ArchaeoAstronomy
Peter Davidson’s ongoing design research at archeological sites examines how ancient civilizations of the Americas oriented architecture to the movements of the sun and other celestial bodies.
His work brings together a lifetime of experience in design with field observation, archaeological research, and new technologies for documenting ancient sites.
ArchaeoAstronomy is the study of how past civilizations understood the sky and incorporated that knowledge into the places they built.
Across cultures and continents, temples, cities, monuments, and ceremonial sites were oriented in relation to the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial phenomena. Solstices, equinoxes, seasonal cycles, and astronomical events could become part of the architecture itself.
At the intersection of architecture, astronomy, and archaeology, archaeo-astronomy offers another way to understand a culture through the structures it left behind, and through their relationship to the surrounding landscape and sky.
Peter Davidson’s interest in archaeoastronomy grows directly from a career in design.
His work has crossed Hollywood set design and art direction, architecture, public environments, and interpretive design. Across these disciplines runs a longstanding interest in light, orientation, movement, and the ways people experience a place.
His architectural experience included work at The Architects Collaborative, founded by Walter Gropius, followed by graduate design studies at NYU Tisch. He later worked at the Interpretive Design Center of the National Park Service, further exploring how architecture and interior design can communicate history and meaning through physical experience.
Two projects early in his career gave that interest a new direction.
While at The Architects Collaborative, Peter managed an engineering study of solar daylighting that was, at the time, the largest project of its kind in the world. Immediately following, he designed a residential addition incorporating solar alignments and archaeo-astronomical principles.
The experience raised a question that would stay with him for decades: What could a designer create by studying civilizations that had used architecture to establish relationships between people, landscape, and the sky?
Peter began imagining an investigation and adventure of Machu Picchu and other ancient sites throughout the Americas, studying temples, observatories, and cities whose architecture reflected careful observation of celestial movement.
Nearly 45 years later, he returned to that investigation in the field.
Torreón / June Solstice
At Machu Picchu, Peter’s research has focused on the Torreón, an important structure whose carefully positioned window is associated with the June solstice sunrise.
Through Proyecto Yinty, the site has become a central focus for documentation, scanning, and continued investigation of the relationship between architecture and solar movement.
Intihuatana / December Solstice
At the Pisac archaeological complex in Peru’s Sacred Valley, Peter and his research collaborators have studied the Intihuatana and surrounding architecture, including potential relationships between built features, the horizon, and the December solstice sunrise.
Field observation has been accompanied by 3D scanning intended to create a detailed record of the site for continued architectural and astronomical analysis.
Solar Observatory / Ancient Peru
Nearly 2,300 years old, Chankillo is one of the clearest known examples of ancient solar observation in the Americas. Its distinctive series of thirteen towers created a horizon calendar that allowed observers to track the changing position of sunrise and sunset throughout the year.
Peter visited Chankillo as part of his broader investigation into the ways ancient civilizations transformed astronomical observation into architecture.
Ancient Urban Center / Supe Valley
Caral, approximately 5,000 years old, is among the oldest known urban centers in the Americas, considered one of the five breakout cities of civilization in the world's history.
Its monumental architecture offers another perspective on the sophisticated societies that developed in Peru long before the Inca. Peter’s visit formed part of his effort to understand the longer architectural and cultural context from which later traditions emerged.
Peter welcomes inquiries from individuals and organizations interested in the research, his design work, and future collaborations.
For patrons, sponsors, research partners, and others interested in supporting or participating in the next phase of his onsite research and work in the field of ArchaeoAstronomy in Peru.
For residential, public art, interpretive, and public-space projects involving solar orientation, celestial alignment, or the relationship between architecture and landscape.
For speaking engagements, press, universities, museums, documentary projects, exhibitions, and other institutional inquiries.
For those interested in following the research, receiving future announcements, and learning about upcoming presentations and expeditions.