Discover the celestial myths and cosmic rituals of ancient priests and kings... Drawing on intimate knowledge of the more than 1,300 ancient sites he has visited, E. C. Krupp, acclaimed writer and preeminent researcher, takes you to the world's essential sacred places and celestial shrines. Join him on a rich narrative journey to see where the rulers of old communed with the gods of the sky.

Briefly describes beliefs of astronomers from ancient times to 1609, when Galileo's discoveries through the telescope gave birth to modern astronomy.

Includes the development of astronomy in the Islamic empire, Asia, Africa, Mesoamerica, North America, the Andes, and Oceania.

"Two thousand years ago, according to the Bible, a star rose low in the east and stopped high above Bethlehem. Was it a miracle, a sign from God to herald the birth of Christ? Was there a star at all, or was it simply added to the Bible to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy concerning the birth of the Messiah? Or was the Star of Bethlehem an actual astronomical event? For hundreds of years, astronomers as prominent as Johannes Kepler have sought an...