dated and using these dates a chronology of ancient India is determined. The astronomically determined chronology is compared with the results from various archaeological, palaeoclimatological, geological and genealogical investigations of ancient India. This introductory book interests readers interested in unveiling the mystery involved with the protohistory of this ancient civilization |
| Notes |
7.4 Genealogical Sources for Investigating Ancient Indian Chronology |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Archaeoastronomy -- India
|
|
Hindu astronomy.
|
|
History of science.
|
|
Historiography.
|
|
Relativity physics.
|
|
Astronomy, space & time.
|
|
Science -- History.
|
|
History -- Historiography.
|
|
Science -- Cosmology.
|
|
Science -- Astronomy.
|
|
Archaeoastronomy
|
|
Hindu astronomy
|
|
India
|
| Genre/Form |
Observations
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| ISBN |
9789811569036 |
|
9811569037 |
|
