World archaeoastronomy : selected papers from the 2nd Oxford International Conference on Archaeoastronomy, held at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, 13-17 January 1986 /

The astronomical knowledge of ancient peoples and its role in their cultures has long been a popular subject. Many new discoveries and interpretations have resulted from recent theoretical approaches, dating methods, computers, careful use of ethnographic data, and innovative thinking. The Oxford International Conferences on Archaeoastronomy were designed for specialists to share methods and results via strong interdisciplinary participation. Papers from the first conference (1981) were published as Archaeoastronomy in the New World: American Primitive Astronomy, ed. by A.F. Aveni (1982); and Archaeoastronomy in the Old World, ed. by D.C. Heggie (1982). This second conference (1986) presents 38 papers, discussing Mesoamerica (15 papers), US Indians (8), Peru (2), and Europe/Asia (10). Papers are arranged by themes and methods rather than by cultures in order to emphasize basic issues and encourage dialogue on common problems. Archaeoastronomy is less an organized scientific discipline than a focal subject to which many specialists contribute. The authors include archaeologists, ethnographers, astronomers, art historians, and others. While most papers are technical, all offer ideas that nonspecialists can appreciate and use. Good reference lists accompany each paper. Appropriate for graduates and advanced undergraduates in several academic fields. -K. A. Dixon, California State University, Long Beach