International organisations for archaeoastronomy / cultural astronomy

Photograph of Sarmizegetusa Regia Copyright © Clive Ruggles, Leicester University.

European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC)


(SEAC) was formed in 1992, and holds annual meetings in late August/early September. These have been held in Strasbourg (1992), Smolyan, Bulgaria (1993), Bochum, Germany (1994), Sibiu, Romania (1995) and Salamanca, Spain (1996). The 1997 meeting will be held in Gdansk, Poland.

The current officers of SEAC are: President, Clive Ruggles, UK; Secretary, Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, Poland; Treasurer, Wolfhard Schlosser, Germany. The other members of the Executive Committee are: Alexander Gurshtein (Russia), Carlos Jaschek (Spain), Eduardo Proverbio (Italy), Magdalena Stavinschi (Romania) and Alexey Stoev (Bulgaria).

Further information may be obtained from Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, iwan%plearn.bitnet@searn.sunet.se. See also SEAC's home page.

International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC)


An Organizing Committee drawn from Europe and the Americas has recently established this new scholarly society for promoting the interdisciplinary study of astronomical practice within human societies and for furthering research into the cultural significance of astronomical knowledge. An international group of scholars from scientific and humanistic disciplines, with established reputations in this area, have been established as Founding Members and are currently considering their first nominations for Ordinary Membership.

Archaeoastronomy forms only part of the society's name; it does not intend to focus narrowly on archaeological studies or on prehistory, but will provide a bridge among scholars who examine astronomy in its varied cultural contexts. It is hoped that the society will complement existing national and regional groups, scholarly publications and meetings by providing a representative institutional structure to ensure the continued growth of a shared area of scholarly research.

Draft statutes have been drawn up and these, together with further information, may be obtained from the Secretary, Stephen C. McCluskey, scmcc@wvnvm.wvnet.edu.

Author: Clive Ruggles