Secondly he approaches some representations in rock art which depict passed transitory astronomical phenomena such as comets, meteors and eclipses, arguing that this kind of examples constitute an area where archaeoastronomy can contribute significantly to a better understanding of the past cultures, if a coherent methodology is applied. These subjects are better handled by other, more specialized meetings.After a short introduction about what is archaeoastronomy and its significance in archaeological research, the author analysis some conflicts that still exist between these two disciplines. One note: The INSAP meetings have in general excluded material that falls principally in such sub disciplines of anthropology and archaeology as ethnoastronomy and archaeoastronomy. A self-renewing International Executive Committee maintains continuity between meetings, and Local Organizing Committees handle the affairs of the meetings. Several meetings have had original art work and music created for the occasion, and others have had exhibits of works by attending artists. One day is usually devoted to tours of nearby places of great interest. We have been fortunate to hold the INSAP meetings in particularly appropriate places that have reinforced the collegial nature of the gatherings. Some attendees are welcome to participate fully in the meetings as observers but not give formal presentations. They have included a variety of invited and contributed talks and poster presentations. The meetings do not exceed a hundred attendees, and have been structured to allow opportunities for both formal and informal exchanges of ideas. They deserve a close reading, because the points made are varied and important. The publications resulting from the meetings ( listed here) give an idea of the range of topics presented. INSAP has allowed people from all these lines of study to get together and share common interests, where before they were often the only ones in their immediate fields with this sometimes-odd interest in the astronomical aspects of their work. The attendees have come from a broad range of studies and activities: astronomy, art and art history, social and political history, literature, music, mythology and religion, to name the main ones. This common interest was the bridge that led to many contacts, both formal and informal, during the meeting, and gave a common ground for discussion bounded by the reality of astronomy.Īlthough each presentation at the meetings usually lies within one discipline, the overall range of disciplines represented has made the meetings truly interdisciplinary in nature. The common bond between attendees - coming from the full range of the humanities and the social and physical sciences - was that each had a strong interest in one aspect of the broad study, and each had something different to say about mankind’s long and deep fascination with the lights in the sky. Later meetings have had a correspondingly broader range of topics. Often the best ideas for presentations have taken the organizers by surprise. We have been most fortunate to have at the INSAP meetings an increasingly diverse group of attendees who brought with them a broader range of ideas, all still involving the basic theme of the meetings. However, the definition and success of a meeting are determined as much by those who actually participate in the meeting as by the a priori plans. The first INSAP meeting was based on four themes: the influence of astronomical phenomena on art, literature, myth and religion, and history. But since we often take the sky and its effects for granted, bringing these effects out explicitly has been particularly productive. To measure the power that our ever-changing sky has on us, try to imagine the poverty of our lives were we to live on a perpetually cloudy planet. The INSAP Conferences are a series of international meetings, held every three years or so, that explore the effect on humanity and human culture of the glorious spectacles we see in the sky by night and by day.
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