Archaeoastronomy: New trends in the field, with methods and results from studies in Minoan Crete

Abstract

We describe briefly new trends in archaeoastronomy and present results from our studies on Crete to show what this field can contribute to archaeological investigations in the Bronze Age Aegean. Our basic method is the study of orientations, but contemporary Linear A texts, finds from the sites, and later Mycenaean and Greek texts have proved to be important supplementary sources. In broadest terms the results show systematic observation of the heavenly bodies from the end of the early Minoan period (ca. 2000 BCE) and the use of the knowledge obtained to regulate a lunisolar calendar and to navigate.