Ancient Astronomers

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts. The cultures of the earliest people created temples and monuments to show that the skies had a role in their lives.

One such culture was the Ancient Egyptian culture. Imagine you are an ancient Egyptian, and the nighttime skies are dark and clear. During this time in history, light pollution did not exist. Your main goal as a high priest is to predict when the Nile River is going to flood each year to create arable land for farming. How do you do this? Simple, you look for the bright star named Sirius. When it rose in the morning, right before the Sun, it meant that summer was approaching, and along with it the flooding of the Nile River. This was a very important time of year because the flooding brought new life and rich sediments to the valley flood plain. The ability for Egyptians to support their population relied on the flooding of the Nile, so they could grow crops to feed themselves.

Astronomy played an important role in ancient cultures and to ancient astronomers. Learn more about these ancient advancements in astronomy in this interactivity. Click on each of the thumbnail images to view details about ancient cultures and ancient astronomers. Click the player to begin.

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Ancient Astronomer Review

Check your knowledge of how astronomy played a role in ancient cultures by answering the questions in this non-graded interactivity. After selecting your answer, click SUBMIT. Click the player to get started.