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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Archaeoastronomy by Politecnico di Milano

4.5
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1,341 ratings

About the Course

Archaeoastronomy is the “science of stars and stones”. It is an interdisciplinary science in between architecture, archaeology, and astronomy. It studies the relationships between the ancient monuments and the sky, in order to gain a better understanding of the ideas of the architects of the past and of their religious and symbolic world. The course provides the first complete, easy introduction to this fascinating discipline. During the course, many spectacular ancient sites of archaeology – such as Stonehenge in England, Giza and Karnak in Egypt, Chichen Itzá in the Yucatan, Macchu Picchu in Peru and the Pantheon in Rome – will be visited and the fascinating events occurring there in special days of the year (such as solstices, equinoxes, or the day of the foundation of Rome) will be shown and explained. The course also provides the necessary background on Astronomy with the naked eye and a general introduction to the role of Astronomy in religion and in the management of power among ancient cultures....

Top reviews

DG

Nov 27, 2021

I really enjoyed this archaeoastronomy course. Professor Magli demonstrated outstanding knowledge of the subject, and was so generous in sharing his expertise through videos of worldwide locations.

ID

Mar 2, 2019

Amazingly made MOOC. Perhaps it feels a bit short in comparison to some of the others, but the material is well presented and the suggested readings give plenty of opportunity for further learning.

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51 - 75 of 415 Reviews for Archaeoastronomy

By guerrini i

Feb 25, 2021

Ho trovato il corso interessante e stimolante. Purtroppo i concetti di astronomia erano del tutto nuovi per me e mi sono mancati gli esercizi per fissarli e poi utilizzarli. In questo senso gli errori e le risposte dei quiz mi sono serviti per approfondire la comprensione. Anche tutta la parte archeologica è affascinante. Per alcune risposte mi restano dubbi, questo fatto mi porterà ad approfondire l'astronomia. Ringrazio il professore per l'opportunità che mi ha dato grazie alla quale ho scoperto un nuovo interesse.

By Alejandra L P

Jun 20, 2020

I enjoyed each segment when learning about each culture and how astronomy gives us an insight, and how we can apply simple and complex knowledge we have. What was for me the plus of this course is the way the professor makes the difference between the pseudo-scientific rumors around and the data we can gather from this new brand discipline. It was a lot to study but the material made it easier to get and to use all the other tools, such as Stellarium, for a better understanding of what had been explained.

By Theofilus H P

Jul 27, 2020

Very educational and well described. This course is a good start for those interested in archaeoastronomy. I learned a lot of interesting things and methods to use in doing researches around this topic. The professor described every detail of the course in clear and organized lectures which made understanding archaeoastronomy fun and easy. I hope that in future developments of this course, more archaeological sites that happened to have astronomical alignments in them will be discussed.

By Juan F C B

May 11, 2021

This course is awesome, perfect for learning about astronomy in ancient cultures. I enjoyed the lectures, which are very interesting and the professor gives great explanations. Besides the backgrounds used during the lectures are awesome, the best I've ever seen in an online course, it's great how the landscapes of the ancient civilizations are part of the lecture and the professor appears to be in the landscapes; that makes the lectures very interesting and attractive.

By Melissa R

Oct 20, 2020

This was such an interesting course; I knew nothing more about archaeoastronomy than Greeks orienting their temples East to allow the rising sun to fall into them in the morning. This has vastly expanded my knowledge of other ancient cultures that I have only heard of in passing and have never had the chance to delve deeper into. I had no idea there was so much in the connection between archaeology and astronomy. Thank you Dr Magli! :)

By Maria A J N

Sep 17, 2023

Interesante el curso, me encantaría tener mas clases con Don Giulio, y al no tener e-book poder tener su libro recomendado. Es un excelente profesor claro y conciso. Quiero ser su alumna. Ojalá los certificados sean con créditos para incluso hacer la carrera adecuada. No me ha dado tiempo para dar likes a los videos pero desde aquí los doy a todo en general. ( son tan inmersivos los videos que por eso ni fijé ).

By Nicholas W

Mar 17, 2021

Professor Magli combines excellent content with a sagacious perspective to provide a thorough introduction to archaeoastronomy that covers representative and exciting examples from all over the world. The science is clear; the mythological, social, and political background is fascinating; and the examples and visuals provide the student with a good sense of what the ancients saw when they looked at the heavens.

By Wattana K

Sep 5, 2020

This is amazing, I've learned from this class a lot. The knowledge is very interesting and I think I could apply it to my work as a writer to distribute the ideal and perspective about archaeoastronomy in a much more excited and corrected way. And the way the professor describes and narrates is easy to understand and gives me a clear picture of what we are learning.

Thank you so much for such a splendid class^^

By José A G B

Dec 28, 2022

I enjoyed so much learning this course, a bit difficult in the last week the 7th but Stellarium app could bring me solutions in two questions of the last test. Very good lecturer and very dinamic items, about several cultures worldwide, I would like to be continue in another upgrade course of this item. Thanks so much to Mr. Giulio, Politecnico di Milano and Coursera. Very up quality and memorable course.

By Alysia F

Feb 7, 2021

A fascinating, totally absorbing course which illustrates the unique ability of mankind many millennia before the present day.

Some parts of the course were difficult to remember, however, for anyone who travels the world to visit such archeology will have a far better understanding and be able to tell the truth from the conjecture during their visit to such monuments

I thoroughly recommend the course.

By William P

Oct 8, 2023

Excellent course! The instructor Giulio Magli's book is also available on kindle. I also bought the book, but I'm still reading through it. I will continue to go over this material. I want to make archeoastronomy a hobby. It would be great if a specialization were offered in this field of study. I would be one of the first students in the class. Thanks for a great course!

By Heba

May 23, 2020

The course is easy and full of fun and interesting cultures and the way it describes the events , monuments and the mentality of ancient people is fascinating ... I really hope to have a written copy of this course content ... The only problem that there are many complicated words to be understood ..

However i really have enjoyed learning this course

By SANTIAGO H M

Jul 4, 2020

Hola. Me pareciò muy interesante aprender esta relacion entre la arqueologia y astronomia. Muy claro y con muy buena calidad de las fotos y lugares que se iban mostrando en el curso. Ayuda mucho a entender sobre lo que hablaba el profesor.

No tanto la parte tecnica de astronomia, por lo menos, a mi no me interesaba.

Gracias y seguimos en contacto.

By YOGESH.B

Apr 18, 2021

Hello, My name is YOGESH.B I studied this course in India. It was quite astonishing. The teacher conducted the lesson very well. With this course, I was able to learn the unknown clearly. The method of conducting the lesson was also clear enough to understand.

I hope this course will be very useful for my future.

Thanks, Coursera...😊😊😊

By Rani W

Mar 10, 2021

Excellent Course. I am pleased that esteemed universities like Politecnico di Milano are finally opening up to re-teaching such a suppressed knowledge, publicly speaking, especially and personally, how it pertains to contemporary architecture and urbanism. It will be interesting to see how this field develops from here!

Thank you, Rani.

By Tristan C

Apr 12, 2020

I absolutely LOVED this course. LOVED !!!!! I am an Environmental Engineer by Trade, and the videos where fantastic!!. This course has made me want to travel to see all the great megalithic structures in the world. I will listen to the videos again and will seek the books you have recommended. Well done Politechnico Milano !!!

By Daniel O C P

Nov 17, 2020

Es un curso muy bueno e interesante, no solo se limita al tema arqueológico, de hecho empecé a tomar conciencia del movimiento de los astros y pues efectivamente tienen relación con las temporadas de lluvia, ubicación en cierto lugares, época de cosecha, etc. me gustaría volver a llevar un curso similar con el mismo docente :D

By Lara

Oct 13, 2020

Great new course that provides interesting connections between temples build by different nations using knowledge of stars. I wish it was more temples included in this course, such as from the Middle East. Looking forward to learn more from Politecnica Milano, that related to astronomy and architecture. Grazie from New York.

By Rakesh M

Jun 14, 2020

Excellent introduction to the less known but fascinating field of Archaeoastronomy. The content has been designed meticulously and explained well by Dr. Giulio Magli. Some parts of the week seven content, like the motions of the moon and the Venus, if explained through animation would make it even better. My felicitations!

By Elizabeth G

May 16, 2020

This is a fascinating overview of archaeoastronomy. I learned a lot about ancient monuments that were built in accordance with movements of the sun, moon, and stars. It is challenging to understand all the concepts, but worth the effort. I bought Dr Magli's book and look forward to reading it. I want to learn more.

By Svitlana

Jan 6, 2021

I am very pleased that I found this course and was able to complete it. It is rich in interesting information and shows Archaeoastronomy as a promising area of research. During the course I improved my skills in astronomy, although (as the final test shows) they are still not very good. Thank you Teacher for his work!

By Gabriela C

Apr 6, 2023

Me gustó mucho porque nos da una visión más amplia de la relación de muchas construcciones de la antigüedad con las estrellas, incluyendo al sol y la luna.

También nos invita a seguir investigando para poder hacer un mejor análisis de los motivos que se tuvieron al construir edificios de gran importancia aún hoy.

By ANDREA P

Apr 10, 2021

Very nice introduction to this topic ; equilibrate use of the documentation and clear, precise and stimulating examples presentation ;nice videographics ; statements are well explained ; to suggest to people interested in a different (but scientific evidence based) point of view about "old stones"

By Kati P

Oct 28, 2021

I am so glad to have found this course! I don't have any background in the field but the subjects of archaeology and astronomy have interested me since childhood. The course is ideal for beginners as long as you work through the material thoroughly. Thank you for this amazing experience, Polimi!

By Crystal E

Aug 8, 2021

It was fascinating ! Well-constructed and full of detailed examples. I learned a lot. I was looking forward to have a better understanding of the connection between ancient cultural heritage sites and astronomy, and this course provided me all the knowledge I needed and even more. Thank you !