CHAPTER 1

The Origins of Astronomy

lf I had been present at the creation, I would have given some useful
hints for the better arrangement of the universe.
-ALFONSO 1HE WISE, KING OF CASTILE
Astronomy, as an orderly pursuit of knowledge about the heavenly
bodies and the universe, did not begin in one moment at some
particular epoch in a single society. Every ancient society had its
own concept of the universe (cosmology) and of humanity's relationship to the universe. In most cases, these concepts were certainly molded by three forces: theology (religion), nature (climate,
floods, winds, natural disasters), and the assumed influence of the
stars and planets on the fortunes and fate of people and their societies (astrology).
Because theology deals with the creation of the universe and
everything in it, the various religions were quite naturally the precursors of the ancient astronomies. To the ancients the apparent division of their universe into water, land, and sky pointed to a
creator or creators who could dweIl primarily in the sky. The study
of the sky became an important phase of religion around the world.
The astronomy that stemmed from these studies was, of course,
extremely primitive. Gods were believed by many ancient societies
to inhabit not only the heavens but also the highest mountains and
the deepest oceans