Anthony Francis Aveni (born 1938) is an American academic

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms an ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

, and author, noted in particular for his extensive publications and contributions to the field of

archaeoastronomy Archaeoastronomy (also spelled archeoastronomy) is the interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their cu ...

. With an academic career spanning over four decades, Aveni is recognized for his influence on the development of archaeoastronomy as a discipline in the latter 20th century. He has specialized in the study of ancient astronomical practices in

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and is one of the founders of research into the

historical astronomy Historical astronomy is the science of analysing historic astronomical data. The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established 1899, states that its Historical Astronomy Division "...shall exist for the purpose of advancing interest in topics r ...

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Wit ...

n cultures. He held an

endowed chair A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

as the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology and Native American Studies at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theolog ...

, in Hamilton, New York, where he is now an emeritus professor. He currently resides in Hamilton, New York, with his artist wife Lorraine. He has more than 34 books and 300 research publications to his credit, including three cover articles in Science magazine and key works in The Sciences, American Scientist, American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and The Journal of Archaeological Research. Two of his short pieces have been cited as "notable essays" in the volumes Best American Essays and Best American Science Writing of 2002. He has been awarded research grants by the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation and various private foundations for work in both American continents as well as in Europe and the Middle East.

Books

* ''Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico'' (

University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books and journals in several areas, including Latin American studies, Te ...

, 1980) (translations in German, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese) * ''World Archaeoastronomy'' (editor) (Cambridge University Press, 1988) * ''Empires of Time'' (Basic Books, 1989) * ''The Lines of Nazca'' (editor) (

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, 1990) * ''Ancient Astronomers'' ( Smithsonian, 1992) * ''Conversing With the Planets'' (Times, Random House, 1992) * ''Behind the Crystal Ball'' (Times, 1996) * ''Stairways to the Stars'' (Wiley, 1997) * ''Skywatchers : A Revised and Updated Version of Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico'' (University of Texas Press, 2001) * ''The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays'' (Oxford University Press, 2002) * ''The Madrid Codex: New Approaches to Understanding an Ancient Maya Manuscript'' (edited with Gabrielle Vail) (

University Press of Colorado The University Press of Colorado is a nonprofit publisher supported partly by Adams State University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Colorado, the University of Northern ...

, 2004) * ''Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy'' (Scholastic, 2005) * ''The First Americans: Where They Came From and Who They Became'' (Scholastic, 2005) * ''People and the Sky: Our Ancestors and the Cosmos'' (Thames & Hudson, 2008) * ''Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy: A Reader With Commentary'' (editor) (University Press of Colorado, 2008) * ''Buried Beneath Us: Discovering the Ancient Cities of the Americas'' (

Roaring Brook Press A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of big cat ...

, 2013) * ''The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012'' (University Press of Colorado, 2009)

Distinctions

* The Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997) * The

Phi Eta Sigma Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...

National Honor Society Distinguished Teaching Award (1990) * The highest national award for Teaching - Colgate University * The National Professor of the Year - Council for the Advancement and Support of Éducation * The H.B. Nicholson Award for Excellence in Mesoamerican Studies - The Peabody Museum and the Moses Mesoamerican Archive at Harvard Université9 (2004) * The Fryxell Medal for Interdisciplinary Research - The Society of American Archaeologists (2013)

References

External links

*
Faculty profile

* * Institute for Cross Disciplinary Engagement At Dartmout

*''Winslow Lecture to Focus on Prehistoric Astronome'' Holly Foster Holly (January 29, 2013

*''Experts: Teen's 'Discovery' of Maya City is a Very Western Mistake'' Kristin Romy (May 11, 2016

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aveni, Anthony F. Archaeoastronomers Historians of astronomy American astronomers American anthropologists American Mesoamericanists Mesoamerican anthropologists 20th-century Mesoamericanists 21st-century Mesoamericanists Mayanists Colgate University faculty 1938 births Living people