Astronomer using horologium cum fistula (clock with pipe) with sighting tube for pole star to tell the time. Miniature from an unidentified treatise on astrology, Latin manuscript, Italy 14th Century. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments and Nubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science.