Archaeoastronomy in the Big Data Age: Origin and Peculiarities of Obtaining Data on Objects and Artifacts

The impressive transition from an era of scientific data scarcity to an era of overproduction has become particularly noticeable in archaeoastronomy. The collection of astronomical information about prehistoric societies allows the accumulation of global data on: - the oldest traces of astronomical activity on Earth, emotional and rational display of celestial phenomena in astronomical folklore, "folk astronomy" and timekeeping, in fine arts and architecture, in everyday life; - the most ancient applied "astronomy" - counting the time by lunar phases, accumulation and storage of ancient databases in drawings and pictographic compositions in caves and artificially constructed objects; - "horizon" astronomy as an initial form of observational cult astronomy, preserved only in characteristic material monuments (the oldest cult observatories) with indisputable astronomical orientations. The report shows the importance of collecting the maximum number of artifacts and monuments from prehistory associated with the early emergence of interest in celestial phenomena. Spiritual, emotional and rational (including practical) needs that have aroused interest in Heaven are discussed. The huge variety of activities in realizing the regularity (cyclicity) of celestial phenomena as a stimulus for their use for orientation in space and time is shown.