How the Shaman stole the moon : in search of ancient prophet-scientists : from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon
/ William H. Calvin ; with illustrations by Malcolm Wells and photographs by the author.
- New York : Bantam Books , c1991.
- xiv, 223 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-216) and index.
Were shamans in prehistoric cultures able to predict solar and lunar eclipses? Calvin, brings together data from astronomy and archaeology in an attempt to answer this question. Employing research at Stonehenge and Avebury in England, and numerous Anasazi Indian sites in the American Southwest, Calvin concludes that there were over a dozen possible methods of eclipse forecasting that prehistoric people may have used. He admits that his hypotheses on prehistoric astronomical techniques are speculative, and emphasizes that they may only provide a clue to what might have been. Nevertheless, his theories are well thought out and clearly explained. The narrative flows smoothly as the numerous possible methods of prediction are described within the context of the story of his research at the various archaeological sites.