How the Shaman Stole the Moon

by William H. Calvin

An introduction to the science of archaeoastronomy journeys to some of the world's most ancient ruins to detail the discoveries of ancient astronomers

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

About the author

William H. Calvin, Ph.D., is a theoretical neurobiologist, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is the author of a dozen books, mostly for general readers, about brains and evolution.

(source)

Reviews

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure just what I expected from this book, but it was not an in-depth study of the calendar of the Anasazi of the Southwest USA. Most of the book centers on the Grand Canyon area of the four corners (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, & Utah) in the U.S.

This book requires a bit of a scientific bent on the part of the reader not to give up when the details get thick. He describes the hikes to various ancient sites, the measurements and deductions made and yet never clearly draws a conclusion for the average reader.

I found the information on the early peoples and the way that they lived fascinating. I also was intrigued to learn more about that particular part of the Grand Canyon's history. However, he lost me with some of the more scientific measurements, which although supporting his thesis, did not engage me in his research.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remembered this book being better than it was. Part of it's problem was that the info was so dated by today's standards. Today archaeoastronomy is an established and recognized field of research. I guess not so back when the book was written.

But the greater problem of this book is that the author never has a clear train of thought. You can see just by looking at the numerous section breaks that he is constantly jumping around. He rarely explains what triggered his train of thought, like he expects you to follow by reading his mind. Also, this is NOT a book for someone new to the subject matter. A pretty good knowledge of astronomy AND skywatching is required to follow most of the explanations.

[Ronald Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calvin, a University of Washington neuroscientist and evolutionary biologist, explores the possible use of natural and manmade landmarks to predict eclipses and mark points on the seasonal calendar. He starts at Stonehenge, but spends most of his time in the canyons of the American Southwest. His home and office are in Seattle, and it was of particular interest to me that his use of the surrounding mountains were similar to observations I've made over the years to mark the annual seasonal progression and compass directions. This book was added to my list after reading the author's 2004 work A Brief History of the Mind.

[Elle Hartford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used bookstore and am very glad I did. Perhaps it is due to a coincidence--the author describes himself as a hobbyist, interested in both archaeology and astronomy, and those were my twin passions in college. Because of that, I think, I found this book very natural to follow.

Basically, to me, it came across as one scientist's curiosity about a simple question: how did people in ancient cultures predict eclipses? (He might not have actually *said* that anywhere, which might be why some other reviewers weren't too pleased, but this was my understanding of how the narrative unfolded.) The author then goes on to examine instances where eclipses and history overlap using some anecdotal evidence, but mostly personal observations of archaeological structures ranging from Stone Henge to canyon dwellings in the US. He himself is not an archaeologist (he is upfront about this) and his research *is* dated (the book was written decades ago now) but essentially what he is doing is a light, personal form of experimental archaeology. He does not come to an exact conclusion--it wouldn't be possible to, given how much knowledge has been lost--but instead ends by musing on the ways ancient star-gazing and shamanism may have developed into the science we recognize today.

Like I said at the top, this was basically a blend of two of my pet subjects, so I enjoyed it very much--all the while realizing that it's over 30 years old now, and not hard science. ;) I think this book would be of interest to others who have a passing familiarity with archaeoastronomy, or to folks who like musing about ancient religion, or even to those who like experiential/experimental archaeology. It isn't a textbook. However, it is a thought-provoking survey of the early beginnings of a very intriguing field.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of interesting material in it, but I found it difficult to follow.

[Anya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personal anecdotes & baseless hypotheses?? This doesn't qualify even for pop-sci, even for the 90s. "you can imagine the caveman found fire to be a mysterious force, and likewise, the moon" (not a real quote, but I stg that's the impression I'm left with after ~50 pages)

[Jolie Root]

This is an amazing book. I love William Calvin.