Subject: AIA/ETS Lecture Tomorrow 4/26, 6pm: J.T. Barnes, "Written in the Stars: Practical Astronomy in Ancient Greece"
Dear Friends and Members of the East Tennessee Society of the Archaeological Institute of America,
A reminder that our final event for this year is coming up tomorrow evening, Tuesday, April 26, at 6:00 pm in the McClung Museum Auditorium on UTK's campus. Our lecture will be given by our own society president, Dr. J. Tristan Barnes, on ancient Greek astronomy. I hope to see you there!
Written in the Stars: Practical Astronomy in Ancient Greece
Dr. J. Tristan Barnes (UTK Department of Classics)
Tuesday, April 26, 6:00 pm
McClung Museum Auditorium
Illustrated public lecture, free and open to the public.
ETS members are invited to dine with the speaker following the event. See flyer attached!
Lecture Description
For the ancient Greeks, the night sky was a much more visible and dynamic visual force than many of us today are used to. Without industrialized, artificial light, stars and constellations did more than serve as simple reminders of mythological stories--they were practical aids and guides for daily life. Ancient Greeks used the risings and settings of different stars and constellations as navigational references, markers for agricultural work, guides for the timing of religious events, and even as a means to interpret divine will and explain human behavior. This talk will examine different practical applications of the stars and constellations to understand how ordinary people might have understood the night sky.
