Michael Tunnicliffe
Neolithic structures like Stonehenge, Maes Howe in Orkney and Newgrange in Ireland were aligned to the winter solstice. From earliest times humans have charted the movements of sun, moon and stars. But keeping track of time is tricky with a solar year of roughly 365.25 days and a lunar month of 29.5 days. Do you have a solar year as in Christianity or a lunar one as in Judaism and Islam? Do you follow a 7 day week or a 10 day one like the ancient Egyptians and the French Revolution? Why did Julius Casear and Pope Gregory need to revise the calendars in use? This course explores the issues from Stonehenge to the atomic clock.
Recommended reading (for publication in brochure):
David Ewing Duncan 1999 The Calendar Fourth Estate
Geoff Stray 2007 Mayan and Other Ancient Calendars Wooden Books
Giulio Magli 2020 (2nd ed) Archaeoastronomy: Introduction to the Science of Stars and Stones Springer
Day: Thursdays Time: 1.45-3.45pm
START DATE: 6weeks, from 1 May to 5th June 2025
Online Lecture (Zoom)
Price for the Series:
| Price | Concessions | Minimum No. | Maximum No. |
| £48 | 8 | 24 |
Please contact: Michael Tunnicliffe 5 St George’s Way, Northwich, CW9 8XG, phone: 01606 42116 email: mtunni@sky.com