Throughout history people and cultures have studied the heavens. The evolution of astronomy from superstition to science mirrors humanity's understanding of the greater world around us. I will present examples of cultures and individuals whose treatment of the heavens illustrates the growth of astronomy and science in general. The talk is not meant to be a comprehensive survey of astronomy in antiquity, rather to help us put into context many of the foundational elements of our understanding of the universe around us, and how those often taken for granted elements came to be discovered.