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Rating: 
Summary: a bit disappointing
Review: I found this book with high hopes since I'm very interested in both astronomy and ancient civilizations, but this book's writing is just not strong enough to tie everything together. It reads like a textbook in many parts with unclear explanations to all but the scientifically adept. I wanted to know more about each of these societies and cultures (Incans, Mayans, Babylonians, etc...) but this book only scratches the surface. Despite the interesting topic and neat cover, I found the book disappointing for its lack of clear information, the necessary background and the often obtuse writing.
Rating: 
Summary: A new look at the stars
Review: One of my earliest memories is of lying on my back in the snow, just looking up at the stars. I've long since lost the ability to look at stars through the eyes of a child, but Anthony Aveni's book, Stairways to the Stars, has given me a whole new way of looking at them. For ancient cultures, the night sky was an ever-present companion. They used it as both calendar and augur, to track and predict the seasons, foretell the future, and understand the present. But the night sky we see is strongly dependent on where we live. The stars and stellar events (such as eclipses) that we see change, depending on where we see them from. In a society based on the sky, how much of the sky you can see (and what's in it) becomes critical. So what the Mayans chose to focus on will be different from what the Celts considered important. And that may have had far-reaching effects on their society. From charts of the planet Mars in ancient Mayan codexes to the role of Stonehenge as an observatory, watching the skies left lasting, tangible effects on societies. It's an interesting, thoughtful book. I enjoyed it, even though it's not an overwhelmingly easy read. Certainly there are times when it feels like a textbook (and the section of exercises at the end certainly doesn't hurt that sense). If you're a beginning stargazer, I'd suggest something a bit more straightforward. But if you've been looking up at the night sky for years ... or if you're interested in ancient societies, I think you'll probably find this book well worth your time. For more reviews, check out my web page at exn.ca/printedmatter
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