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The Cambridge Ancient History [CAH], vol. 3 [of 14]: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC; ed. by Boardman et al.; pt. 2 (edn: 2) ch.: 28b, pp. 276-292 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
In no domain has the influence of ancient Mesopotamia on Western civilization been more profound and decisive than in theoretical astronomy and, principally through it, mathematics. Indeed, in the course of the last few decades it has become increasingly clear that all Western efforts in the exact sciences are descendants in direct line from the work of the Late Babylonian astronomers. The anonymous creators of Babylonian theoretical astronomy – probably of the fourth or fifth century B.C. – drew their essential ingredients from several branches of learning and literature, chief among them mathematics and, for observations, the astronomical diaries, closely linked to the celestial omen texts.
crossRef
boardman1991cah32
timestamp
2015-05-20
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} [[\#ERR] \cite{walker1993bibliograp} supposes NGL Hamilton NGL et al. as editors, contradicting the e-book source; the same with \cite{walker2013bibliograp}] #and# \cite{gent2004mesopotami} [Mesopotamian Astronomy \& Astrology (Shorter Studies)]
The Place of Astronomy in the Ancient World: A Joint Symposium of the Royal Society and the British Academy [PTRSL A 276]; ed. by Hodson [=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences [PTRSL A], nr 276 (1257)] pp. 21-42 Oxford: Royal Society
Kendall, D. G. and Piggott, S. and King-Hele, D.G. and Edwards, I.E.S
editoratype
collaborator
booktitle
The Place of Astronomy in the Ancient World
booksubtitle
A Joint Symposium of the Royal Society and the British Academy
shortbooktitle
PTRSL A 276
series
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences
shortseries
PTRSL A
number
276 (1257)
pages
21-42
pagetotal
24
location
Oxford
publisher
Royal Society
year
1974
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/74272
urldate
2014-01-24
language
english
abstract
The character and content of Babylonian scientific or mathematical astronomy, as we know it from texts of the last half millennium B.C., are sketched. This late-Babylonian astronomy is set in contrast to earlier Babylonian astronomy as well as to the kinds of astronomy found in other ancient cultures, and an attempt is made at a very broad classification of such pre-scientific astronomies. The lateness and uniqueness of Babylonian mathematical astronomy is emphasized, and it is shown that its creation depended upon the availability of a peculiar set of ingredients, e.g., a particular type of mathematics, and a tradition of making and recording observations of certain astronomical phenomena. It is finally argued that all subsequent varieties of scientific astronomy, in the Hellenistic world, in India, in Islam, and in the West – if not indeed all subsequent endeavour in the exact sciences – depend upon Babylonian astronomy in decisive and fundamental ways.
A Late-Babylonian Procedure Text for Mars, and Some Remarks on Retrograde Arcs
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 500 (), nr 1 [From Deferent to Equant: A Volume of Studies in the History of Science in the Ancient and Mediaeval Near East in Honor of E. S. Kennedy [Fs Kennedy]] pp. 1-14 New York: Blackwell Publishing
A Computed Cuneiform Text for Mercury from Babylon: B.M. 48147
Πρισματα (Prismata): Naturwissenschaftsgeschichtliche Studien. Festschrift für Willy Hartner; ed. by Maeyama et al. pp. 1-8 Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag
On Columns H and J in Babylonian Lunar Theory of System B
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 1-4 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
On Columns H and J in Babylonian Lunar Theory of System B
sorttitle
columns H and J in Babylonian lunar theory of System B, On
editor
Steele, John M. and Imhausen, Annette
booktitle
Under One Sky
booksubtitle
Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East
series
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments
shortseries
AOAT
number
297
pages
1-4
location
Münster
publisher
Ugarit-Verlag
year
2002
contents
ToC: \url{http://d-nb.info/967356229/04}
crossRef
steele2002underonesk
eventtitle
Under One Sky: Astronomy \& Mathematics in the Ancient Near East
eventdate
2001-06-25/2001-06-27
venue
London
organization
British Museum
timestamp
2014-01-24
comment
“The author makes plausible that both columns H and J in system B are zigzag functions, although Neugebauer stated that J cannot be a zigzag function. The reason for the computation of J might have been purely mathematical, as opposed to astronomical, interest.” H. Guggenheimer, Zbl 1066.01008
A New Mathematical Text from the Astronomical Archive in Babylon: BM 36849B
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 179-186 Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press
What Every Young Person Ought to Know About Naked-Eye Astronomy
bookauthor
Aaboe, Asger Hartvig
booktitle
Episodes From the Early History of Astronomy
pages
1-23
location
New York, Berlin, and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Verlag
year
2001
doi
10.1007/978-1-4613-0109-7_1
urldate
2014-10-10
language
english
abstract
In order to provide a starting point for an understanding of ancient astronomical texts, I shall begin by presenting, in all brevity, the basic elements of naked-eye astronomy. I shall, of course, deal principally, but not entirely, with phenomena of interest to ancient astronomers. Among these are many phenomena, such as the first or last visibility of a planet or the moon, that the modern astronomer shuns since they take place near the horizon and further depend on imperfectly understood criteria. Thus, these phenomena are not commonly discussed in the modern astronomical literature and, more seriously, we lack modern standards with which we may measure the quality of the ancient results.
Ancient Babylonian Astronomy: Review Essay of Three Books by Asger Aaboe
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 7 () pp. 136-137 College Park, MD: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
Ancient Babylonian Astronomy: Review Essay of Three Books by Asger Aaboe
sorttitle
Astronomical dating of Babylon I and Ur III (1982), Huber P & Sachs A & Stol M et al. / Babylonian Planetary Omens Part 1 (1975), Reiner E & Pingree D / Babylonian Planetary Omens Part 2 (1981), Reiner E & Pingree D [REVIEW]
journal
Archaeoastronomy
journalsubtitle
The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy
volume
7
pages
136-137
location
College Park, MD
publisher
Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
The fragments of late-Babylonian cuneiform texts published here extend our evidence of the elegant and consistent manner in which account was made of the influence of lunar and solar anomalies upon the variable time intervals between syzygies of the same kind of sun and moon. Several new functions appear for the first time, most notably two associated with the lengths of six-month intervals. ACT No . 55 is republished as an appendix . It turns out to be a lunar ephemeris in which the 223 months of the Saros are broken up into twenty intervals: eighteen 12-month intervals, one six-month, and one one-month interval.
B.M. 40094 is a computed ephemeris from Babylon giving the moment of conjunction of sun and moon for each month from S.E.-8, XII to S.E.-5, XII (i.e.,-318, Mar. 31f.). It is the earliest lunar text belonging to System A that has come Lo light so far. Though otherwise in strict agreement with the procedures of the later texts of this system, this text is unique in incorporating the function A and three new related functions, Y, C’, and K. These new functions make it possible to solve several problems in the history of Babylonian lunar theory, particularly those concerning relations between mean values of d, G, and A.
The present texts are concerned with a family of functions (Φ, F, G, Λ, X) from Babylonian lunar theory according to System A, all of them but X in evidence in the published corpus of texts, and each having the anomalistic month as its period. Rules for converting values of Φ into corresponding values of the other functions were under control, though they lacked motivation, but only the significance of F and G was known. A text published by NEUGEBAUER in 1957 (the Saros text) and Text E below made it possible to identify all of these functions with reasonable certainty as well as to make astronomical sense of their established relations. Thus, for a given syzygy the associated values of the five functions have the following significance, beginning with the two that have long been identified: daily progress of moon = F° length of preceding month = 29^{d} + G^{H} length of subsequent 223 months = 6585^{d} + Φ^{H} length of preceding 12 months = 354^{d} + Λ^{H} difference between a constant year and preceding 12 months = X^{d.} All of these functions, save perhaps F, are artificial; they are first approximations, reflecting only the variation in lunar velocity, and resting on the preliminary assumption that syzygies are evenly distributed in longitude. G and, as I have discovered since this manuscript went to press, also Λ receive corrections for solar anomaly. It appeared that when the values of Φ were to be used, the zig-zag function representing Φ was truncated at effective extrema (F was treated similarly). Texts A, B, C, D below give evidence of aberrant Φ-G relations. Text F presents several variants of the function F, all truncated at the same values. Finally, a fragment joining the Saros text is published together with the relevant parts of the old text.
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
10
number
4
pages
213-231
pagetotal
19
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
1965
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1965.tb00624.x
urldate
2017-06-02
keywords
Almagest, Ptolemy, Handy Tables
timestamp
2017-06-02
bibmas_file
note
Nominal publication of periodical in 1964.
comment
\cite{schmidt1967reviewaabo}
bibmas_note
Nominal publication year 1964 because of Centaurus journal rhythmics. But \cite{bernsen1969ontheconst} and \cite{hunger1999astralscie} (HdO 44) cite this item from 1965.
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of Planetary Motion]
On a Greek Qualitative Planetary Model of the Epicyclic Variety
sorttitle
Greek Qualitative Planetary Model of the Epicyclic Variety, On a
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
9
number
1
pages
1-10
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
1963
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1963.tb00428.x
urldate
2013-12-05
keywords
P Mich 149
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 5 (), nr 3-4 pp. 209-277 Copenhagen: Munksgaard International Publishers
The principal part of the present contributions to the study of Babylonian lunar theory is a reconstruction of a scheme for computing the length of time intervals consisting of six consecutive synodic months. The authors give direct textual evidence for this scheme and employ it to bring under control several texts – most of them concerned with eclipses – in which six-month intervals play a role, and which hitherto have defied complete numerical analysis. Further, they take this opportunity to publish some results of their concern with the corpus of lunar texts of System A, most of them edited in ACT: new datings, interpretations, and joins of fragmentary texts.
A Text Concerning Subdivision of the Synodic Motion of Venus from Babylon: BM 37151
Essays on the Ancient Near East in the Memory of Jacob Joel Finkelstein [Fs Finkelstein]; ed. by Ellis [=Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, nr 19] pp. 1-4 Hamden, CT: Archon Books for the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences
A Text Concerning Subdivision of the Synodic Motion of Venus from Babylon
subtitle
BM 37151
sorttitle
Text Concerning Subdivision of the Synodic Motion of Venus from Babylon, A
editor
Ellis, Maria de Jong
booktitle
Essays on the Ancient Near East in the Memory of Jacob Joel Finkelstein
shortbooktitle
Fs Finkelstein
series
Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences
number
19
pages
1-4
location
Hamden, CT
publisher
Archon Books for the Connecticut Academy of Arts {and} Sciences
year
1977
language
english
keywords
BM 37151, BM 37249
timestamp
2014-01-24
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of the Motion of Venus] #and# \url{http://www.jstor.org/stable/545130}
Qualitative Measurements in Antiquity: The Derivation of Accurate Parameters from Crude but Crucial Observations
Mélanges Alexandre Koyré: Publiés à l’occasion de son soixante-dixième anniversaire, vol. 1 [of 2]: L’aventure de la science [Fs Koyré 1]; ed. by Taton et al. [=Histoire de la pensée, nr 12] pp. 1-20 Paris: Hermann
The Derivation of Accurate Parameters from Crude but Crucial Observations
editor
Taton, René and Cohen, Bernard
editora
Alexandre Koyré
booktitle
L’aventure de la science
shortbooktitle
Fs Koyré 1
maintitle
Mélanges Alexandre Koyré
mainsubtitle
Publiés à l’occasion de son soixante-dixième anniversaire
series
Histoire de la pensée
volume
1
volumes
2
number
12
pages
1-20
location
Paris
publisher
Hermann
institution
Burndy Library
year
1965
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]” and \cite{gent2004unsorted}
Ascent to the Stars in a Mesopotamian Ritual: Social Metaphor and Religious Experience
Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly Journeys: Essays by Men and Women; ed. by Collins et al. [SUNY Series in Religious Studies ser.] pp. 15-39 Albany, NY: State University of New York Press
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \url{http://www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/abt/IND/publikation/bibritual/nahost.php} and \url{http://www.marquette.edu/maqom/228biblio.pdf}
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
shortjournal
PTRSL
volume
143
pages
179-200
publisher
Royal Society
year
1853
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/108561
language
english
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses]
L’instrument de mesures sans parallèle connu, mis au jour à Qumrân en 1954, servait à déterminer les points des solstices et des équinoxes et la direction horizontale du soleil grâce à un système de cercles gradués correspondant aux saisons. Il était aussi possible de diviser le jour en sections ou “heures saisonnières”. Le rapport entre les longueurs du jour et de la nuit fonde les observations astronomiques qui conduisent aux calendriers de 364 jours attesté dans les textes de Qumrân.
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Die Größe und Lage der Heiligtümer in Esagil von Babylon: Eine Quelle zur Frage von Kontinuität oder Wandel in Kult und Wirtschaft des achaimenidischen Babylon
Von Sumer bis Homer: Festschrift für Manfred Schretter zum 60. Geburtstag am 25. Februar 2004 [Fs Schretter]; ed. by Rollinger [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 325] pp. 7-20 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Forschungsarbeiten an der Ziqqurrat von Borsippa im Iraq. 1. Die Ausgrabungen in Borsippa (1.1 Die Stadt Borsippa; 1.2 Der Stufenturm von Borsippa; 1.3 Der Brand auf dem Birs Numrud)
[]
Wiener Berichte über Naturwissenschaft in der Kunst: Jahresschrift über Forschung im Grenzgebiet von Naturwissenschaft, Kunst, Archäologie und Ethnologie (), nr 2-3 pp. 308-342 Vienna: Orac-Sachbuchverlag
Forschungsarbeiten an der Ziqqurrat von Borsippa im Iraq
titleaddon
1. Die Ausgrabungen in Borsippa (1.1 Die Stadt Borsippa; 1.2 Der Stufenturm von Borsippa; 1.3 Der Brand auf dem Birs Numrud)
editor
Vendl, A. and Pichler, B. and Weber, J. and Banik, G.
journal
Wiener Berichte über Naturwissenschaft in der Kunst
journalsubtitle
Jahresschrift über Forschung im Grenzgebiet von Naturwissenschaft, Kunst, Archäologie und Ethnologie
number
2-3
pages
308-342
location
Vienna
publisher
Orac-Sachbuchverlag
year
1986
date
1985/1986
language
german
abstract
The goal of the research on the Ziggurat of Borsippa was to attempt to find out with the greatest precision possible the appearance of the graduated tower, the phases of construction, how the construction technology changed in the course of time and which static problems were solved. However, the answer to all these questions is only possible when we attempt to understand better the thought processes of the ancient Babylonians: why was such a huge building constructed and what religious ideas were behind it? It is, therefore, a particular goal for the excavation of the Ziggurat to come a step closer to explaining the function of a graduated tower. The archaeologist’s great dependence on the cooperation of the scientist is illustrated in the contribution.
Enūma Anu Enlil XIV and Other Early Astronomical Tables
sorttitle
Enuma Anu Enlil XIV and Other Early Astronomical Tables
journal
Archiv für Orientforschung
shortjournal
AfO
volume
38/39
pages
52-73
location
Vienna
publisher
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1991
date
1991/1992
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41670052
urldate
2015-01-23
language
english
abstract
The discovery of important new fragments of Tablet XIV of the great astrological series Enüma Anu Enlil enables the complete restoration of the text, which prompts a new edition and discussion of the astronomical tables handed down by this composition and its commentary tablet, and also of the similar lunar tables preserved on the tablets K 90 and BM 37127.1
keywords
K 6427, K 12658, K 12296, 80-7-19.273, 81-7-27.60, BM 40592 = BM 139426, BM 45821, BM 46093, BM 46215, K 90, BM 37127
Kramer Anniversary Volume: Cuneiform Studies in Honor of Samuel Noah Kramer [Fs Kramer]; ed. by Eichler [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 25] pp. 13-24 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag
Ambühl, Annemarie and Markovska, Donka and Milnor, Kristina
sortkey
Ambuehl.A:1995_PMichInv292AstrologicalTreatises
title
P. Mich. Inv. 29: Two Astrological Treatises
journal
Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik
shortjournal
ZPE
volume
105
pages
229-236
location
Bonn
publisher
Verlag Dr. Rudolf Habelt
year
1995
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20189277
abstract
The provenance of P. Mich. Inv. 29, purchased in Egypt in 1920 along with the astrological fragments of P. Mich. IE 149 by B.P. Grenfell and Francis W. Kelsey, is unknown. The color of the papyrus is medium brown. Both sides contain two columns separated by a margin of 1.5 cm on the front (?>) and 1.8 cm on the back (t). The intercolumnium is in different areas of the pa pyrus on the front and the back, so that the vertical break in the piece intersects the middle of the second column of the front side and the middle of the margin on the back. The different handwrit ing on each side and the different location of the intercolumnia indicate that the piece is a frag ment of a payrus roll, rather than part of a codex and, henceforward, we will use “interior” for the front and “exterior” for the back. The text on the interior side is written with a sharper pen, the letters are more rounded and bilinearity is more closely adhered to. The text on the exterior side has entirely different letter forms, the hand tends to connect letters more, appears to have written more hastily and is clearly more informal (for more on the palaeography see below). Based on the proposed reconstruction of col. i.6 to 9 and col. ii.6 of the interior side, it can be concluded with some certainty that the columns on the interior are rather narrow, each line con taining about 18 to 20 letters (cf. P. Lond. 1.130,1/n A.D. horoscope which has 15-18 letters per line). The columns on the exterior seem to be wider, but their exact size cannot be determined.
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale [RA], vol. 92 (), nr 2 [Actes de la table ronde, «Les Traditions Amorrites et la Bible» (suite)] pp. 187-188 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Actes de la table ronde, «Les Traditions Amorrites et la Bible» (suite)
pages
187-188
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
year
1998
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23281699
language
english
Reviewof
\cite{gasche1998datingthef}
reviewof
Dating the Fall of Babylon. A Reappraisal of Second Millenium Chronology (A Joint Ghent-Chicago-Harvard Project), Mesopotamian History and Environment. Series II : Memoirs IV (abrév. MHEM IV) by H. Gasche, J. A. Armstrong, S. W. Cole, V.-G. Gurzadyan
Antiquités sémitiques, vol. 3: Proche-Orient ancien: temps vécu, temps pensé: Actes de la Table-Ronde du 15 novembre 1997 organisée par l’URA 1062 “Études Sémitiques”; ed. by Briquel-Chatonnet et al. pp. 29-37 Paris: Librairie d’Amérique et d’Oriente Adrien Maisonneuve, Jean Maisonneuve succ.
The God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia
sorttitle
God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia, The
series
State Archives of Assyria Studies
shortseries
SAAS
number
14
chapter
3: Ninurta as Star and Arrow
pages
133-139
pagetotal
xvi+242
location
Helsinki
publisher
Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project (NATCP)
year
2002
url
http://www.helsinki.fi/science/saa/saas-14.html
urldate
2017-11-16
language
english
abstract
The current investigation has been divided into three main chapters. In the first two chapters, the primary focus is the relationship between Ninurta and kingship. The first chapter gives a diachronic overview of the cult of Ninurta during all historical periods of ancient Mesopotamia. This chapter shows that the conception of Ninurta’s identity with the king was present in Mesopotamian religion already in the third millennium BC. Ninurta was the god of Nippur, the religious centre of Sumerian cities, and his most important attribute was his sonship to Enlil. While the mortal gods were frequently called the sons of Enlil, the status of the king converged with that of Ninurta at his coronation, through the determination of the royal fate, carried out by the divine council of gods in Nippur. The fate of Ninurta parallels the fate of the king after the investiture. Religious syncretism is studied in the second chapter. The configuration of Nippur cults left a legacy for the religious life of Babylonia and Assyria. The Nippur trinity of the father Enlil, the mother Ninlil, and the son Ninurta had direct descendants in the Babylonian and Assyrian pantheon, realized in Babylonia as Marduk, Zarpanitu, and Nabu, and as Assur, Mullissu, and Ninurta in Assyria. While the names changed, the configuration of the cult survived, even when, from the eighth century BC onwards, Ninurta’s name was to a large extent replaced by that of Nabu. In the third chapter various manifestations or hypostases of Ninurta are discussed. Besides the monster slayer, Ninurta was envisaged as farmer, star and arrow, healer, and tree. All these manifestations confirm the strong ties between the cult of Ninurta and kingship. By slaying Asakku, Ninurta eliminated evil from the world, and accordingly he was considered the god of healing. The healing, helping, and saving of a believer who was in misery was thus a natural result of Ninurta’s victorious battles. The theologoumenon of Ninurta’s mission and return was used as the mythological basis for quite a few royal rituals, and this fact explains the extreme longevity of the Sumerian literary compositions Angim and Lugale, from the third until the first millennium BC. Ninurta also protected legitimate ownership of land and granted protection for refugees in a special temple of the land. The “faithful farmer” is an epithet for both Ninurta and the king. Kingship myths similar to the battles of Ninurta are attested in an area far extending the bounds of the ancient Near East. The conflict myth on which the Ninurta mythology was based is probably of prehistoric origin, and various forms of the kingship myths continued to carry the ideas of usurpation, conflict, and dominion until late Antiquity.
Arhipov, I. S. and Lâpustina, E. V. and Solomatina, E. I. and Stepancov, S. A.
altauthor
Архипов, И. С. and Ляпустина, Е. В. and Соломатина, Е. И. and Степанцов, С. А.
sortkey
Arhipov.I:2013_Ukazatelmaterialovopublikovannykh
title
Ukazatel’ materialov, opublikovannykh v “Vestnike drevney istorii” v 1937-2012 gg
alttitle
Указатель материалов, опубликованных в “Вестнике древней истории” в 1937-2012 гг. [Index of materials published in “Journal of Ancient History in the years” 1937-2012]
Указатель содержит исчерпывающий перечень материалов журнала “Вестник древней истории” с момента основания в 1937 г. по 2012 г. включительно в хронологическом порядке с сохранением структурных разделов каждого номера. Издание снабжено алфавитным указателем авторов.
L’édition ougaritaine de la série astrologique “Eclipses du dieu-Soleil”. The Ugaritic edition of the astrological series The eclipses of the Sun-God
Semitica: Cahiers publiés par l’Institut d’Etudes Sémitiques du Collège de France, avec le concours du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, vol. 45 () pp. 7-18 Paris: Librairie d’Amérique et d’Oriente Adrien Maisonneuve, Jean Maisonneuve succ.
L’édition ougaritaine de la série astrologique “Eclipses du dieu-Soleil”
titleaddon
The Ugaritic edition of the astrological series The eclipses of the Sun-God
sorttitle
edition ougaritaine de la serie astrologique Eclipses du dieu-Soleil, L’
journal
Semitica
journalsubtitle
Cahiers publiés par l’Institut d’Etudes Sémitiques du Collège de France, avec le concours du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
volume
45
pages
7-18
location
Paris
publisher
Librairie d’Amérique et d’Oriente Adrien Maisonneuve, Jean Maisonneuve succ.
year
1996
abstract
Le fragment d’argile RS 23.038, provenant de Ras Shamra (Ougarit) porte les tablette de la première et, peut-être, de la deuxième série précanonique intitulée Eclipses du dieu-Soleil. L’écriture, syrienne, est reconnaissable par les particularités des scribes ougaritains. Ce texte montre cependant de fortes similitudes avec l’édition de Bogazköy (Hattousa). L’auteur propose une transcription, une traduction française et un commentaire de ce texte religieux
timestamp
2014-01-24
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Astrology in General] [[\#ERR] typo in title]
fig. 27-36 [fig. 28: Constellations of the Early Babylonian Era; fig. 31: Babylonian Reference Stars after 300 B.C.]
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The Eclipse Dragon on an Arabic Frontispiece-Miniature
subtitle
With A Note on the Babylonian Mythological Explanation of the Lunar Eclipse
sorttitle
Eclipse Dragon on an Arabic Frontispiece-Miniature, The
journal
Journal of the American Oriental Society
shortjournal
JAOS
volume
98
number
4
pages
363-374
location
New Haven, CT
publisher
American Oriental Society
year
1978
date
1978-10/1978-12
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/599748
doi
10.2307/599748
urldate
2013-09-10
language
english
abstract
A lunar emblem framed by a pair of entwined dragons is repeated twice on the double frontispiece-miniatures of the Arabic Pseudo-Galen manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale, MS arabe 2964, in Paris. Bishr Farès who discovered the manuscript argued for a relationship between the subject matter of these frontispiece-miniatures and the content of the text of the manuscript which dealt with the effects and treatment of snakebite. The present paper intends to demonstrate the astrological meaning of the theme of the Paris Pseudo-Galen frontispiece-miniatures which gains significance from the juxtaposition of the entwined dragons and the lunar emblem. The motif of the entwined dragons in these miniatures is here explained as a reference to the pseudoplanetary nodes of the moon’s orbit, the Arabic al-Djawzahr, which were regarded as the Head and Tail of a giant Dragon. The astronomical importance of the jawzahr lay in its role in effecting solar and lunar eclipses which were attributed to the occurrence of a conjunction of the sun or moon in or near the lunar nodes. It is unlikely that the artist of the paris Pseudo-Galen miniatures attempted to establish a connection between the eclipse phenomenon and the content of the manuscript. However, the correspondence between the date of the completion of the manuscript and the occurrence of a solar eclipse on January 28, A. D. 1199, would appear to indicate the astrological significance of the eclipse for the completion of the work.
Das Erscheinen der drei ersten Teile der “Tafeln zur Behandlung chronologischer Probleme” bildet den Teilabschluß eines Vorhabens, das mit der Fertigstellung der “Neuen kurzen Tafeln zur Berechnung der jährlichen Auf -und Untergänge von Gestirnen” seinen Anfang nahm. Ursprünglich bestand die Absicht, lediglich diese aus dem Nachlaß von P.V. Neugebauer unvollständig übernommenen Tafeln zum Abschluß zu bringen und zu veröffentlichen. Da jedoch die grundlegenden chronologischen Tafeln von Neugebauer, vor allem die 1912 erschienenen Sterntafeln, seit langem fehlen, wäre den interessierten Kreisen mit dem Erscheinen der “Neuen kurzen Tafeln” nicht gedient gewesen, da für deren Verwendung Sternephemeriden für Altertum und Mittelalter unentbehrlich sind. Aus dieser Erkenntnis heraus erwuchs der Plan, Ephemeriden von im Altertum und Mittelalter häufig beobachteten Sternen in möglichst gedrängter Form mit den neuesten Werten für die Eigenbewegungen herzustellen, und diese Ephemeridensammlung zusammen mit den “Neuen kurzen Tafeln” herauszugeben. Im Zusammenhang mit der Bearbeitung dieser beiden Tafeln war es unerläßlich, eine Anzahl zusätzlicher Tafeln zu entwerfen, die die Verwendung beider Haupttafeln erst ermöglichen. Ferner erschien die übersichtliche Zusammenstellung eines umfassenden Verzeichnisses von Sternnamen wünschenswert, weil in Berichten über Sternbeobachtungen die alten arabischen Sternnamen auftreten und das Namensverzeichnis zur schnellen Orientierung dienen kann. So wurde das Erscheinen der Veröffentlichung Nr. 3 aus der wohlbegründeten Absicht zurückgestellt, dem Benutzer ein im Rahmen der gestellten Aufgabe geschlossenes Ganzes zu übergeben, und es ist zu hoffen, daß das angestrebte Ziel im gewissen Umfang erreicht ist.
On the Solar Eclipse Which is Said to Have been Predicted by Thales
sorttitle
Solar Eclipse Which is Said to Have been Predicted by Thales
journal
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
shortjournal
PTRSL
volume
101
pages
220-241
location
London
publisher
Royal Society
year
1811
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/107344
urldate
2018-07-03
language
english
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses]
Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
shortjournal
PAOB
volume
80
pages
251-257
location
Belgrade
publisher
Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
institution
Astronomical Observatory, Belgrade
year
2006
url
http://nkas14.aob.rs/pdf/251.pdf
urldate
2018-07-03
language
eng
abstract
The formation of an absolute chronology for the ancient Near East depends upon identifying the recorded observations of ancient astronomers. The author investigates connection between the Venus observations and nine ancient solar and lunar eclipses. The Middle Chronology for the fall of Babylon 1595 BC is too long; the Ultra-Low chronology (1499 BC) is too short. The new chronology is proposed starting with 1547 BC.
Some Astronomical Dates in Ancient Egypt and Babylon
Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade [PAOB], vol. 65 () [Proceedings of the XII National Conference of Yugoslav Astronomers and International Workshop on the Development of Astronomical Databases, held 19-21 November, 1999 in Belgrade] pp. 153-158 Belgrade: Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
Some Astronomical Dates in Ancient Egypt and Babylon
sorttitle
Astronomical Dates in Ancient Egypt and Babylon, Some
editor
Popović, Luka Č. and Dačić, Miodrag
journal
Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
shortjournal
PAOB
volume
65
issuetitle
Proceedings of the XII National Conference of Yugoslav Astronomers and International Workshop on the Development of Astronomical Databases, held 19-21 November, 1999 in Belgrade
One of the longest running debates in the field of ancient archeology concerns dating of the 1st Dynasty of Babylon and Egypt. In 1987, an international conference was held at Gotteborg, Sweden. There was an attempt to solve the problem which chronology is the best,. but with little agreement among the participants. The basic dates are of those Hammurabi’s regin: 1. 1856.1802, 2. 1792-1750, 3. 1728-1686, for High, Middle and Low chronology. These dates comes from “Venus Tablets” of Ammizaduga from the 1st Dynasty of Babylon.
keywords
Venus Tablet
eventtitle
XII National Conference of Yugoslav Astronomers and International Workshop on the Development of Astronomical Databases
eventdate
1999-11-19/1999-11-21
venue
Beograd
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
Ideologies as Intercultural Phenomena: Proceedings of the Third Annual Symposium of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project, held in Chicago, USA, October 27-31, 2000; ed. by Panaino et al. [=Melammu Symposia, nr 3] pp. 13-36 Milan: Università di Bologna and Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente
not included at degruyter (2013-10-23) is this appendix (\url{http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/zava.1894.9.issue-1/zava.1894.9.1.0/zava.1894.9.1.0.xml?format=INT})
Eanna’s Contribution to the Construction of the North Palace at Babylon
Veröffentlichungen zur Wirtschaftsgeschichte Babyloniens im 1. Jt. v.Chr., vol. 2: Approaching the Babylonian economy: Proceedings of the START Project symposium held in Vienna, 1-3 July 2004; ed. by Baker et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 330] pp. 45-73 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
De l’Esagil au Mouseion: L’organisation de la recherche scientifique au IVe siecle avant J.-C
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.): Actes du colloque organisé au Collège de France par la “Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre” et le “Réseau internationald’études et de recherches achéménides” (GDR 2538 CNRS), 22-23 novembre 2004, sous la direction de Pierre Briant et Francis Joannès; ed. by Briant et al. [=Persika, nr 9] pp. 17-36 Paris: Éditions de Boccard
L’organisation de la recherche scientifique au IVe siecle avant J.-C
sorttitle
Esagil au Mouseion, De l’
editor
Briant, Pierre and Joannès, Francis
booktitle
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.)
booksubtitle
Actes du colloque organisé au Collège de France par la “Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre” et le “Réseau internationald’études et de recherches achéménides” (GDR 2538 CNRS), 22-23 novembre 2004, sous la direction de Pierre Briant et Francis Joannès
series
Persika
number
9
pages
17-36
location
Paris
publisher
Éditions de Boccard
year
2006
url
http://www.achemenet.com/pdf/_colloque/
urldate
2014-10-10
language
french
abstract
P.-A. Beaulieu opens the volume with a paper on “L’organisation de la recherche scientifique au IV siècle av. J.-C.”. Taking as its background the famous opposition in Diodorus between the Chaldaeans, who can dedicate their lives to philosophy, being free from public duties, and who pass this on to their children, and the Greeks who, having to earn a living, move (in an amateurish way) from one subject to another, Beaulieu first locates the place of the astronomer/astrologer (tupsar Enuma Anu Enlil) in fourth-century Mesopotamia. A tablet from Yale shows that the Esagil employed fourteen astronomers already in the IV century BC;2 in the same period, more than fifty lamentation priests, and at least sixty-six exorcists, worked under the protection of the temple. Such was the situation when Alexander arrived in Babylon; and in Babylon this tradition continued. From here, Beaulieu moves to Alexandria and the Mouseion: as he shows, if peripatetic influence played a key role in the founding of the library, its organization is in many ways closer to Mesopotamian and Near Eastern practices than to that of the libraries of Greek city-states. The synthesis of Greek and “Babylonian” tradition in Alexandria represents thus innovation within continuity.
The Astronomers of the Esagil Temple in the Fourth Century BC
If a Man Builds a Joyful House: Assyriological Studies in Honor of Erle Verdun Leichty [Fs Leichty]; ed. by Guinan et al. [=Cuneiform Monographs [CM], nr 31] pp. 5-22 Leiden: Brill
The Astronomers of the Esagil Temple in the Fourth Century BC
sorttitle
astronomers of the Esagil temple in the fourth century BC, The
editor
Guinan, Ann K. and Ellis, Maria de Jong and Ferrara, {A. J.} and Freedman, Sally M. and Rutz, Matthew T. and Sassmannshausen, Leonhard and Tinney, Steve and Waters, M. W.
booktitle
If a Man Builds a Joyful House
booksubtitle
Assyriological Studies in Honor of Erle Verdun Leichty
shortbooktitle
Fs Leichty
series
Cuneiform Monographs
shortseries
CM
number
31
pages
5-22
location
Leiden
publisher
Brill
year
2006
url
http://www.brill.com/if-man-builds-joyful-house
urldate
2014-10-10
crossRef
guinan2006ifamanbuil
timestamp
2014-10-10
bibmas_file
comment
“Paul-Alain Beaulieu in “The Astronomers of the Esagil Temple in the Fourth Century b.c.” publishes a small text from Babylon now in the Yale Babylonian Collection listing amounts of barley allotted to a collegium of astronomers (ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil) for an entire year. Discovery of this text shows that the scientific establishment of the Esagil temple documented in late-second-century texts was already in place in the fourth century. That fourteen astronomers were employed by the temple shows its substantial investment in its scientific program.” R. Biggs, \url{http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/658837}:
Assyriologica et Semitica: Festschrift für Joachim Oelsner anläßlich seines 65. Geburtstages am 18. Februar 1997 [Fs Oelsner]; ed. by Marzahn et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 252] pp. 1-16 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
New Light on Secret Knowledge in Late Babylonian Culture
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
82
number
1
pages
98-111
location
Berlin
publisher
Walter de Gruyter
year
1992
doi
10.1515/zava.1992.82.1.98
urldate
2014-05-19
abstract
The Neo-Babylonian text from Uruk discussed in the present article will be published äs Y08 19,110. It contains important evidence bearing on the question of the existence of secret knowledge in first millennium B.C. Mesopotamia. The evidence is discussed and the archival context of the document is assessed. There follow some remarks concerning the significance of the text for our understanding of late Babylonian culture.
Wissenschaft und Fortschritt: Zeitschrift für interdisziplinäres Denken. bisher WiFo: Wissenschaft und Fortschritt [WiFo], vol. 42 (), nr 1 pp. 235-237 Berlin: Akademie-Verlag
Just in Time: Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000; ed. by Armstrong et al. [=Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin [Akkadica], nr 119-120] pp. 19-32 Brussels: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
46) Month XII – In The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East (Bethesda, 1993), 120-23, Mark Cohen makes the case for reading the twelfth month of the Nippur calendar as se-kin-ku5 rather than se-gur10 -ku 5 or se-sag 18 -ku 5 . His argumentation finds confirmation in YBC 10547,^1 a record of small cattle^2 dated Rim-Sin year 29, month XII, day 30, where the month name is written: iti se-GIN-ku5. 1. See my Old Babylonian Archival Texts in the Yale Babylonian Collection. Catalogue of the Babylonian Collections at Yale, Vol. 4 (Bethesda, forthcoming). 2. nig-su Silli-ili sipa Buzzunum. YBC 12296 is the case to this tablet. Gary BECKMAN (19-06-00)
keywords
YBC 10547
timestamp
2014-04-16
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004calendarsa} [Calendars]
gent_note
[on the reading of the name of the 12th month in the calendar of Nippur.]
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy III; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 166, pp. 1813-1821 New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London: Springer Science
Belmonte, Juan Antonio and González-García, A. César
sortkey
Belmonte.J:2015_PetraandNabataeans
affiliation
Instituto de Astrofısica de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain and Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio, Incipit, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
title
Petra and the Nabataeans
editor
Ruggles, Clive L. N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy III
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
166
pages
1813-1821
location
New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_185
language
english
contents
Introduction 1814 A Statistical Analysis of Nabataean Monuments 1814 Light and Shadows over Petra 1817 Cross-References 1821 References 1821
abstract
The Nabataeans built several monuments in Petra and elsewhere displaying decoration with a certain preference for astronomical motifs. A statistical analysis of the orientation of their sacred monuments demonstrates that astronomical orientations were often part of an elaborate plan and possibly reflect traces of the astral nature of Nabataean religion. Petra and other monuments in the ancient Nabataean kingdom demonstrate the interaction between landscape features and astronomical events. Among other things, the famous Ad Deir has revealed a fascinating ensemble of light and shadow effects, perhaps connected with the bulk of Nabataean mythology, while a series of suggestive solstitial and equinoctial alignments emanate from the impressive Urn Tomb, which might have helped bring about its selection as the cathedral of the city.
The Nabateans built several monuments in Petra and elsewhere displaying a decoration with a preference for astronomical motifs, possibly as a reflection of their religion. However, due to the lack of direct written accounts and the scarcity of inscriptions we do not have a clear knowledge on the precise nature of such believes and how these reflected on the calendar or the religious time-keeping system of this ancient society. A statistical analysis of the orientation of their sacred monuments demonstrates that astronomical orientations were often part of an elaborated plan and possibly a trace of the astral nature of Nabataean religion. Petra and other monuments in the ancient Nabataean kingdom have proven to be marvellous laboratories of the interaction between landscape features and astronomical events showing impressive hierophanies on particular monuments related to cultic times and worships. Among other findings, the famous Ad Deir has shown a fascinating ensemble of light and shadow effects, perhaps connected with the bulk of Nabataean mythology, while from the impressive Urn tomb, a series of suggestive solstitial and equinoctial alignments emanate which might have lately helped its selection as the cathedral of the city. This paper demonstrates that the sky was a substantial element on Nabataean religion and reveals new evidence for cultic worship centred on the celestial sphere.
Exegetical Notes on Cosmology in the Parables of Enoch
Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man: Revisiting the Book of Parables; ed. by Boccaccini pp. 143-150 Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Qumran und die Archäologie: Texte und Kontexte; ed. by Frey et al. [=Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, I. Reihe [WUNT I], nr 278] pp. 211-237 Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck
Time and Culture: Mesopotamian Calendars in Jewish Sources from the Bible to the Mishnah
Encounters by the Rivers of Babylon: Scholarly Conversations Between Jews, Iranians and Babylonians in Antiquity; ed. by Gabbay et al. [=Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism, nr 160] pp. 217-254 Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 178, pp. 1895-1899 New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London: Springer Science
Department of Bible, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
title
Astronomy and Calendars at Qumran
editor
Ruggles, Clive L.N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
178
pages
1895-1899
location
New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_197
language
english
contents
Introduction 1896 The Sabbath 1896 Lunar Phases and the Three-Year Cycle 1897 The Cycle of Priestly Families 1897 Festivals 1898 Shemitah and Jubilee 1898 Intercalation 1898 Liturgy 1899 Cross-References 1899 References 1899
abstract
A corpus of ca. 20 calendrical texts dated mostly to the first century BCE was found among the Dead Sea scrolls. These documents attest to a year of 364 days, which was adopted from earlier Jewish Pseudepigrapha like the Books of Enoch and Jubilees. The 364-day year was the main time frame used by the sectarian community represented in the scrolls. It is not a solar year, as often stated, but rather a schematic-sabbatical year. Its main characteristic in the DSS is the absorption of many various calendrical frameworks. The 364-day calendar tradition is strongly based on the calculation of full creational weeks and of weeks of years (Shemitah). It incorporates the service cycles of the 24 priestly families in the temple, while in addition, it encompasses an additional cycle of lunar phenomena. This cycle is related to the Mesopotamian concept of “the Lunar Three”. Finally, an awareness of the cycle of the Jubilee (49 years) produced a megacycle of 294 years. It remains unknown how and whether at all the 364-day year was intercalated to fit the tropical year of 365.25 days approximately.
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 177, pp. 1890-1893 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Department of Bible, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
title
Astronomy in the Book of Enoch
editor
Ruggles, Clive L.N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
177
pages
1890-1893
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_196
language
english
contents
Introduction 1890 The 364-Day Year 1890 The Sun on the Horizon and the Length of Daylight 1891 Lunar Visibility 1891 The Moon on the Horizon 1892 Stars 1892 Conclusion 1892 Cross-References 1892 References 1893
abstract
A section of the Book of 1 Enoch is called “The Book of Heavenly Luminaries.” This section was written in Aramaic in the second-third centuries BCE, with fragments discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The complete book is preserved in Ethiopic translation. The astronomical treatise reflects the traditional Mesopotamian astronomical models of the mid-first millennium BCE: length of daylight and nighttime, the place of the sun on the horizon (without mention of the ecliptic and the zodiac), and intervals of lunar visibility. Much of these parameters are measured by “Heavenly Gates”, i.e., specific sections on the horizon. The book of luminaries adds to the Mesopotamian models an interest in the place of the moon on the horizon using the same system of gates, as well as a crude geometrical model of the lunar and solar movement. In addition, it features some vague remarks about the role of stars as markers of the seasons.
Astronomy and Calendars at Qumran in their Ancient Context
series
Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah
number
78
pagetotal
xx+332
location
Leiden and Boston
publisher
Brill
year
2008
url
http://www.brill.com/head-all-years
doi
10.1163/ej.9789004170889.ii-332
urldate
2018-07-03
language
eng
abstract
Rather than being an isolated, primitive body of knowledge the Jewish calendar tradition of 364 days constituted an integral part of the astronomical science of the ancient world. This tradition—attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Pseudepigrapha—stands out as a coherent, novel synthesis, representing the Jewish authors’ apocalyptic worldview. The calendar is studied here both “from within”—analyzing its textual manifestations —and “from without”—via a comparison with ancient Mesopotamian astronomy. This analysis reveals that the calendrical realm constituted a significant case of inter-cultural borrowing, pertinent to similar such cases in ancient literature. Special attention is given to the “Book of Astronomy” (1 Enoch 72-82) and a variety of calendrical and liturgical texts from Qumran.
The three calendrical scrolls from Qumran, 4Q320, 4Q321, and 4Q321a, contain diverse calendrical materials, including a system for dating lunar phenomena over a triennial cycle of months. These scrolls, known for some time now, were published in their official editions recently in DJD XXI. Research into the full significance of the scrolls continues. Below we will propose that the lunar data in the three scrolls match that in Late Babylonian astronomical texts.
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The paper offers a new explanation for the traditions preserved in 1 Enoch 69:2-25 in the framework of a comprehensive discussion of the entire Third Parable (1 Enoch 58-69). A new translation is supplied for vv. 13‐25, alongside detailed textual and exegetical notes, based on the collation of eleven Ge’ez manuscripts of group I, five of which are not previously studied. Much of the discussion proceeds from form-critical marks within chapters 64-9, as well as within chapter 69 itself. The need for small-scale analysis arises from the fact that in the Third Parable many themes are inextricably woven together. The demarcation of Enochic and Noachic passages in the Book of Parables is discussed anew. A central theme of the Third Parable, the instruction of angelic knowledge, appears both in the Noachic passages (chapters 65-8) and in the Enochic chapter 69 and is discussed here in particular. The unit 69:2-14 (except for 2b which is a late duplication of the list of angels from 6:7-8) comprises six angels with extraordinary names, mostly unknown elsewhere, with Kesab’el, the prince of the Divine Name concluding the list. A second tradition in vv. 15-25, focusing on the angel Michael, discusses the role of the Divine Oath in the creation and sustenance of the world. Parts of v. 14 are a late attempt to bridge the gap between the two traditions. Several notorious cruxes in vv. 2-25 are explained on the basis of Ethiopic scribal practices, leaving little place for speculation about their meaning. Finally, several later Jewish sources from the Cairo Genizah reflect knowledge of the chapter in its final form, with the two angelic traditions joined together.
The present article surveys the scholarship on the calendars represented in the Qumran texts and the Pseudepigrapha. The survey commences with the influential articles by VanderKam in the late 1970s, while relating also to Jaubert’s earlier hypothesis. After a presentation and classification of the relevant texts, we proceed to elucidate the prominent calendrical and historical themes: the calendar in Jubilees and the Temple Scroll; the early history of the 364-day year in Judah; the non-Jewish origins of the 364-day calendar tradition; intercalation and the beginning of the day; and the various accounts of lunar phases in writings from Qumran. Broadly speaking, present-day research tends to emphasize the schematic aspect of the 364-day calendar tradition, renouncing the older view of this system as a “solar” calendar. In addition, Jaubert’s hypothesis on the antiquity of the 364-day calendar, although still upheld in significant parts of current scholarship, is seriously challenged when viewed in a broader historical context. Finally, the Jewish astronomical and calendrical lore is increasingly explained on the background of astral sciences in the Hellenistic world—from Mesopotamia to Egypt.
Biblical allusions to eclipses, solar activity cycles, comet apparitions, super-nova explosions, bolide impacts, paroxysmal eruptions and major earthquakes, during 2000-300 BC, are examined in the light of recent historical catalogues. It is shown that spectacular environmental phenomena, that sampled the remote past periodically and semi-periodically, have occurred over the heavens, seas and terrains of the Near East and indeed impacted the minds of prophets, kings and scribes of the lands of the Bible. Thus evidence is produced to show that the prophets Joel, Zachariah, Habakkuk, Isaiah and Amos witnessed certain comets, eclipses and earthquakes. So did King David, Judge Deborah, Joshua and Abraham. The surmised dates of these events assist us in setting bounds for the life-span of biblical celebrities and for some of the acts in which they participated. Epigraphical and archaeological evidence are in accord with our findings. – It is made clear that although the Bible did not favour secular science, it contains echoes of singular environmental events, the dating of which can be harnessed to establish some order in biblical chronology.
keywords
/
timestamp
2015-06-01
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
KUGLER, Franz Xaver, Chemiker, Mathematiker, Astronom, Assyriologe und katholischer Theologe, * am 27. 11. 1862 zu Königsbach in der bayerischen Pfalz, + am 25.1. 1929. – K. studierte Naturwissenschaften in Heidelberg und München. 1885 promovierte er im Fach Chemie. 1886 trat er in das Noviziat der deutschen Ordensprovinz der Societas Jesu in den Niederlanden. Fortan studierte er in Exaten (Niederlande) Philosophie und in Ditton Hall (England) Theologie. 1893 wurde er zum Priester geweiht und wirkte ab 1897 als Professor der Höheren Mathematik an der Studienanstalt des Ordens in Valkenburg (Niederlande). Am 25. 1. 1929 verstarb er im Pflegeheim der Barmherzigen Brüder im Schloß Steinhof zu Luzern. – Größere öffentliche Bedeutung über sein Wirken im Rahmen des Ordens hinaus erlangte K. in dem sogenannten “Babel-Bibel”-Streit und der Auseinandersetzung mit dem “Panbabylonismus”. Durch die historisch falsche, dogmatische Verabsolutierung der Bibel auch zum vorgeblich naturwissenschaftlichen und geschichtlichen Lehrwerk erhielten die Textfunde in der Mitte des 19. Jh.’s aus Babylonien nach ihrer eindeutigeren Entzifferung eine an die religösen Grundfesten rührende Explosivkraft. Die Bibel erschien Assyriologen (Hugo Winckler, Friedrich Delitzsch), gemessen an den heidnischen und profanen babylonischen sowie assyrischen Quellen mit ihren originären Parallelen zur biblischen Darstellung, als ein unredliches religiöses Machwerk. Darüber entspann sich eine erbitterte Auseinandersetzung zwischen der theologischen Orthodoxie und ihren assyriologischen Opponenten, in der schließlich der assyriologisch interessierte und promovierte Kaiser Wilhelm II. zum Schiedsrichter angerufen wurde. Im Zusammenhang dieser Auseinandersetzung ergriff K. dank seiner wissenschaftlichen Voraussetzungen als wortgewandter Naturwissenschaftler und Mathematiker das Wort. Vor allem konnte er die angebliche Astralmythologie, die schon als Inhalt der babylonischen Texte vor deren Entzifferung erfunden (William Henry Fox Talbot) war und dann vermeintlich auch in den biblischen Texten auftauchte, durch seine Beschäftigung mit den astronomischen Texten der Babylonier und Assyrer in die Schranken weisen und zur Beendigung des “Panbabylonismus” beitragen, wie man den exzessiven Spekulations-Ansatz, demzufolge selbst Goethe von der babylonisch-assyrischen Dichtung abhängig erschien, bald nannte. Die letzten Auswirkungen des Panbabylonismus reichen bis in die Gegenwart, wie die Interpretationen des Hohenliedes als Ableger von “babylonischen Tammuz-Liturgien” trotz des anhand altorientalischer Parallelen nachweislich ursprünglich nicht-liturgischen Charakters dieses Bibelbuches über profane Liebe bezeugen. – K. setzte die unterbrochene Arbeit J. Eppings und J. N. Straßmaiers an der babylonischen Astronomie fort, die zunächst mit der Identifizierung der genannten Gestirne und ihrer Beobachtung befaßt war. Besonderes Aufsehen erregte er mit einem Synchronismus, den er in den astronomischen Angaben (K 160, III Rawlinson 63, Z. 8) ermittelte und der eine Datierung Abrahams zu erlauben schien. Die Arbeiten an der babylonischen Chronologie, die mit der biblischen konkurrierte, führten K. auch zur Beschäftigung mit anderen biblischen Texten und Problemen. Insgesamt waren die Ergebnisse nur Durchgangsstationen der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (assyriologische Texte für Nicht-Fachspezialisten erst ab etwa 1950 weniger risikoreich übersetzt) und sind inzwischen weit überholt. Heute wirkt vor allem der Streit um die Astralmythologie müßig, da er weitgehend eine unsachgemäße Voraussetzung hatte, die bereits für die babylonisch-assyrischen Texte ein modernes Wissenschafts-Verständnis postulierte, das zweifelsfrei unhistorisch, anachronistisch ist. Gleichwohl sind die in den Quellen vermittelten astronomischen Daten bedeutungsvoll. Noch 1985 wurde in keilschriftlichen Texten die zweimalige Erwähnung des Halleyschen Kometen (164 und 87 v. Chr. ) neu entdeckt. K. selbst hat im Nachhinein die von ihm stark betriebene persönliche Polemik, die heute vor allem die Domäne der Politiker geblieben ist, bedauert. Werke: Die babylonische Mondrechnung, Freiburg 1900; Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel, Münster 1907-1924, fortgesetzt von J. Schaumberger, ebd. 1935; Im Bannkreis Babels, Münster 1910; Von Moses bis Paulus, Münster 1922; Kulturhistorische Bedeutung der babylonischen Astronomie, in: Vereinsschrift der Görres-Gesellschaft 2, 1907 38-50; Auf den Trümmern des Panbabylonismus, in: Anthropos 4 1909, 477-499; Aufsatz in: Stimmen aus Maria Laach 1906, weitere Aufsätze zusammengestellt bei: A. Bezold, Register zur Zeitschrift für Assyriologie Bd. 1-43, in: Beiheft zu derselben Zeitschrift, 1928, 11; (Rez. S. 25); Die heute noch brauchbaren Details der Arbeiten Kuglers mit Berichtigungen und Ergänzungen sind aufgeführt bei: R. Borger, Handbuch der Keilschriftliteratur Bd. 1, Berlin 1967, 255-257, Bd. 2, Berlin-New York 1975, 149 f. Lit.: (St. Langdon -) J. K. Fotheringham, The Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga, Oxford 1928, 38; – St. Langdon, in: Times vom 27. 12. 1929; – Ferner zuvor bei R. Borger und A. Bezold genannte Rezensionen. Nachruf: J. Schaumberger, in: Orientalia NS 2 1933, 97-100; – R. Borger, in: Reallexikon der Assyriologie Bd. 6, Berlin-New York 1980-83, 300b; - H.-J. Kraus, Geschichte der historischen Erforschung des Alten Testaments, Neukirchen 1988^4, 307.
Das Neujahrsfest nach den Königsinschriften des ausgehenden babylonischen Reiches
Actes de la XVIIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Universit Libre de Bruxelles, 30 juin-4 juillet 1969 [RAI 17 Proceedings]; ed. by Finet [=Publications du Comité Belge de Recherches Historiques, Epigraphiques et Archeologiques en Mesopotamie, nr 1] pp. 155-159 Ham-sur-Heure: Comité Belge de Recherches en Mesopotamie
Imaginäre Astrologie in spätbabylonischer Propaganda
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens. Beiträge zum 3. Grazer Morgenländischen Symposion (23.–27. September 1991); ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 275-289 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
ToC: 1. Introduction; 2. Arithmetic in the Islamic World; 3. Geometry in the Islamic World; 4. Algebra in the Islamic World; 5. Trigonometry in the Islamic World; 6. Spherical Trigonometry in the Islamic World; Index.
timestamp
2013-12-05
comment
\cite{hogendijk1989reviewberg}
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Die Astronomischen Tagebücher: Eine Quelle zur Frage von Kontinuität oder Wandel in Kult und Wirtschaft des achaimenidischen Babylon
Von Sumer bis Homer: Festschrift für Manfred Schretter zum 60. Geburtstag am 25. Februar 2004 [Fs Schretter]; ed. by Rollinger [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 325] pp. 105-152 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Records of the Past, new series, Vol. 2: Being English Translations of the Ancient Monuments of Egypt and Western Asia; ed. by Birch et al. pp. 190-193 London: Samuel Bagster & Sons
Die Angaben der babylonisch-assyrischen Keilinschriften. Vorgelegt am 1. Juli 1916
Antike Beobachtungen farbiger Sterne; by Boll et al. [=Abhandlungen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-philologische und historische Klasse [ABAW phil.-hist. Kl.], nr 30,1] pp. 97-155 Munich: Verlag der Königlichen Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission des G. Franz’schen Verlags (J. Roth)
Astronomie, Himmelsschau und Astrallehre bei den Babyloniern: (Vortrag, gehalten in der Sitzung der Gesamtakademie am 3. Dezember 1910). Eingegangen am 28. März 1911
Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Stiftung Heinrich Lanz, Philosophisch-historische Klasse [SHAW phil.hist. Kl.], vol. 2 () Heidelberg: Carl Winter`s Universitätsbuchandlung
Reflexe astrologischer Keilinschriften bei griechischen Schriftstellern. Eingegangen am 19. Juni 1911
Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Stiftung Heinrich Lanz, Philosophisch-historische Klasse [SHAW phil.hist. Kl.] (), nr 7 Heidelberg: Carl Winter`s Universitätsbuchandlung
Zenit- und Aequatorialgestirne am babylonischen Fixsternhimmel. Eingegangen am 19. August 1913
Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Stiftung Heinrich Lanz, Philosophisch-historische Klasse [SHAW phil.hist. Kl.] (), nr 11 Heidelberg: Carl Winter`s Universitätsbuchandlung
Les ecoles chaldéennes sous Alexandre et les Séleucides
Annuaire de l’Institut de philologie et d’histoire orientales de l’Université libre de Bruxelles, vol. 3 () [Volume offert à Jean Capart [Fs Capart]] pp. 41-89 Brussels: Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire orientales et slaves
Babylonian Prophecies, Astrology, and a New Source for “Prophecy Text B”
Language, Literature, and History: Philological and Historical Studies Presented to Erica Reiner [Fs Reiner]; ed. by Rochberg-Halton [=American Oriental Series [AOS], nr 67] pp. 1-14 New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society
Abstract The article provides a new edition of the twenty-second chapter or tablet of the Sumero-Akkadian bilingual topical word list Ura = ḫubullu, replacing the old reconstruction published in 1974 in MSL 11. New sources are added from recent publications while other sources from the old edition can now be removed because they belong to a secondary recension of this chapter. This new updated version of Ura XXII is part of the ongoing DCCLT project to present a restoration of the ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform lexical tradition that is as complete as possible on the basis of surviving sources.
From Mesopotamia to Greece: On the Origin of Semitic and Greek Star Names
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 307-329 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Nieuwjaarsfeest en koningsdag in Babylon en in Israël: Rede uitgesproken bij de aanvaarding van het Hoogleeraarsambt aan de Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden op 23 November 1927
[no parental ref.] Groningen and Den Haag: J.B. Wolters
Babylonië, 150-125 v.Chr.: Van Seleukidische naar Parthische overheersing
Zij schreven geschiedenis: Historische documenten uit het Oude Nabije Oosten (2500–100 v. Chr.); ed. by Demarée et al. [=Mededelingen en verhandelingen van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux, nr 33] pp. 459-469 Leiden and Leuven: Ex Oriente Lux and Peeters Publishers
This study presents the famous city of Babylon in its latest phase of occupation: from the end of the Achaemenid period (second half of the fourth century B.C.), during the reign of Alexander, the Successors, the Seleucid and Arsacid dynasty until the very end of cuneiform literature and other historical sources (around third-fourth century AD). It contains first of all a survey of the available Classical and Oriental sources (chapter 1), a topography of the city (chapter 2), an overview of political events and Babylon’s role in the Empire (chapter 3). Furthermore Babylon’s institutions (chapter 4), its social and economic (chapter 5), religious (chapter 6) and cultural (chapter 7) life are discussed. Finally, Babylon’s legacy and its significance for later cultures appears in chapter 8.
timestamp
2014-03-09
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on Mesopotamian Civilisation]
Dating Problems in Cuneiform Tablets Concerning the Reign of Antigonus Monopthalmus
journal
Journal of the American Oriental Society
shortjournal
JAOS
volume
121)
number
4
pages
645-649
location
New Haven, CT
publisher
American Oriental Society
year
2001
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/606506
doi
10.2307/606506
urldate
2013-10-22
language
english
abstract
In the course of research on cuneiform tablets no fewer than three years have been identified with the first year of Antigonus Monophthalmus (317/16, 316/15, and 315/14 B. C.). Thanks to a better knowledge of the astronomical goal-year texts, a better reading of the Saros Tablet, and the recent publication of a new Saros cycle text, the so-called Solar Saros, the correct equation (1 Antigonus = 317/16 B. C.) is now clear.
Bronze Age Chronology: Paul Åström (ed.): High, Middle or Low? Acts of an International Colloquium on Absolute Chronology held at the University of Gothenburg, 20-22 August 1987. (SIMA Pocketbooks, 56, 57, 80.) 3 Vols
The Classical Review [ClR], ser. newseries, vol. 41 (), nr 2 pp. 426-429
Paul Åström (ed.): High, Middle or Low? Acts of an International Colloquium on Absolute Chronology held at the University of Gothenburg, 20-22 August 1987. (SIMA Pocketbooks, 56, 57, 80.) 3 Vols
sorttitle
High, Middle Or Low? Parts 1-3 (1987/1989), Astrom P [Review]
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 28 () [Jahresband 1914] pp. 340-351 Strasbourg: Verlag Karl J. Trübner
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete
journalsubtitle
Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
shortjournal
ZA
volume
28
issuetitle
Jahresband 1914
pages
340-351
location
Strasbourg
publisher
Verlag Karl J. Trübner
institution
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften and Josefine-und-Eduard-von-Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 25 (), nr 3-4 pp. 372-376 Strasbourg: Verlag Karl J. Trübner
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete
journalsubtitle
Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
shortjournal
ZA
volume
25
number
3-4
pages
372-376
location
Strasbourg
publisher
Verlag Karl J. Trübner
institution
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften and Josefine-und-Eduard-von-Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst
Die Erforschung der antiken Astrologie: Vortrag, gehalten auf der 49. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner in Basel
Neue Jahrbücher für das klassische Altertum, Geschichte und deutsche Literatur [Neue Jahrbücher], vol. 11 (), nr 21 [Elfter Jahrgang] pp. 103-126 Leipzig: B. G. Teubner
Antike Beobachtungen farbiger Sterne. Vorgelegt am 1. Juli 1916
Abhandlungen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-philologische und historische Klasse [ABAW phil.-hist. Kl.], nr 30,1 Munich: Verlag der Königlichen Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission G. Franz’scher Verlag der Königlichen Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission des G. Franz’schen Verlags (J. Roth)
Abhandlungen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-philologische und historische Klasse
shortseries
ABAW phil.-hist. Kl.
number
30,1
pagetotal
164
location
Munich
publisher
Verlag der Königlichen Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission G. Franz’scher Verlag der Königlichen Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission des G. Franz’schen Verlags (J. Roth)
Diodorus Siculus (II, 1-34) over Mesopotamië: Een historische Kommentaar
Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België, Klasse der Letteren, vol. 49,122 Brussels: Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium
A Sumerian Observation of the Köfels’ Impact Event
sorttitle
Sumerian observation of the Koefels’ impact event, A
location
London
publisher
Alcuin Academics
year
2008
urldate
2014-01-24
language
english
abstract
Around 700 BC an Assyrian scribe in the Royal Place at Nineveh made a copy of one of the most important documents in the royal collection. Two and a half thousand years later it was found by Henry Layard in the remains of the palace library. It ended up in the British Museum’s cuneiform clay tablet collection as catalogue No. K8538 (also called “the Planisphere”), where it has puzzled scholars for over a hundred and fifty years. In this monograph Bond and Hempsell provide the first comprehensive translation of the tablet, showing it to be a contemporary Sumerian observation of an Aten asteroid over a kilometre in diameter that impacted Köfels in Austria in the early morning of 29th June 3123 BC.
keywords
K 8538
timestamp
2014-01-24
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} [year 2008]
walker_note
[a suggested interpretation of the Neo-Assyrian planisphere K.8538]
Symbolae Biblicae et Mesopotamicae Francisco Mario Theodoro de Liagre Böhl dedicatae [Fs Böhl]; ed. by Beek et al. [=NINO Studia Francisci Scholten Memoriae Dicata, nr 4] pp. 38-55 Leiden: Brill
Supplement zu Band I. Anhang: Zur Kuyunjik-Sammlung
maintitle
Handbuch der Keilschriftliteratur
shortmaintitle
HKL
volume
2
volumes
3
location
Berlin
publisher
Walter de Gruyter
year
1975
url
http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/57157
urldate
2013-12-04
timestamp
2013-12-04
bibmas_src
Bibliography “Cuneiform Mathematical texts” (unknown parent, pp 219-335) #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
Inhaltliche Ordnung der sumerischen und akkadischen Texte. Anhang: Sekundärliteratur in Auswahl
maintitle
Handbuch der Keilschriftliteratur
shortmaintitle
HKL
volume
3
volumes
3
pagetotal
168
location
Berlin
publisher
Walter de Gruyter
year
1975
url
http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/55582
urldate
2013-12-04
language
german
timestamp
2013-12-04
bibmas_src
Bibliography “Cuneiform Mathematical texts” (unknown parent, pp 219-335) #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
Das dritte “Haus” der Serie bīt rimki (VR 50-51, Schollmeyer HGŠ NR. 1)
Journal of Cuneiform Studies [JCS], vol. 21 () [Special Volume Honoring Professor Albrecht Goetze [Fs Goetze]] pp. 1-17 Boston: The American Schools of Oriental Research
@article
K 4872 + Rm 110,
K 3138 + K 4816A,
K 3462,
K 3927,
K 4610 + K 4881,
K 4654 + Rm 2 213,
K 4830 + Sm 133 + Sm 139,
K 4922 + K 11953,
K 4986,
K 5069 + K 5250,
K 5135,
K 5248,
K 8934,
Sm 166 + Sm 600 + Sm 845 + Sm 1461 + Sm 1466 + Sm 1567 + Sm 2062,
Das dritte “Haus” der Serie bīt rimki (VR 50-51, Schollmeyer HGŠ NR. 1)
sorttitle
003. Haus der Serie bit rimki (VR 50-51, Schollmeyer HGS NR. 1), Das
journal
Journal of Cuneiform Studies
shortjournal
JCS
volume
21
issuetitle
Special Volume Honoring Professor Albrecht Goetze
shortissuetitle
Fs Goetze
pages
1-17
location
Boston
publisher
The American Schools of Oriental Research
year
1967
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1359353
doi
10.2307/1359353
urldate
2014-05-19
language
english
keywords
K 4872 + Rm 110, K 3138 + K 4816A, K 3462, K 3927, K 4610 + K 4881, K 4654 + Rm 2 213, K 4830 + Sm 133 + Sm 139, K 4922 + K 11953, K 4986, K 5069 + K 5250, K 5135, K 5248, K 8934, Sm 166 + Sm 600 + Sm 845 + Sm 1461 + Sm 1466 + Sm 1567 + Sm 2062, Sm 728, LKA 75, BM 40807 = 81-2-4.353
Bibliography “Cuneiform Mathematical texts” (unknown parent, pp 219-335) #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
Synchronous History of the Reign of: Tiglath-Pileser and Azariah, Shalmanezer and Jotham, Sargon and Ahaz, Sennacherib and Hezekiah, From B.C. 745 to 688 [Synchronous History of Assyria and Judea]
Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology [Trans. Soc. Bib. Arch.], vol. 3 () pp. 1-82 London: Longmans, Greens, Reader & Dyer
Synchronous History of the Reign of: Tiglath-Pileser and Azariah, Shalmanezer and Jotham, Sargon and Ahaz, Sennacherib and Hezekiah, From B.C. 745 to 688
shorttitle
Synchronous History of Assyria and Judea
journal
Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology
The second portion of the fifth tablet relates to the months of the Babylonian year, and to their arrangement in sets of three to make up the seasons, and in lines 8 to 18 there is given a description of the lunation and the various phases of the moon in its monthly cycle.
In the ACADEMY of July 6 M. Lenormant questions the rendering which I suggested in my article of September 1, 1877, for the group (occurring in the third line of the first Creation Tablet), which is the name given to the male element in the primordial pair, the parents of all things.
The discovery of a series of inscribed cuneiform tablets containing the Babylonian cosmogonic legends is one of the most important results yet obtained from cuneiform decipherment.
THE tablet which forms the subject of my present communication is the fifth in order in the cosmogonic series, and relates to the creation of the sun, moon, and stars, and to the chronometric purposes for which they were ordained. I now give my reading of the document, and then proceed to explain the nature of its contents.
At the present season of the year, when there commences an annual inundation of almanacs and calendars for the coming year, it may be of interest to some of the readers of the ACADEMY to be initiated into the secrets of a calendar of the ancient Babylonian empire.
L’astrologie mésopotamienne: L’astrologie dans son plus vieil état
Les astres. Actes du Colloque International de Montpellier, 1995, vol. 1 [of 2]: Les astres et les mythes: la description du ciel; ed. by Bakhouche et al. pp. 159-182 Montpellier: Publications de la recherch, Université Paul Valéry
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Astrology in General] and \url{http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/library/digital-collections/bibliotheca-astrologica/mesopotamie/}
Our ancestors, the Mesopotamians, invented writing and with it a new way of looking at the world. In this collection of essays, the French scholar Jean Bottero attempts to go back to the moment which marks the very beginning of history. To give the reader some sense of how Mesopotamian civilization has been mediated and interpreted in its transmission through time, Bottero begins with an account of Assyriology, the discipline devoted to the ancient culture. This transmission, compounded with countless discoveries, would not have been possible without the surprising decipherment of the cuneiform writing system. Bottero also focuses on divination in the ancient world, contending that certain modes of worship in Mesopotamia, in their application of causality and proof, prefigure the “scientific mind.”
origdate
1987
origlanguage
french
origlocation
Paris
origpublisher
Editions Gallimard
origsubtitle
l’écriture, la raison et les dieux
origtitle
Mésopotamie
timestamp
2014-03-09
addendum
seealso \cite{bottero1987mesopotami}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on Mesopotamian Civilisation] #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual] (concerning translation of \cite{bottero1978lesubstitu})
Bibliothèque de l’École des Hautes Études, IVe Section, Sciences historiques et philologiques
number
328
pages
100-112
pagetotal
349
location
Paris
publisher
Librairie Honoré Champion
year
1985
abstract
Cet important ouvrage est entièrement consacré à deux domaines de l’ancienne Mésopotamie : la Mythologie, au sens le plus large du mot, qui se recoupe, en somme, avec l’optique et l’idéologie d’hommes encore incapables de raisonner autrement qu’en images et en histoires ; et les pratiques rituelles de l’Exorcisme, profondément pénétré de pensée mythologique et le plus puissant expédiant qu’eussent jamais trouvé ces gens contre le parasite de l’existence humaine : le Mal. Ces deux domaines ont été assidûment explorés par Jean Bottéro, parce qu’ils lui paraissent encore trop négligés, en Assyriologie, et pourtant à la fois spécifiques de cette civilisation très antique, et porteurs de progrès qui y ont préparé la nôtre.
reprintdate
1996
reprintisbn
2-05-102156-2
reprintlocation
Genève
reprintpublisher
Slatkine reprints
timestamp
2013-09-10
comment
\cite{soden1987reviewbott}
bibmas_note
[contains studies of Enuma elish and minor Akkadian creation stories with translations]
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux langues et à la littérature des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 9 (), nr 5 pp. 142-152 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 9 (), nr 1-4 pp. 187-194 College Park, MD: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
Meton of Athens and Astronomy in the Late Fifth Century BC
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 39-81 Philadelphia: The University Museum
The Role of Observations in Ptolemy’s Lunar Theories
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 341-356 Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press
Babylonian astronomy is characteristic for being numerical and for concentrating on special phases – calculating the Moon’s position not as a function of time, but calculating the times and positions at which some special events took place.
Empirie contra Theorie: Zur Entwicklung und Deutung der babylonischen Astronomie
AKAN – Antike Naturwissenschaft und ihre Rezeption, Band VI; ed. by Döhring et al. [=Antike Naturwissenschaft und ihre Rezeption [AKAN], nr 6] pp. 7-16 Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 331-358 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Konsistenz zwischen Kolonne Φ und babylonischen Aufzeichnungen der “Luna Four”
Ad Radices: Festband zum 50jährigen Bestehen des Instituts für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften der J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main; ed. by von Gotstedter pp. 45-64 Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag
Methods for Understanding and Reconstructing Babylonian Predicting Rules
Writings of Early Scholars in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Rome and Greece: Translating Ancient Scientific Texts, : Writings of Early Scholars in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Rome and Greece; ed. by Imhausen et al. [=Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, nr 286] pp. 277-298 Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter
Otto Neugebauer’s Visits to Copenhagen and His Connection to Denmark
A Mathematician’s Journeys: Otto Neugebauer and Modern Transformations of Ancient Science; ed. by Jones et al. [=Archimedes: New Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, nr 45] pp. 107-126 New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London: Springer Science
History of Science, University of Regensburg, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany
title
Otto Neugebauer’s Visits to Copenhagen and His Connection to Denmark
editor
Jones, Alexander and Proust, Christine and Steele, John M.
booktitle
A Mathematician’s Journeys
booksubtitle
Otto Neugebauer and Modern Transformations of Ancient Science
series
Archimedes: New Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
number
45
pages
107-126
location
New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2016
url
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25865-2_3
doi
10.1007/978-3-319-25865-2_3
urldate
2017-06-23
abstract
Otto Neugebauer visited Copenhagen twice, on Harald Bohr’s invitation. The first visit, during the year 1924/1925, resulted in two papers, one of which is the only paper on pure mathematics that Neugebauer ever wrote. Later, as Neugebauer had to leave Germany due to severe problems with the Nazi regime, he obtained a sponsored professorship during the years 1934-1939. This paper covers Neugebauer’s first sojourn in Copenhagen and describes how his situation in Göttingen became unbearable and forced him to leave Germany. It also reports on the Bohr brothers’ assistance for scientists who had to flee from Germany and on Neugebauer’s friendship with Harald Bohr. Finally it focuses on Neugebauer’s activities in Copenhagen during the years 1934-1939: his research and collaboration with Danish Egyptologists, his teaching, and his relationship to his first doctoral student, Olaf Schmidt, who was my teacher.
Ancient and Modern Utilization of the Lunar Data Recorded on the Babylonian Goal-Year Tablets
Actes de la Vème Conférence Anuelle de la SEAC; ed. by Le Beuf et al. [Światowit. Supplement series H, Anthropology, Nr. 2 ser.] pp. 13-39 Warsaw: Institute of Archaeology, Warsaw University
Predictions of Lunar Phenomena in Babylonian Astronomy
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 5-20 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 149-177 Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press
Astronomische Keilschrifttexte aus dem alten Mesopotamien: Geschichte ihrer Entzifferung und Deutung
Atheistischer und jüdisch-christlicher Glaube: Wie wird Naturwissenschaft geprägt?, vol. 2: Naturwissenschaftliche Aussagen und sozial verantwortbare Entscheidungen. Forschungs-Symposium 2009 an der Universität Regensburg; ed. by Thim-Mabrey et al. pp. 261-300 Norderstedt: Books on Demand
Mitteilungen der mathematischen Gesellschaft in Hamburg [Mitt. Math. Ges. Hamburg], vol. 33 () pp. 47-77 Hamburg: Mathematische Gesellschaft in Hamburg
Prediction of Days and Pattern of the Babylonian Lunar Six
Archiv für Orientforschung: Internationale Zeitschrift für die Wissenschaft vom Vorderen Orient [AfO], vol. 52 () pp. 156-178 Vienna: Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
Dieser Artikel behandelt den babylonischen Kalender – er enthält aber auch Hinweise zur babylonischen Astronomie. Die babylonische Astronomie ist die früheste hoch entwickelte Astronomie der Welt, die durch schriftliche Zeugnisse (Keilschrifttafeln) dokumentiert ist. Dadurch haben wir Einsichten in die verschiedenen Entwicklungsstufen der babylonischen Astronomie bekommen. Die Bibliographie umfasst die wichtigsten neueren Arbeiten darüber.
eventtitle
Maß, Zahl und Geometrie in der Vor- und Frühgeschichte – Anfänge der Mathematik und der Astronomie
eventdate
2008-10-24/2008-10-26
venue
Berlin
organization
Museums für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and Gesellschaft für Archäoastronomie e.V.
Archiv für Orientforschung: Internationale Zeitschrift für die Wissenschaft vom Vorderen Orient [AfO], vol. 48/49 () pp. 244-247 Vienna: Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
AKAN – Antike Naturwissenschaft und ihre Rezeption, Band X [=Antike Naturwissenschaft und ihre Rezeption [AKAN], nr 10] pp. 7-11 Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier
Babylonische Astronomie: Teilgebiet der Mesopotamischen Weisheit und dennoch exakte Naturwissenschaft
Berichte aus dem IBZ [=Berichte aus dem Internationalen Begegnungszentrum der Wissenschaft – eine Auswahl der Veranstaltungen [Berichte / IBZ], nr 1] Munich: Internationales Begegnungszentrum der Wissenschaft
A Construction of Column Φ from Horizontal Observations
sorttitle
Babylonian Lunar Theory, On the
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
33
number
1
pages
39-56
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
1990
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1990.tb00719.x
urldate
2014-10-10
abstract
We demonstrate that column Φ in System A of the Babylonian moon ephemerides can be derived from such horizontal phenomena as were observed and recorded by the Babylonians. Combining four of the so-called “Lunar Six” in such a way that the effects of the oblique ascension are eliminated, we obtain a curve which oscillates, indeed, with the exact period and the approximate amplitude of Φ. Our curve (which we call S̀) also contains oscillations with the approximate period of the Saros and allows us to find the period relation which is underlying column Φ. Herewith it has been shown for the first time that the length of the anomalistic month can be derived from horizontal observations.
We investigate “shell structure” from Babylonian times: periodicities and beats in computer-simulated lunar data corresponding to those observed by Babylonian scribes some 2500 years ago. We discuss the mathematical similarity between the Babylonians’ recently reconstructed method of determining one of the periods of the moon with modern Fourier analysis and the interpretation of shell structure in finite fermion systems (nuclei, metal clusters, quantum dots) in terms of classical closed or periodic orbits.
On the “Atypical Astronomical Cuneiform Text E”: A mean value scheme for predicting lunar attitude
[]
Archiv für Orientforschung: InternationaleZeitschrift für die Wissenschaft vom VorderenOrientInternationaleZeitschrift für die Wissenschaft vom VorderenOrient [AfO], vol. 51 () pp. 96-107 Vienna: Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
Astronomical Significance of Partial Sums of the Lunar Four
sorttitle
Foundations of the Babylonian Column Phi, On the
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
37
number
3
pages
183-209
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
1994
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1994.tb00008.x
urldate
2014-10-10
abstract
A characteristic feature of the Babylonian mathematical astronomy is the use of periodically varying functions in the form of sequences of numbers (e.g. arithmetic progressions, zig-zag functions, or piecewise constant step functions) to describe periodically occurring astronomical phenomena. One major achievement of the Babylonian astronomers consists in a very precise determination of the periods of the number sequences used in their ephemeris texts. Any reconstruction of the Babylonian calculation schemes must explain how the fundamental periods or period relations can be determined empirically by such astronomical observations as were compiled in the Babylonian Diaries.This paper is concerned with the Babylonian moon ephemerides. The fundamental periods used here are the length P⊙ of the more empirically founded and less theoretically than believed until now.
Babylonian Mathemagics: Two Mathematical Astronomical-Astrological Texts
Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree [Fs Pingree]; ed. by Burnett et al. [=Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science, Texts and Studies, nr 54] pp. 95-125 Leiden: Brill
Eclipse Prediction and the Length of the Saros in Babylonian Astronomy
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
47
number
3
pages
181-206
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
2005
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.2005.470301.x
urldate
2013-10-22
abstract
The Saros cycle of 223 synodic months played an important role in Late Babylonian astronomy. It was used to predict the dates of future eclipse possibilities together with the times of those eclipses and underpinned the development of mathematical lunar theories. The excess length of the Saros over a whole number of days varies due to solar and lunar anomaly between about 6 and 9 h. We here investigate two functions which model the length of the Saros found in Babylonian sources: a simple zigzag function with an 18-year period presented on the tablet BM 45861 and a function which varies with the month of the year constructed from rules found on the important procedure text TU 11. These functions are shown to model nature very well and to be closely related. We further conclude that these functions are the likely source of the Saros lengths used to calculate the times of predicted eclipses and were probably known by at latest the mid-sixth-century BC.
keywords
BM 45861, TU 11
timestamp
2013-10-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004lunarsolar} [Lunar \& Solar Eclipses]
BM 57980: A Wrong Version of the Excellent Predicting Rule R
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 97 () [Festschrift für Hermann Hunger zum 65. Geburtstag: gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern [Fs Hunger]] pp. 35-41 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Süßwasserkrabben und das Sternbild Krebs: Kulturgeschichte der Süßwasserkrabben in den mesopotamischen Hochkulturen
Natur und Museum: Bericht der Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung [NuM], vol. 129 (), nr 3 pp. 73-82 Frankfurt/Main: Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 367-382 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
The tables and computer programs detailed in Planetary Programs and Tables From -4000 to +2800 allow the computation of the positions of the Sun, and 7 planets with a precision better than 0.01 degree over the period -4000, +2000 for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn and +1600 to +2800 for Uranus and Neptune. Until now, the astronomical tables covering large historic and prehistoric periods give the geocentric positions of the planets for equidistant dates. As an example, the tables of B. Tuckerman give the positions of the Sun and planets at 5-(Mercury, Venus) or 10-day (Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) intervals over the -600 to +1649. Coordinates are the longitude of the Sun, the geocentric longitudes and the geocentric latitudes of the planets. Such tables, over the entire period from -4000 to +2600 would include over 3,700,000 numbers and would constitute a 3,000 page book. Instead, compact tables and simple computations of the Sun and planets on a small computer are described in this book. Time-dependent expansions of the longitude and radius vector of the Sun as well as the heliocentric coordinates of the planets are provided. These coordinates refer to the mean equinox and ecliptic of date. For the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars each coordinate is represented in Planetary Programs and Tables From -4000 to +2800 by only by one formula provided for the entire period -4000 to +2600. This formula includes between 5 and 60 terms depending on the coordinate and planet. For Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune the coordinates are expressed for time-spans of five years by power series with seven coefficients. The period -4000, +2600 is then constituted by 1320 time-spans of five years. In addition to the tables, formulae for corrections of aberration and nutation which allow you to compute apparent geocentric coordinates are provided.
Berossos and the Mesopotamian Temples as Centre of Knowledge during the Hellenistic Period
Learned Antiquity: Scholarship and Society in the Near East, the Greco-Roman World, and the Early Medieval West; ed. by MacDonald et al. [=Groningen Studies in Cultural Change, nr 5] pp. 13-23 Leuven: Peeters Publishers
Chronologies of the Near East 3500-2000 B.C.: The Sixtieth Anniversary Symposium of the Oriental Institute
The Oriental Institute Annual Report 1979-1980 [Annual Report 1979-80]; ed. by Brinkman et al. [OI Annual Reports] ch.: IV (Scholarship), pp. 55-62 Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the political history of Babylonia from the rise of the Second Dynasty of Isin (c. 1158 B.C.) to the death of Shalmaneser V (722 B.C.). The author’s discussion is limited almost entirely to political history, that is the inquiry into the internal and external activity of the body politic, as exemplified in the workings of the government and especially in the focus of political life in ancient Babylonia, the king.
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Solar Eclipse in the “Religious Chronicle”]
From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics: Essays on the Exact Sciences Presented to Asger Aaboe on His 65. Birthday, 26 April 1987 [Fs Aaboe]; ed. by Berggren et al. [=Acta Historica Scientiarum Naturalium et Medicinalium, nr 39] pp. 23-36 Copenhagen: University Library
An Early Observation Text for Mars: HSM 1899.2.112 (= HSM 1490)
Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree [Fs Pingree]; ed. by Burnett et al. [=Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science, Texts and Studies, nr 54] pp. 33-55 Leiden and Boston: Brill
Burnett, Charles and Hogendijk, Jan P. and Plofker, K. and Yano, Michio
booktitle
Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree
shortbooktitle
Fs Pingree
series
Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science, Texts and Studies
number
54
pages
33-55
location
Leiden and Boston
publisher
Brill
year
2004
crossRef
burnett2004fspingree
timestamp
2013-10-22
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s notes #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of the Motion of Mars]
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 61-76 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Treatments of Annual Phenomena in Cuneiform Sources
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East [AOAT 297]; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 21-78 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 187-254 Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press
Mining the Archives: Festschrift for Christopher Walker on the Occasion of his 60th Birthday [Fs Walker]; ed. by Wunsch [=Babylonische Archive, nr 1] pp. 35-36 Dresden: ISLET-Verlag
This paper is the third of a multi-part examination of the Babylonian mathematical lunar theories known as Systems A and B. Part I (Britton, AHES 61: 83-145, 2007) addressed the development of the empirical elements needed to separate the effects of lunar and solar anomaly on the intervals between syzygies, accomplished in the construction of the System A lunar theory early in the fourth century B.C. Part II (Britton, AHES 63: 357-431, 2009) examines the accomplishment of this separation by the construction of a successful theory depicting the variations due to lunar anomaly in System A and its subsequent adaptation in System B. The present paper examines the introduction of the uniform zodiac, necessary for any theory depicting variations depending on the position of syzygy. It addresses three questions: (1) In light of all available evidence, what is the magnitude of the constant term in the expression Δλ* = C – 1.3828°Y, describing the difference between the Babylonian sidereal longitudes and modern tropical longitudes? (2) What considerations governed the placement of the Babylonian sidereal zodiac relative to the fixed stars? (3) When was the uniform zodiac introduced? To the first question it finds C = 3.20 ° ± 0.1°, scarcely different from Huber’s (Centaurus 5: 192-208,1958) estimate of 3.08°, essentially confirming Huber’s result obtained from much less data. For the second it shows that accommodating the three asterisms comprising Taurus limited the placement of the zodiac to within 3°, while the prominence of half sign multiples among the measured intervals between prominent Normal Stars led irresistibly to the choice adopted. Finally, it finds that the zodiac was introduced between -408 and -397 and probably within a very few years of -400.
This paper is the second of a multi-part examination of the creation of the Babylonian mathematical lunar theories known as Systems A and B. Part I (Britton 2007) addressed the development of the empirical elements needed to separate the effects of lunar and solar anomaly on the intervals between syzygies. This was accomplished in the construction of the System A lunar theory by an unknown author, almost certainly in the city of Babylon and probably early in the 4th century B.C. The present paper focuses mainly on System A and the likely process of its construction. The first three sections are largely descriptive - first of the basic concepts which underlie the theory; then of the component schemes comprising the theory; and finally of two distinctive texts which suggest how the theory was constructed. The crux of the paper is Sect. 4, which describes how the theory seems likely to have been constructed. Here the crucial insight in separating the effects of lunar and solar anomaly appears to have been recognizing that – of all the measurable intervals bounded by eclipses – only 235 months exhibits a variation due solely to lunar anomaly, and that by means of an elegant mathematical model the amplitudes of 223 and 12 months could be deduced from its amplitude. The rest of the section describes the likely details of the derivation of the Φ ~ Λ scheme, and the extension of the methodology to the other components of the theory. It concludes with a demonstration that Φ and its dependent schemes were anchored through the Φ ~ W scheme to the syzygy on -403 Aug 18 (GN 7391) which concluded the shortest 6-month interval in the first 24 saros cycles since -746 (and in fact in the 900 years separating Nabonassar and Ptolemy). The next three sections address a number of largely technical details and amplifications of the theory, beginning with the schemes describing the variation of lunar velocity (column F) in Sect. 5. Section 6 addresses issues concerning the interpretation of Φ and the so-call Saros Text (BM 36705), while Sect. 7 discusses System B’s corresponding treatment of the effects of lunar anomaly, illustrating both its derivative nature and mathematically less rigorous structure. Section 8 examines the accuracy of the two theories, showing that the System A theory was both remarkably accurate and superior to System B. The final section offers some brief remarks on the power and elegance of the mathematical treatment of the problem by the author of System A.
Empirical Elements for Modeling Lunar and Solar Anomalies
journal
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
shortjournal
AHES
volume
61
number
2
pages
83-145
location
New York, Berlin, and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
2007
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41134242
doi
10.1007/s00407-006-0121-9
urldate
2014-01-30
language
english
abstract
Perhaps the most remarkable and far reaching achievement of Babylonian astronomy was the creation of a unified and comprehensive lunar theory, which combined competent mathematical models of the effects of lunar and solar anomaly. The invention of the first comprehensive lunar theory, known as System A, appears to have occured in the city of Babylon shortly after the beginning of the 4th century B.C. Roughly a century later an alternative theory known as System B was developed, possibly in Uruk, which addressed the same issues with different mathematical schemes, introduced a few improved parameters, and accomplished at least one substantive improvement in the treatment of solar anomaly. In between there is evidence of transitional developments, and subsequently some evidence of further attempts at refinements, but essentially these two versions of lunar theory were the apex of Babylonian scientific astronomy.
On Corrections for Solar Anomaly in Babylonian Lunar Theories
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 45 (), nr 1-4 [Festschrift Goldstein [Fs Goldstein]] pp. 46-58 Copenhagen: Munksgaard International Publishers
Ptolemy’s Determination of the Obliquity of the Ecliptic
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 14 (), nr 1 [Festschrift for Otto Neugebauer [Fs Neugebauer]] pp. 29-41 Copenhagen: Munksgaard International Publishers
On the Quality of Solar and Lunar Observations and Parameters in Ptolemy’s Almagest
sorttitle
quality of solar and lunar observations and parameters in Ptolemy’s Almagest, On the
location
New Haven, CT
institution
Yale University
type
phdthesis
year
1967
language
eng
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 97 () [Festschrift für Hermann Hunger zum 65. Geburtstag: gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern [Fs Hunger]] pp. 213-217 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 97 () [Festschrift für Hermann Hunger zum 65. Geburtstag: gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern [Fs Hunger]] pp. 43-54 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Britton, John Phillips and Walker, Christopher B. F.
sortkey
Britton.J:1991_4thCenturyBabylonian
title
A 4th Century Babylonian Model for Venus
subtitle
B.M. 33552
sorttitle
004th Century Babylonian Model for Venus, A: B.M. 33552
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
34
number
2
pages
97-118
location
Copenhagen
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers
year
1991
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1991.tb00690.x
urldate
2013-08-23
abstract
Despite its prominence astronomically and historically, Venus is poorly represented in the scientific astronomical texts of the late Babylonian period. Among the roughly 330 known scientific astronomical texts only 12 concern Venus, and these include only fragments of 2 procedure texts. As a result our knowledge of late Babylonian models for Venus is still very fragmentary. Thus the discovery of a text describing a new model for Venus is a welcome one. Also rare in the corpus of late Babylonian astronomical texts are pre-Seleucid texts, which may offer some insight into the development of scientific astronomy in Babylon. The text which we publish here dates from the 4th century B.C., in contrast to most of the ACT-type texts for Venus from Babylon, which date to the late 2nd or 1st centuries B.C. At present the only other such text concerning Venus from pre-Seleucid times is BM 36301.
This work reviews the history of the development of the theory of lunar motion over a period of almost three-thousand years, extending from ancient Babylonia to the present time. The exposition is in the form of stories about the scientists who helped to develop this theory. Particular attention is given to how scientists have “taught” computers to derive lunar-motion formulas from specified algorithms; it is noted that the use of computers has made it possible to determine the position of the moon to within several centimeters.
Misinformation on Mesopotamian Exact Sciences: Historiography in the Cuneiform World
Proceedings of the XLVe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale [RAI 45 Proceedings]; ed. by Abusch Tzvi et al.; vol. 1 [of 2] pp. 79-89 Bethesda, MD: CDL Press
At the Dawn of History: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honour ofJ. N. Postgate; ed. by Heffron Yağmur et al.; vol. 1 pp. 55-72 Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns
Highlights of Astronomy, vol. 12 () [As presented at the XXIVth General Assembly of the IAU – 2000 [Manchester, UK, 7 – 18 August 2000]] pp. 313-316 San Francisco, CA: Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Cuneiform tablets from Babylonia record lunar and solar eclipses, the presence and movement of comets, meteors and meteor showers. These have provided historical astronomers with much valuable data, but caution must be exercised when using such records, for accuracy of observation often ceded to astrological intent. In the future, texts from Assyria may also provide useful data for historical astronomers.
keywords
/
eventtitle
XXIVth General Assembly of the IAU – 2000
eventdate
2000-08-07/2000-08-18
venue
Manchester, UK
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
Mining the Archives: Festschrift for Christopher Walker on the occasion of his 60th Birthday [Fs Walker]; ed. by Wunsch [=Babylonische Archive, nr 1] pp. 37-56 Dresden: ISLET-Verlag
Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia (1999), Hunger H & Pingree D [Review]
journal
Bibliotheca Orientalis
shortjournal
BiOr
volume
58
number
1-2
pages
41-59
location
Leuven
publisher
Peeters Publishers
year
2001
doi
10.2143/BIOR.58.1.2015707
urldate
2013-10-21
abstract
When Schumann reviewed Chopin’s Op.28 The Preludes on their first publication in 1839, he remarked: “Philistines must keep away!” The same could be said of Hunger and Pingree’s Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia. Only after some years of immersion in the intricacies of cuneiform language, and of wading through the difficulties of the mathematical methods employed, can some understanding of the Mesopotamian astral material be gained. And if these documents are to be appreciated not only in their own terms, but in terms of their rôle and importance when first written, prolonged exposure to what is known of ancient Mesopotamian culture is all-important. None of this is remarkable for so esoteric a discipline as Assyriology. It is, however, still noteworthy so far as Mesopotamian astronomy, in particular, is concerned, and goes to the heart of the problem lying behind Astral Sciences. Descriptions of cuneiform astronomy and astrology made by scholars who know little of the discipline because they have been unprepared even to go to the effort of reading the better secondary sources, let alone the primary ones, appear in every third rate “history of science” book. There are in effect two Mesopotamian astral sciences - the one that exists in the opening chapters of these general histories, and which relies on regurgitated interpretations of the excellent, but now dated, Science Awakening 2: The Birth of Astronomy (1974) by B.L. van der Waerden, or even O. Neugebauer’s (1957) The Exact Sciences in Antiquity (2nd edition) – and the one guarded by Assyriologists and a very few historians of astronomy.
Reviewof
\cite{hunger1999astralscie}
reviewof
Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia, Hunger H and Pingree D
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London [BSOAS], vol. 64 (), nr 3 pp. 401-402 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Pliny wrote of Babylon that “here the creator of the science of astronomy was”. Excavations have shown this statement to be true. This book argues that the earliest attempts at the accurate prediction of celestial phenomena are indeed to be found in clay tablets dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BC from both Babylon and from Nineveh. The author carefully situates this astronomy within its cultural context, treating all available material from the relevant period, and also analysing the earlier astrological material and the later well-known ephemerides and related texts. A wholly new approach to cuneiform astral concerns emerges – one in which both celestial divination and the later astronomy are shown to be embedded in a prevailing philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the early universe, and in which the dynamics of the celestial divination industry that surrounded the last Assyrian monarchs account for no less than the first recorded “scientific revolution”. This work closely adheres to the original textual sources, and argues for the evolution on the basis of the needs of the ancient scholars and the internal logic of the divinatory and predictive systems employed. To this end, it offers, for the first time, a Mesopotamian contribution to the philosophy, and not only the history, of science.
The significance to the modern world of Mesopotamian celestial divination and astronomy cannot be overstated. The names and the “ominous” values assigned to the heavenly bodies by the Mesopotamians underlie Western astrology, and have also influenced Indian astrology. Many of the key features in the astronomy of Hipparchus and Ptolemy, which later passed into the astronomy of the medieval world, were borrowed from the astronomers of Babylon and Uruk. The zodiac, the Metonic cycle, horoscopy, and a variety of astrological techniques are all first attested in Mesopotamia. The same goes for units, notably those divisions of space and time which are now used throughout the world (such as 60 minutes in an hour and 360° in a circle) which can be traced back to cuneiform antecedents.
Brown, David and Fermor, John and Walker, Christopher B. F.
sortkey
Brown.D:1999_WaterClockin
title
The Water Clock in Mesopotamia
sorttitle
Water Clock in Mesopotamia, The
journal
Archiv für Orientforschung
shortjournal
AfO
volume
46/47
pages
130-148
location
Vienna
publisher
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1999
date
1999/2000
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41668444
urldate
2013-10-21
language
english
abstract
This paper discusses the evidence pertaining to water clocks in Mesopotamia, revealing the serious flaws that exist in our current understanding of the devices and attempting to remedy this, while recognising the limitations inherent in the exercise. We possess no recognised examples, however fragmentary, from ancient Mesopotamia of outflowing water clocks. Any reconstruction of them relies on textual evidence and what is known to be both physically possible and impossible. J. Fermor undertook the experimental work. This paper also presents BM 29371, which was edited by C. B. F. Walker and published in a photograph in Astronomy before the Telescope (1996, ed. C. B. F. Walker) p. 47. BM 29371 describes weights, times and the lengths of shadows on various days through the year and was inscribed during the Late Babylonian period.
Brown, David R. and Linssen, Marc Johannes Hendrikus
sortkey
Brown.D:1997_BM134701196510
title
BM 134701=1965-10-14,1 and the Hellenistic Period Eclipse Ritual from Uruk
journal
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale
shortjournal
RA
volume
91
number
2
pages
147-166
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
year
1997
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23281910
urldate
2013-10-21
language
english
abstract
In this article, BM 134701, a Hellenistic period text from Uruk, is copied, translated and compared with other texts that describe a ritual enacted during that period and in that city in anticipation of and during an eclipse. In particular BM 134701 duplicates the end of MLC 1872, published by A. T. Clay in BRM IV (no. 6), and was probably the second of a two-tablet version of the eclipse ritual. It is perhaps from the same archive as MLC 1872. Its edition has revealed more clearly than before the magnitude of the ritual, the paraphernalia and songs used, the roles played by the temple personnel, and the king, and the recitation during it of certain texts-especially of utukkū lemnūti. All these aspects are discussed. Also, the structure of the two-tablet version can now be seen to be one in which the first section summarises the entire ritual and the following sections add more detail to the specific parts. This has permitted us to speculate on the possible development of the ritual. Dans cet article, BM 134701, un texte d’Uruk d’époque hellénistique, est publié en copie, transcription et traduction et comparé à d’autres textes qui décrivent un rituel exécuté à cette époque et dans cette ville avant et pendant une éclipse. BM 134701 duplique en particulier la fin de MLC 1872, publié par A. T. Clay dans BRM IV 6, et formait probablement le deuxième élément d’une version en deux tablettes du rituel de l’éclipse. Il provient peut-être de la même archive que MLC 1872. Son édition révèle plus clairement que précédemment l’ampleur du rituel, les paraphernalia et les chants qu’on y utilisait, les rôles joués par le personnel du temple et le roi, et la récitation qu’on y faisait de certains textes, en particulier utukkū lemnūti. Tous ces aspects sont commentés. En outre, on peut maintenant constater que la structure de la version en deux tablettes comportait une première section résumant le rituel dans son ensemble, les sections suivantes ajoutant des détails à chacune des parties. Cela nous a permis de faire des hypothèses sur le développement possible du rituel.
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Textes mathématiques de Suse: Mission de Susiane sous la direction de MM. G. Contenau et R. de Mecquenem [TMS]
Mémoires de la Mission Archéologique de Perse [=Mémoires de la Délégation en Perse, Mémoires de la Délégation Archéologique en Iran] [MDP/MMAI/MMAP], nr 34 Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner
orion: Zeitschrift für Amateur-Astronomie. Zeitschrift der Schweizerischen Astronomischen Gesellschaft / Bulletin de la Société astronomique de Suisse, vol. 37 (), nr 171 pp. 42-45 Schaffhausen: Schweizerische Astronomische Gesellschaft
The Constellation of the Wagon and Recent Archaeology
Miscellanea Orientalia dedicata Antonio Deimel, annos LXX complenti [Fs Deimel]; ed. by Andrae et al. [=Analecta Orientalia: Commentationes Scientificae de Rebus Orientis Antiqui [AnOr], nr 12] pp. 34-40 Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute
The Constellation of the Wagon and Recent Archaeology
sorttitle
Constellation of the Wagon and Recent Archaeology, The
editor
Andrae, Walter and Böhl, F.M.T. and Boson, G. and Burrows, E. and Christian, V. and Driver, G.R. and Ebeling, E. and Eilers, W. and Feigin, S.I. and Fish, T. and Frankfort, H. and Friedrich, Johannes and Furlani, Giuseppe and Gordon, C.H. and Götze, Albrecht and Jean, C.F. and Krückmann, O. and Langdon, S. and Lewy, Julius and Meißner, Bruno and Neugebauer, O. and Opitz, Dietrich and Oppenheim, Leo and Pohl, A. and Schaumberger, Joh. and Schneider, Nikolaus and Steinmetzer, F.X. and Thureau-Dangin, Fr. and Unger, Eckhard and Ungnad, Arthur and Van, E.D. and Weidner, E.F. and Witzel, Maurus
booktitle
Miscellanea Orientalia dedicata Antonio Deimel, annos LXX complenti
shortbooktitle
Fs Deimel
series
Analecta Orientalia: Commentationes Scientificae de Rebus Orientis Antiqui
shortseries
AnOr
number
12
pages
34-40
location
Rome
publisher
Pontifical Biblical Institute
year
1935
crossRef
andrae1935fsdeimel
timestamp
2014-04-30
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland [JRAS], vol. 56 (), iss. Supplement S1 [Centennial Supplement] pp. 33-40 London: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Although this was one of the first hymns to Ninurta which attracted attention, it seems never to have been published fully. Strassmaier, AV. 7357+8575+6971+7129+8536+7586+8431, provides the text of obv. 1-12; 7303 gives obv. 19. Jensen, from two copies by Bezold, gave in Kosmologie, 470 ff, transcription and translation of obv. 1-13 only (cf. also Jastrow, Religion, i, 149). I have been able to copy the full text through the kindness of Sir Ernest Wallis Budge. I am greatly indebted to Professor Langdon for help of all kinds in editing it. References and other matter in the notes which I owe to him have been marked [L.].
timestamp
2014-04-30
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Babylonian Discovery of the Precession of the Equinoxes
journal
Science
volume
65
number
1677
pages
184
location
New York
publisher
The Science Press
year
1927
doi
10.1126/science.65.1677.184
abstract
RECENTLY it has been shown that the slow motion of the equinoctial points on the ecliptic, called the precession of the equinoxes, was first discovered before the time of Hipparchus, by a Babylonian astronomer Kidinnu (sometimes written Kidenas or Cidenas), who directed an astronomical school at Sippra, on the Euphrates, about 343 B. C. This Babylonian achievement had been suspected for some years, but no definite conclusion had been reached, because of uncertainties relating to the interpretation of astronomical records.2 The final settlement of this question has become possible by the examination of some new Babylonian tables. [..]
timestamp
2015-02-06
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Pre-Hipparchian Knowledge of the Precession of the Equinoxes]
Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures; ed. by Selin pp. 248-262 New York, Berlin, and Heidelberg: Springer Science
Babylonian Astrology: Its Origin and Legacy in Europe
Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy; ed. by Selin [=Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science, nr 1] pp. 509-553 Dordrecht, Boston, and London: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science
number
1
pages
509-553
location
Dordrecht, Boston, and London
publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers
year
2000
url
http://www.springer.com/de/book/9780792363637
doi
10.1007/978-94-011-4179-6_18
urldate
2017-11-30
language
english
abstract
Astrology in the twentieth century West has a central place in popular culture, at least if we judge from the spread of horoscope columns in the press and popular magazines. There has been little attempt to trace the causes for its popularity or even to examine its nature. Most histories of the subject from Thorndike (1923-1958) to Tester (1987) assume a fundamental conceptual and technical break between Babylonian and Greek astrology in the last centuries BCE. They say that western astrology also effectively came to an end in the late seventeenth century, when it lost its intellectual respectability, allowing for little connection between then and the present day. The Encyclopaedia of Religion (Culianu, 1987: 472) stated categorically that “astrology, a product of Hellenistic civilisation, appeared at the end of the third century BCE”, completely denying any Mesopotamian connection. Chambers Encyclopaedia was more circumspect, considering that, “It was in Greece, about the 4th century BC, that astrology underwent a great development and was regarded as regulating all things in the universe, including the fates of men” (1970: 724). However, while it is clear that astrology, like any other belief system, experiences periods of reinvention as it passes between different cultures and periods, it is possible to identify a fundamental continuity from the earliest Babylonian astrology to the present day. Contemporary popular astrology may therefore be seen as a remarkable revival of the practical applications of an ancient non-Western astronomy, that of Mesopotamia of four thousand years ago, one which predates all the other intellectual pillars of western society, from Greek philosophy to Judaism, Christianity and modern scientific method.
Literarische Weissagungen aus spätbabylonisch-hellenistischer Zeit
Orakel und Gebete: Interdisziplinäre Studien zur Sprache der Religion in Ägypten, Vorderasien und Griechenland in hellenistischer Zeit; ed. by Witte et al. [=Forschungen zum Alten Testament, 2. Reihe [FAT II], nr 38] pp. 3-23 Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck
Il testo LBAT 1526 e la continuità della tradizione astromantica in Mesopotamia
Studi sul Vicino Oriente Antico dedicati alla memoria di Luigi Cagni [Fs Gagni]; ed. by Graziani; vol. 1 [of 4] [=Series Minor, nr 61] pp. 85-99 Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli
Giovanni V. Schiaparelli e l’astronomia antico-testamentaria
Giovanni Schiaparelli: Storico della astronomia e uomo di cultura. Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera; ed. by Panaino et al. pp. 43-61 Milan : Mimesis Edizioni
Giovanni V. Schiaparelli e l’astronomia antico-testamentaria
editor
Antonio Panaino and Guido Pellegrini
booktitle
Giovanni Schiaparelli
booksubtitle
Storico della astronomia e uomo di cultura
booktitleaddon
Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
pages
43-61
location
Milan
publisher
Mimesis Edizioni
shortpublisher
Mimesis Edizioni
year
1999
crossRef
panaino1999giovannisc
timestamp
2014-04-16
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004calendarsa} [Calendars]
gent_note
[on the adaptation of the Babylonian calendar by Post-Exilic Jews]
Calendrical Lunar Phenomena and Their Interpretation According to Neo-Assyrian Sources: A Preliminary Study
Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli: Rivista del Dipartimento di Studi Asiatici e del Dipartimento di Studi e Ricerche su Africa e Paesi Arabi. Sezione orientale [AION], vol. 60-61 () pp. 9-57 Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli
The Middle-Assyrian miscellaneous texts labeled as “Astrolabe B[erlin]” (KAV 218 = VAT 9416, written by the Babylonian scribe Marduk-blassu-ēreš at Assure during the 11th century BC) are discussed. The Astrolabe B is composed of a bilingual almanach written in Sumerian and Akkadian, a planisphere, a stellar calendar, and the colophon.
Note: Excellent. The author is an Italian assyriologist. This short book (107 pages) discusses the Middle-Assyrian miscellaneous texts labeled as “Astrolabe B[erlin]” (KAV 218 = VAT 9416, written by the Babylonian scribe Marduk-blassu-ēreš at Assur during the 11th century BCE). Astrolabe B is composed of a bilingual almanac written in Sumerian and Akkadian, a planisphere, a stellar calendar, and the colophon. See the (English-language) book review by Marianna Ferrara in Indologica Taurinensia, Volume 35, 2009, Pages 377-378. As most persons are not likely to sight this book the book review by Marianna Ferrara is reproduced here (with spelling corrections): “I The book under review focuses on the study of the Middle-Assyrian miscellaneous texts known as Astrolabe B(erlin), which belong to a group of ancient astronomical texts (the so-called “Astrolabes”) dating around the II millennium BCE. These texts in fact do not concern the determination of the altitudes of stars, as the true astrolabes do, but contain several lists of stars that rose ideally each month in the Paths of Ea, Anu, and Enlil. The title of this book, appropriate to its topic, refers to the Sumerian compound MUL.MES.3.TA.AM, literally translated as “three-stars-each(-month)”, by which these astronomical texts are referred to in the Mesopotamian sources, and suggests the three constellations, contained in Astrolabe B, apparently intended to be in order of the Paths of Ea, Anu, and Enlil in each month. Texts in Astrolabe B appear to be divided into three different sections corresponding to three subjects, but until recently only the section first had been well known and edited in English translation. In this book, instead, the author presents a complete translation of the other two parts (second and third sections), which have never been discussed so far. Beginning with a short sketch of the historical background (pp. 3-27), the author succinctly sets forth the basics of Mesopotamian beliefs, mythology, and cult, and illustrates the present state of research on Astrolabe B, making some central considerations. Compiled from older sources, as the subdivision into three sections suggests, these texts have often been ignored by scholars and, in the author’s view, they merit more attention than they have so far received, in order to understand their real function. She notices that these texts can be considered astronomical texts in some sense, but they highlight or obscure a certain different aspect —religious, theologian— of the all-compassing study of stars. An important example of this is found in this article. The author argues that Astrolabe B differs from the other Astrolabes by giving a different correspondence between the constellations and the three Paths of Ea, Anu and Enlil. It is possible that these texts contain some real (viz. not ideal) observational data, recorded at different times and then stripped of their original context, or at least absorbed into the scribal tradition. A second possibility is that the variation is due to an error in copying the tablet on the part of the scribes. Moreover, the third section of Astrolabe B, which is similar to the other Astrolabes in contents and phraseology, presents each constellation differently associated with each month. The meaning of this deviation, according to Casaburi, is to be found in the close connection between the star calendars and the divinatory art, which has far received almost no attention whatsoever. Besides providing us with some astronomical records, Astrolabe B is also a rich source of mythological material, to which the author returns in the appendix. The second and third sections of Astrolabe B are presented in the second half of the book (pp. 29-62 ) with the transliterated text and an Italian translation. Taking account of some other sources, the author examines the texts introducing some useful philological considerations (pp. 63-70). Finally, appendix (pp. 71-83) deserves attention. Here the author examines the nomenclature of months and the events to which they refer, pointing out their relevance for agriculture and myth. The book provides also a complete list of star names, the indexes of the Sumerian and Akkadian terms, the Sumerograms and their Akkadian equivalents, and the names of deities. These philological tools offer a glimpse on the cultural background, to which the author pays close attention, providing a fine survey of the Mesopotamian cultural and agricultural activities. Despite interesting questions, however, the answers are often not so satisfying. This is probably due to the absence of a complete critical edition of the Astrolabe B, which, as the author notices, is required in order to understand the real function of these texts. The present study is a first attempt to rescue from oblivion the records contained in Astrolabe and does promise essentially what the book delivers. The great merit of Casaburi is that it is the first time that an edition of the second and third sections of the Astrolabe B along with its Italian translation has been published.”
Sumerian Astral Nomenclature and Alternations in Writing
Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli: Rivista del Dipartimento di Studi Asiatici e del Dipartimento di Studi e Ricerche su Africa e Paesi Arabi. Sezione orientale [AION], vol. 59 () pp. 405-408 Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli
SAA 8, 232 e la tradizione emerologica nel periodo neo-assiro
Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli: Rivista del Dipartimento di Studi Asiatici e del Dipartimento di Studi e Ricerche su Africa e Paesi Arabi. Sezione orientale [AION], vol. 58 () pp. 154-164 Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli
Studi in onore di Edoardo Volterra [Fs Volterra]; ed. by Volterra [=Pubblicazioni della Facoltà di giurisprudenza dell’Università di Roma, nr 45,6] pp. 405-412 Rome and Milan: A. Giuffrè
Ni 13230 = ISET 1.149, Ni 9645 = ISET 2.1, 3 N-T 917, 3 N-T 387, Ni 4307 = ISET 1.86, 13 N 583, 13 N 588, 3 N-T 902, 3 N-T 94, Ni 9843, 3 N-T 906, 3 N-T 227, CBS 3923 = PBS 5, N 3629, N 3636, N 3648, SEM 26, SLTNi 49, CBS 10391, Ni 4513 = ISET 2.55, 3 N-T 750 = IM 58678, 3 N-T 750 + 3 N-T 902.71 + 3 N-T.916.338, N 3067, 3 N-T 152 = IM 58345, 13 N 582 + 13 N 584, 13 N 590, H 144, H 192 A, H 160, Sk 196
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 10 (), nr 14 pp. 515-522 Paris: Ernest Leroux
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
shortjournal
JA
series
10
number
14
pages
515-522
location
Paris
publisher
Ernest Leroux
institution
Société asiatique (France)
year
1909
timestamp
2014-04-15
bibmas_note
not available on \url{http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34348774p/date}
World Archaeoastronomy: Selected Papers from the 2nd Oxford International Conference on Archaeoastronomy held at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, 13-17 January 1986; ed. by Aveni pp. 186-194 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Identifying Comets and Meteors in Celestial Observation Literature
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 161-184 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
The Origins of Astronomy and Astrology in Mesopotamia
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 7 () pp. 89-95 College Park, MD: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
The Origins of Astronomy and Astrology in Mesopotamia
Second Anniversary Bulletin and Collected Papers of the Society for Near Eastern Studies, vol. 1 () pp. 37-55 Montreal: The Society for Near Eastern Studies
In this paper, we explain the method used to study the orbital evolution of Halley’s Comet during the past three thousand years. The discussion is based on the result of calculation of the motion of the comet, taking into account the perturbations by the nine major planets over the last three thousand odd years. The main part of the discussion is centered on the historical records and their identification with returns of the comet. As a result, several problems concerning chronology have found probable explanations.
keywords
/
related
chang1978halleyscom
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
Tendencies in its Orbital Evolution and its Ancient History
journal
Acta Astronomica Sinica
shortjournal
AcASn
volume
19
pages
109-118
location
Nanjing
publisher
Chinese Astronomical Society
year
1978
url
http://www.twxb.org/
abstract
In this paper, we explain the method used to study the orbital evolution of Halley’s Comet during the past three thousand years. The discussion is based on the result of calculation of the motion of the comet, taking into account the perturbations by the nine major planets over the last three thousand odd years. The main part of the discussion is centered on the historical records and their identification with returns of the comet. As a result, several problems concerning chronology have found probable explanations.
related
chang1979halleyscom
timestamp
2015-04-22
note
[= Chinese Astronomy, 3 (1979), 120-131
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
Lunar Tables and Programs from 4000 B.C. to A.D. 8000
location
Richmond, VA
publisher
Willmann-Bell
year
1991
url
http://www.willbell.com/math/mc9.htm
abstract
This book contains two sets of tables for the geocentric motion of the Moon. The first set provides time-dependent expansions of the longitude, latitude, and radius vector of the Moon, referred to the mean ecliptic and equinox of date. These tables include a large number of terms in order to ensure a sufficient precision in the present period for most users. The second set of tables provide expansions of the semimajor axis, eccentricity, sine of half the inclination, longitude of perigee, longitude of node, and mean longitude, referred to the mean ecliptic and equinox of date. These tables are intended for the user who does not need high precision. Microcomputer program listings in FORTRAN, BASIC and PASCAL are provided to implement the tables and formulae presented in the book.
Patron and Client: Zimri-Lim and Asqudum The Diviner
The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture [OHCC]; ed. by Radner et al. [Oxford Handbooks in Classics and Ancient History ser.] ch.: 12, pp. 248-269 Oxford: Oxford University Press
This article examines the patron-client relationship of Zimri-Lim, appointed king of Mari by the god Dagan, and the diviner Asqudum. It explains Zimri-Lim entrusted Asqudum with important administrative, diplomatic, and military responsibilities. In addition, Asqudum was also charged with negotiating Zimri-Lim’s marriage to the princess Šibtu and then with accompanying her from Aleppo to the home of her new spouse. This article also describes Asqudum’s divinatory, administrative, and commercial activities.
Lorsque les astrologues mésopotamiens observaient une anomalie dans le ciel, comme une éclipse, un halo autour de la lune, etc., ils n’étaient pas pris au dépourvu : de vastes recueils avaient en effet été constitués au cours des siècles, qui consignaient l’expérience accumulée et dans lequels ils pouvaient trouver le sens du signe fortuit appar au firmament.
TM 75.G.1559, SEB 4.154 + SEB 4.155, TM 75.G.427, T 66, T 67, T 68, T 69, T 70, T 71, T 72, T 73, Syria 47.2, Syria 47.8, M 5311, M 5312, M 5390 + M 5391
Notes on the Neo-Assyrian Siege-Shield and Chariot
Time and History in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 56th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Barcelona 26–30 July 2010; ed. by Feliu et al. pp. 57-68 Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns
A very rich and various feast is presented to students of the Sumerian and Akkadian vocabularies in this large volume of one hundred and twenty-six pages. The material is the whole of the remaining fragments of native philology recovered from the ruins of Nippur and now preserved in the Philadelphia Museum; that is to say, these tablets were inscribed with lists of great varieties of natural and artificial things, such as the Sumerian scribes delighted to compile. To exhaust the information contained in the texts promises a long and rather arduous task for the scholar, but the reward will be great, and if he has any complaint, it will be that the author, who has done so much in the copying, might perhaps have lightened his readers’ task by giving them some of the results of the much study which he must have devoted to the texts.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 36 (), nr 3-4 [Neue Folge: 2] pp. 314-315 Berlin and Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter
Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book, Vol. 1: Knowledge and Order
series
Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society
shortseries
MAPS
volumes
2
number
184
location
Philadelphia
publisher
American Philosophical Society
year
1989
abstract
This volume, the first of three volumes describing the major facets of Ancient Egyptian Science, concentrates on the origin and development of hieroglyphic writing, the scribal profession, and quasi-learned institutions in ancient Egypt. Professor Clagett has paid particular attention to the so-called Palermo Stone, the earliest annals composed in Eygpt.
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Les bibliothèques en Babylonie dans la deuxième moitié du Ier millénaire av. J.-C.
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 363 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Clark, David Hamilton and Parkinson, J. H. and Stephenson, Francis Richard
sortkey
Clark.D:1977_AstronomicalReAppraisal
title
An Astronomical Re-Appraisal of the Star of Bethlehem
subtitle
A Nova in 5 BC
sorttitle
Astronomical Re-Appraisal of the Star of Bethlehem, An
journal
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society
shortjournal
QJRAS
volume
18
pages
443-449
location
Oxford
publisher
Blackwell
year
1977
url
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977QJRAS..18..443C
urldate
2014-10-10
abstract
Evidence is presented that New Stars recorded in the Far Eastern annals may be independent sightings of the Star of Bethlehem. A bright nova which appeared in the spring of 5 BC appears to be the most likely explanation of the event. The Jupiter-Saturn planetary conjunction hypothesis of Kepler, perpetuated by several subsequent investigators, receives its quietus.
“Recent studies of Babylonian sources have shown that we must revise former estimates of the extent to which the Greeks were indebted for the details of their astronomy to the Babylonians; the debt proves to have been much greater than had been imagined, and further researches may prove it to have been greater still.” So wrote Sir Thomas Heath in 1932; in the previous year, Professor Filon had written, “It is gradually beginning to be realized that many of the achievements of Greek culture in the fields of astronomy and mathematics did not spring, fully armed, from the Hellenic brain, but had their more remote origins in the civilizations of the ancient East.” There is available now sufficient evidence to show that a great deal of the astronomical knowledge which has come down to us from the Hellenistic period (c. 500 B.C. to A.D. 150) was not initially discovered during that period; and such new empiric discoveries as were made in that time were not all due to Greeks, for important contributions were still being made by Babylonians during the Seleucid Era. To a large extent it seems that the Greeks kept very closely, even in astronomy, to the mode of research advocated by Plato, who said in “The Republic”, “Which things (i.e. “the variegated bodies in the heavens”) truly are to be comprehended by reason and intellect, but not by sight”. The Greeks founded a “school” of theoretical astronomy and, with their highly developed mathematics, were able to go far with it; but their source-material was in very many cases not Greek. The author of “Epinomis” states, “We may assume that whatever the Greeks take from the barbarians, they bring it to a finer perfection”. Adrastus (second century A.D.) wrote that the methods used by the Chaldeans and Egyptians in astronomy were imperfect because these people lacked physiologia; no doubt this was true, but it was people of these races who had done, and continued to do, most of the equivalent of modern observatory routine work.
Middle, Low or Ultra-Low?: The State of Research into 2nd Millennium BC Chronology, with Special Reference to Syrian Glyptic Evidence
[]
Just in Time: Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000; ed. by Armstrong et al. [=Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin [Akkadica], nr 119-120] pp. 117-135 Bruxelles: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
Letters from Priests to the Kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal [SAA 13] [=State Archives of Assyria [SAA], nr 13] pp. xxi-xxx Helsingfors: Helsinki University Press
Natural phenomena: Their meaning, depiction, and description in the ancient Near East. Proceedings of the colloquium, Amsterdam, 6 – 8 July 1989; ed. by Meijer [=Koninklijke Nederlandse akademie van wetenschappen, verhandelingen, afd. letterkunde, nieuwe reeks [KNAW verh.], nr 152] pp. 19-37 Amsterdam and New York: Noord-Hollandsche Uitg. Maatschappij
Divination, Politics, and Ancient Near Eastern Empires; ed. by Lenzi et al. [=Ancient Near East Monographs/Monografias sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente, nr 7] pp. 7-32 Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature
Reading Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: An Introduction; ed. by Lenzi [=Ancient Near East Monographs – Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente, nr 3] pp. 71-83 Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature
Reading Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: An Introduction; ed. by Lenzi [=Ancient Near East Monographs – Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente, nr 3] pp. 403-419 Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature
The goal of this essay is to begin the study of the handful of references to celestial divination found in the Assyrian royal inscriptions from the perspective of propaganda analysis by approaching one text in particular, Esarhaddon’s Aššur A inscription. This inquiry helps to solve some of the outstanding problems in regard to the celestial phenomena recorded in these inscriptions and their mantic implications.
The Reflexes of Celestial Science in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite Narrative
series
History, archaeology, and culture of the Levant
shortseries
HACL
number
5
pagetotal
396
location
Winona Lake, IN
publisher
Eisenbrauns
year
2013
language
english
contents
\url{http://www.eisenbrauns.com/item/COOPOETIC}
abstract
Modern science historians have typically treated the sciences of the ancient Near East as separate from historical and cultural considerations. At the same time, biblical scholars, dominated by theological concerns, have historically understood the Israelite god as separate from the natural world. Cooley’s study, bringing to bear contemporary models of science history on the one hand and biblical studies on the other hand, seeks to bridge a gap created by 20th-century scholarship in our understanding of ancient Near Eastern cultures by investigating the ways in which ancient authors incorporated their cultures’ celestial speculation in narrative. In the literature of ancient Iraq, celestial divination is displayed quite prominently in important works such as Enuma Eliš and Erra and Išum. In ancient Ugarit as well, the sky was observed for devotional reasons, and astral deities play important roles in stories such as the Baal Cycle and Shahar and Shalim. Even though the veneration of astral deities was rejected by biblical authors, in the literature of ancient Israel the Sun, Moon, and stars are often depicted as active, conscious agents. In texts such as Genesis 1, Joshua 10, Judges 5, and Job 38, these celestial characters, these “sons of God,” are living, dynamic members of Yahweh’s royal entourage, willfully performing courtly, martial, and calendrical roles for their sovereign. The synthesis offered by this book, the first of its kind since the demise of the pan-Babylonianist school more than a century ago, is about ancient science in ancient Near Eastern literature.
Celestial Divination in Ugarit and Ancient Israel: A Reappraisal, inpress, according to \url{http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/jeffrey-cooley.html} accessed 2013-06-06
Early Mesopotamian Astral Science and Divination in the Myth of Inana And Šukaletuda
journal
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions
volume
8
number
1
pages
75-98
location
Leiden
publisher
Brill
year
2008
doi
10.1163/156921208786182446
abstract
The Sumerian tale of “Inana and Shukaletuda” recounts how the goddess Inana is raped by a homely gardener upon whom she seeks and ultimately finds revenge. Though this general plot has long been understood, certain elements of the story have remained largely unexplored. Previous scholarship has often suggested that within “Inana and Shukaletuda”, the goddess Inana is often described in her astral manifestation (e.g. S. Kramer 1961, 117; K. Volk 1995, 177-179 and 182-183; B. Alster 1999, 687; J. Cooper 2001, 142-144). Nevertheless, to date there has been no systematic treatment of this assumption and this study seeks to fill this gap. It is my thesis that certain events of the story (i.e. Inana’s movements) can be related to a series of observable celestial phenomena, specifically the synodic activity of the planet Venus. This also explains the heretofore enigmatic climax of the story, in which Inana crosses the entire sky in order to finally locate her attacker, as a celestial miracle required by the planet Venus’ peculiar celestial limitations. Furthermore, since in ancient Iraq the observation of astronomical phenomena was often done for the purpose of celestial divination, I suggest that certain events within the story may be illuminated if situated within that undertaking.
KASKAL: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, vol. 5 () pp. 161-172 Padova and Florence: Sargon editrice e libreria
Since F. Al-Rawi and J. Black published the second tablet of the first-millennium myth Erra and Išum (Iraq 51: 111-122) it has been generally recognized that the story includes fairly specific references to celestial features known from the Mesopotamian tradition of celestial divination. Moreover, D. Brown (Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-Astrology) has made passing reference to his belief that Erra and Išum contains significant astronomically related material. Nevertheless, to date no systematic study of the myth has been undertaken which explores this possibility in any depth. In this paper, I demonstrate that the author of the myth did, in fact, employ significant astronomical technical terminology in his composition, terminology that is also found in the contemporary works of celestial divination (Enūma Anu Enlil, mulAPIN, as well as the astronomical reports and letters to the Neo-Assyrian monarchs). Such terminology includes: bibbu, manzāzu, šarūru maqātu, šarūru našû, ba’ālu, umullu, and adannu etēqu. Moreover, I show that the author’s knowledge of celestial divination goes beyond the mere use of technical terminology. Indeed, the author also exhibits his familiarity with the association of certain celestial features with specific divine characters and mundane phenomena. This includes the constellations mulKA5.A/ šēlebu (’the Fox’), the Sebitti and the planet Mars with the god Erra. He also associates Mars/Erra with destruction and plague, the Sebitti with the well-being of livestock, and Marduk with the stability of the land in general and Babylon in particular. Finally, I show that the author demonstrates a knowledge and acceptance of specific divinatory theoretical concepts including the general principle that the phenomena of the sky portend divine action.
Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible: The Reflexes of Celestial Science in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic and Israelite Literature
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
77
number
2
pages
174-191
location
Berlin
publisher
De Gruyter
year
1987
doi
10.1515/zava.1987.77.2.174
urldate
2014-04-16
abstract
One of the major sources of historical Information for the Ur III period (ca. 2100 BCE) is the archive of cuneiform administrative tablete thought to derive from the site of Drehern in southern Iraq. The internal calendar by which these tablete are dated is well-known; however, there are a number of calendrical problems which are associated with tablete dating from the reign of Sulgi. Previous scholarship has collected anomalous calendrical evidence from this period but has not explained it. This paper attempts to demonstrate that there are three diflerent calendars co-existing in the Drehern tablete from Sulgi 44 to Sulgi 48 which employ the same menology differing only in the starting point of the year and the Systems of intercalation.
keywords
YBC 651, Drehern tablets, Sulgi 44, Sulgi 45, Sulgi 46, Sulgi 47, Sulgi 48, AO 19548, TuM 1-2.123, AOS 32 14, Sigrist 368 = SA 19
XVII. Deutscher Orientalistentag vom 21. bis 27. Juli 1968 in Würzburg: Vorträge; ed. by Voigt; pt. 1 [=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, Supplementa [ZDMG Supplementa], nr 1] pp. 170-173 Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines: XIVe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965). Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965) [RAI 14]; ed. by Wendel et al. [Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg ser.] pp. 125-129 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Wendel, F. and Nougayrol, J. and Gadd, C. J. and Oppenheim, A. L. and Falkenstein, A. and Grayson, A. K. and Dossin, G. and Finet, A. and Pettinato, G. and Aro, J. and Lambert, W. G. and Cornelius, F. and Leichty, E. and Eissfeldt, O. and Derchain, Ph. and Bloch, R. and Amandry, P.
booktitle
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines
booksubtitle
XIVe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965)
booktitleaddon
Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965)
shortbooktitle
RAI 14
series
Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg
pages
125-129
pagetotal
184
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
institution
Centre d’Études Supérieures Spécialisé d’Histoire des Religions de Strasbourg
year
1966
language
german
crossRef
wendel1966rai14
eventtitle
XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale
eventdate
1965-07-02/1965-07-062
venue
Strasbourg
timestamp
2014-01-31
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [The UR III Eclipses]
The Month: A Catholic Magazine and Review, vol. 74 (), nr 334 pp. 528-546 London and Dublin and Baltimore: Burns & Oates and M.H. Gill & Son and John Murphy & Co.
Astrological-Astronomical Texts: Astrological-astronomical texts copied from the original tablets in the British museum and autographed by James A. Craig [AAT]
Assyriologische Bibliothek [AB], nr 14 Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Enuma Anu Enlil] #and# Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \url{http://members.westnet.com.au/gary-david-thompson/page3.html}
gent_note
[107-115]
thompson_note
Note: There is no text. The book contains drawings of sections of the approximate 70 texts comprising the omen series Enuma Anu Enlil. (Tablets 50 and 51 have important constellation/star name lists.) See the (English-language) book review article “Craig’s Astrological-Astronomical Texts” by Reginald Thompson in The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Volume 17, Number 2, January, 1901, Pages 107-115. The author was a Canadian assyriologist. He held the position of Professor of Oriental Languages first at University of Michigan, and then at McGill University and University of Toronto. Life dates: 1855-1932.
Researches into the origin of the primitive constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Babylonians 1 (1899), Brown Jr. R [Review]
Folk-Lore: A quarterly review of myth, tradition, institution & custom. Being the Transactions of the Folk-Lore Society, and incorporating The Archaeological Review and the Folk-Lore Journal, vol. 10 (), iss. fall, nr 44 pp. 339-341 London: David Nutt
Comment les Grecs connurent les tables lunaires des Chaldéens
Florilegium: Recueil de travaux d’érudition. Melchior de Vogüé [Fs Vogüé]; ed. by Allotte de la Fuÿe et al. pp. 159-165 Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner
Comment les Grecs connurent les tables lunaires des Chaldéens
editor
Allotte de la Fuÿe, F.-M. and Babelon, E. and van Berchem, Max and Berger, Philippe and Bezold, Carl and Blanchet, Adrien and Brünnow, R. and Butler, H. Cr. and Cagnat, René and Carra de Vaux, Bon and Chabot, J.-B. and Clermont-Ganneau, Ch. and Collignon, Max and Conti, Charles and Cordier, Henri and Cumont, Fr. and Delattre, R. P. A.-L. and Delaville Le Roulx, J. and Dieulafoy, Marcel and Dujardin, Paul and Durrieu, Paul and Dussaud, René and Enlart, C. and Euting, Julius and Fournier, Paul and Girard, Paul and Guidi, Ignazio and Haupt, P. and Haussoullier, Bernard and Héron de Villefosse, A. and Hommel, Fritz and Kohler, Charles and Lagrange, R. P. J. and Lidzbarski, Mark and Littmann, Enno and Löw, Immanuel and Margoliouth, D. S. and Maspero, Gaston and Merx, Adalbert and Müller, David Heinrich and Naville, Édouard and Nöldeke, Th. and Omont, Henri and Pinches, Th. G. and Pognon, H. and Pottier, E. and Reckendorf, H. and de Ridder, A. and Ronzevalle, R. P. S. and Sachau, Édouard and Sayce, A. H. and Scheil, R. P. V. and Schlumberger, Gustave and Sedláček, Jaroslaw and Senart, E. and Seymour de Ricci, M. and Thureau-Dangin, Fr. and Torrey, Ch. C. and Vincent, R. P. Hugues and Zapletal, R. P. V.
Neue Jahrbücher für das klassische Altertum, Geschichte und deutsche Literatur [Neue Jahrbücher], vol. 14 (), iss. 1, nr 27 [Vierzehnter Jahrgang 1911] pp. 1-10 Leipzig and Berlin: B.G. Teubner
Mesopotamian Astronomy and Astrology as Seen by Greek Literature: The Chaldaeans
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 135-137 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Gesamtband erschienen als Lfg. 1(1895) – Lfg. 6(1897)
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Calendars and Years in Ancient Egypt: The soundness of Egyptian and West Asian chronology in 1500-500 BC and the consistency of the Egyptian 365-day wandering year
Calendars and Years, vol. 1 [of 2]: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient Near East; ed. by Steele pp. 35-81 Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books, Ltd
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East [AOAT 297]; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 79-107 Münster
Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East
shortbooktitle
AOAT 297
series
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments
shortseries
AOAT
number
297
pages
79-107
location
Münster
year
2002
crossRef
steele2002underonesk
eventtitle
Under One Sky: Astronomy \& Mathematics in the Ancient Near East
eventdate
2001-06-25/2001-06-27
venue
London
organization
British Museum
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]” #and# \cite{gent2004mesopotami} [Units and Measures in Mesopotamian Astronomy \& Astrology]
Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten (NINO)
shortpublisher
NINO
year
1998
date
1998-01/1998-04
doi
10.2143/BIOR.55.1.2015844
urldate
2013-12-05
abstract
This paper’s main purpose is to analyze star clocks. This analysis is presented in section II below. Star clocks are, as far as the surviving evidence allows us to see, the most advanced expression of engagement with the star sky found in hieroglyphic sources dating to 3000-1000 B.C.E. and probably in any such sources as far as they are free from foreign influence. The star clocks are called clocks because it is widely assumed that they were used to tell the time at night according to divisions of the night into 12 parts or “hours” (wnwt).
keywords
/
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Nô-Rouz, le Nouvel An iranien: Un mythe de l’Éternel Retour
Actes de la XVIIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Universit Libre de Bruxelles, 30 juin-4 juillet 1969 [RAI 17 Proceedings]; ed. by Finet [=Publications du Comité Belge de Recherches Historiques, Epigraphiques et Archeologiques en Mesopotamie, nr 1] pp. 93-98 Ham-sur-Heure: Comité Belge de Recherches en Mesopotamie
Vorträge gehalten auf der 28. Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale [RAI 28]; ed. by Hirsch et al. [=Archiv für Orientforschung, Beihefte [AfO Beih.], nr 19] pp. 284-288 Horn, AT: Verlag Ferdinand Berger & Söhne Gesellschaft
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 86 () [Festschrift für Hans Hirsch zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern Institut für Orientalistik [Fs Hirsch]] pp. 99-105 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Vom alten Orient zum Alten Testament: Festschrift für Wolfram Freiherrn von Soden zum 85. Geburtstag am 19. Juni 1993 [Fs Soden [1995]]; ed. by Dietrich et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 240] pp. 65-99 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens (1993), Galter H [Review]
[]
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 24 () pp. 506-507 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Der Untergang von Ugarit am 21. Januar 1192 v.Chr.?: Der astronomisch-hepatoskopische Bericht KTU 1.78 (= RS 12.061)
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 34 () pp. 53-74 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Der keilalphabetische summa izbu-Text RS 24.247 + 265 + 268 + 328
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 7 () pp. 133-140 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Sonnenfinsternis in Ugarit: PRU 2,162, das älteste Dokument über eine Totaleklipse
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 6 () pp. 464-465 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Vorläufige Berichte über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka [UVB], vol. 18: XVIII. Vorläufiger Bericht über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka (Winter 1959/1960) [UVB 18]; ed. by Lenzen et al. [=Abhandlungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft, nr 7] ch.: II. Die Tontafeln aus dem res-Heiligtum, pp. 43-61 Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag
XVIII. Vorläufiger Bericht über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka (Winter 1959/1960)
shortbooktitle
UVB 18
maintitle
Vorläufige Berichte über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka
tikip santakki mala bašmu: Festschrift für Rykle Borger zu seinem 65. Geburtstag am 24. Mai 1994; ed. by Maul [=Cuneiform Monographs [CM], nr 10] pp. 9-38 Groningen: Styx Publications
[Untitled] Kuglers Bestreitung des Alters der babylonischen Astronomie veranlaßte mich zu der Untersuchung, wie man wohl auf die Voraussage der Finsternisse gekommen ist. [..]
Das Alter der babylonischen Astronomie. Mit 15 Abbildungen und astronomischen Zeichnungen, unter Berücksichtigung der Erwiderung von P.F.X. Kugler SJ; by Jeremias (edn: Zweite erweiterte Auflage) [=Im Kampfe um den Alten Orient: Wehr- und Streitschriften [KAO], nr 3] pp. 67 Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Kuglers Bestreitung des Alters der babylonischen Astronomie veranlaßte mich zu der Untersuchung, wie man wohl auf die Voraussage der Finsternisse gekommen ist. [..]
editor
Jeremias, Alfred Karl Gabriel and Winckler, Hugo
bookauthor
Jeremias, Alfred Karl Gabriel
booktitle
Das Alter der babylonischen Astronomie
booktitleaddon
Mit 15 Abbildungen und astronomischen Zeichnungen, unter Berücksichtigung der Erwiderung von P.F.X. Kugler SJ
series
Im Kampfe um den Alten Orient: Wehr- und Streitschriften
[Jeremias: Dr. Ernst Dittrich, Gymnasialprofessor in Wittingen in Böhmen, schreibt mir: ] „Kuglers Bestreitung des Alters der babylonischen Astronomie veranlaßte mich zu der Untersuchung, wie man wohl auf die Voraussage der Finsternisse gekommen ist. Ich fand, daß sie im Zusammenhang mit dem Mondkalender, der 12 Lichtmonate zu 354 Tagen rechnet, entdeckt worden sein muß. Zuerst wurde wohl der große, heute wenig erwähnte Zyklus von 60 Mondjahren weniger 4 Lichtmonate gefunden, nicht der »Saros« genannte Zyklus von 18 Mondjahren 7 Lichtmonaten. Bei dieser kleinen Arbeit lenkte die Zahl 60 und das Wort »Saros« meine Aufmerksamkeit auf das Sexagesimalsystem. Syncellus erhielt uns bekanntlich die Nachricht, daß »Saros« und »Sossos« 60x60 und 60 Jahre sind. Später bezeichnet das Wort »Saros« eine Periode, in der sich die Finsternisse wiederholen. Nun kann 60x60 keine Finsternisperiode gewesen sein, wohl aber 60. Das ist aber der »Sossos«. Ob wohl die beiden Worte später vertauscht worden sind? Wenn uns überliefert wäre, daß 60 und 60x60 durch die Worte »shar« und »shu-shu« bezeichnet werden, würde jedermann 60x60 in dem gedoppelten shu-shu erkennen und 60 Jahre für »shar« halten. Ich glaube also, daß in uralten Zeiten die 60jährige Finsternisperiode durch das Wort bezeichnet wurde, aus dem später »shar« = »Saros« entstand. Es würde also das Sexagesimalsystem aus dem alten Mondkalender entstanden sein; die Finsternisvoraussage wäre älter als das Sexagesimalsystem.“ [Jeremias: Ich halte die Beobachtung Dr. Dittrichs für sehr beachtenswert. Nur wird auf die Annahme eines „früher“ oder „später“ zu verzichten sein. Wir können über „Ursprüngliches“ nichts aussagen.]
crossRef
jeremias1909dasalterde
timestamp
2015-06-11
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Book author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Časopis pro pěstování matematiky a fysiky [Čas. Mat. Fys.], vol. 67 (), nr 3 pp. 216-221 Jednota československých matematiků a fysiků Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists
Betrachtung der Tafel 272 von Kidunnu, die zu 39 verschiedenen Sonnenlängen die zugehörigen Tageslängen und halben Nachtlängen enthält. Aus der Tabelle, bzw. ihrer graphischen Darstellung als Sinuslinie, bestimmt Verf. den babylonischen Frühlingspunkt. Die Verschiedenheit zwischen den babylonischen Werten und denen von Schoch werden erklärt aus dem Bestreben der Babylonier, für den längsten und den kürzesten Tag runde Zahlen zu erhalten. Vogel, K.; Prof. (München) [JFM 64.0904.01, \url{https://zbmath.org/?q=an:64.0904.01}]
Časopis pro pěstování matematiky a fysiky [Čas. Mat. Fys.], vol. 65 (), nr 4 pp. 245-258 Jednota československých matematiků a fysiků Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists
Es wird die Breitenkolonne (“E”) des Systems (“I” durch Vergeich mit ihrer trigonometrischen Darstellung auf ihre Genauigkeit untersucht und mit Oppolzers Kanon verglichen. O. Neugebauer (Kopenhagen). [Zbl 0014.24503, \url{https://zbmath.org/?q=an:0014.24503}]
La table de la nouvelle lumière de la Lune de Kidinnu
series
Spisy vydávané přírodovědeckou fakultou Karlovy university
number
137
pagetotal
35
location
Praha
publisher
F. Řivnáč
institution
Přírodovědecká Fakulta Karlovy University
year
1935
timestamp
2015-06-11
comment
Mit Hilfe der Oxford-Tafeln von Schock untersucht Verf. die Verläßlichkeit einiger Kolonnen der babylonischen astronomischen Tafel von {\it Kidinnu\/} und zeigt, daß die Tafel mit der Wirklichkeit gut übereinstimmt. Reviewer: Zacharias, M. [JfM 61.0943.01, \url{http://www.zentralblatt-math.org/jahrbuch/?q=an%3A02534042}]
Časopis pro pěstování matematiky a fysiky [Čas. Mat. Fys.], vol. 63 (), nr 2 pp. 17-30 Jednota československých matematiků a fysiků Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists
Verf. behandelt den bekannten Kugler-Eppingschen Text (bei Kugler “272,81-7-6” aber eigentlich BM 34580), beschränkt sich aber, soweit Ref. aus Resumee und Formeln erkennen kann, auf die Beschreibung derjenigen Kolumnen, die nur Differenzreihen erster Ordnung betreffen. Diese Beschränkung hat ihn verhindert, den Kern der Methode zu verstehen, nämlich daß die Reihen erster Ordnung nur die erste Annäherung darstellen, die zweiter Ordnung aber bereits durch geeignete Vorzeichenkombinationen Punkte auf einer Wellenlinie (aus Parabelbogen aufgebaut) ergeben. Verf. beschreibt sie durch trigonometrische Ausdrücke. O. Neugebauer (Kopenhagen). [Zbl 0008.33701, \url{https://zbmath.org/?q=an:0008.33701}]
Časopis pro pěstování matematiky a fysiky [Čas. Mat. Fys.], vol. 63 (), nr 4 pp. 82-96 Jednota československých matematiků a fysiků Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists
Replacement of Babylonian astronomical tables by trigonometric formulae / Substitution des tables astronomiques babyloniennes par les formules trigonométriques
Verf. behandelt den bekannten Kugler-Eppingschen Text (bei Kugler “272,81-7-6” aber eigentlich BM 34580), beschränkt sich aber, soweit Ref. aus Resumee und Formeln erkennen kann, auf die Beschreibung derjenigen Kolumnen, die nur Differenzreihen erster Ordnung betreffen. Diese Beschränkung hat ihn verhindert, den Kern der Methode zu verstehen, nämlich daß die Reihen erster Ordnung nur die erste Annäherung darstellen, die zweiter Ordnung aber bereits durch geeignete Vorzeichenkombinationen Punkte auf einer Wellenlinie (aus Parabelbogen aufgebaut) ergeben. Verf. beschreibt sie durch trigonometrische Ausdrücke. O. Neugebauer (Kopenhagen). [Zbl 0008.33702, \url{https://zbmath.org/?q=an:0008.33701}]
Ninive koleksiyonunda bulunan astronomi ile ilgili üç tablet
İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri yıllığı: [Annual of the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul] [IAMY [AAMI]], vol. 17 () pp. 251-267 Istanbul: Pulhan Matbaası
New Evidence on the Reading of the Old Assyrian Month-Name Kanwarta: With an Edition of the Memorandum kt c/k 839
[]
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 28 () pp. 3-9 Leiden
Lettre du devin Asqudum au roi Zimrilim au sujet d’une éclipse de lune
Compte rendu de la seconde rencontre assyriologique internationale. Organisée à Paris du 2 au 6 juillet 1951 par le Groupe François Thureau-Dangin [RAI 2 Proc.]; ed. by Cavaignac et al. [=Proceedings of the Rencontres Assyriologiques Internationales [RAI Proc.], nr 2] pp. 46-48 Paris: Imprimerie Nationale
Lettre du devin Asqudum au roi Zimrilim au sujet d’une éclipse de lune
editor
Cavaignac, E. and Dhorme, P.É. and Dossin, G. and Falkenstein, A. and Frankfort, H. and Goetze, A. and Goossens, G.M.C.A. and Laroche, E. and Parrot, A. and Posner and Schaeffer, C.F.A. and von Soden, W. and Gadd, Cyril John and Kraus, F.R. and Smith, S. and Turfan, Kemal
editortype
collaborator
booktitle
Compte rendu de la seconde rencontre assyriologique internationale
booktitleaddon
Organisée à Paris du 2 au 6 juillet 1951 par le Groupe François Thureau-Dangin
shortbooktitle
RAI 2 Proc.
series
Proceedings of the Rencontres Assyriologiques Internationales
shortseries
RAI Proc.
number
2
pages
46-48
location
Paris
publisher
Imprimerie Nationale
year
1951
crossRef
cavaignac1951rai02
eventtitle
La terminologie sumérienne et accadienne du bronze #and# La chronologie de la première dynastie babylonienne
eventdate
1951-07-02/1951-07-06
venue
Paris
organization
Le Groupe François Thureau-Dangin
timestamp
2015-05-11
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions] [[\#ERR] typo in title: “Zimrimlim”; wrong book title “Actes de la ...”]
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland [JRAS], ser. newseries, vol. 85 (), nr 1-2 pp. 34-39 London: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Astronomische Ueberlegungen zu dem ugaritischen Text ueber Sonne und Mars – KTU 1.78
Mantik in Ugarit; ed. by Dietrich et al. [=Abhandlungen zur Literatur Alt-Syrien-Palästinas und Mesopotamiens [ALASPM], nr 3] pp. 282-286 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
pp. 39-62 \& 282-286 [“Astronomische Ueberlegungen zu dem ugaritischen Text ueber Sonne und Mars – KTU 1.78”, contribution by W.C. Seitter & H.W. Duerbeck] (*).
This article puts forth a mathematical and astronomical model that helps explain the structure of the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab; 4Q208–211), in particular the sequences of fractions in 4Q208 and 4Q209. The article confirms and builds upon Drawnel’s reconstruction of this highly formulaic composition. The model proposed here demonstrates that the numerous fractions of the aab, although they seem bewildering and incomprehensible to many readers today, constitute genuine and authentic astronomical knowledge. While there are parallels between the aab and Mesopotamian astronomical texts, especially the Enūma Anu Enlil, they do not necessarily indicate that the author of the aab had direct or extensive access to centers of astronomical knowledge in Babylon.
Canon of Solar Eclipses -2003 to +2526 (1983), Meeus J & Mucke H [Review]
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 7 () pp. 126-131 College Park, Md.: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 2-7 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Par un étonnant jeu du sort, avant d’inventer l’écriture, l’homme a dû apprendre à lire, à déchiffrer et à décrypter les messages que les dieux créateurs lui avaient laissés. Las Mésopotamiens furent, une fois encore, les précurseurs d’un art divinatoire qui devait marquer l’histoire de l’humanité.
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts, Erster Band: Autographien. Ausgrabungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft in Assur, E: Inschriften: II pp. 1-354
[]
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [KAR], vol. 1 [of 2], pt. 1-4 [=Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [WVDOG], nr 28] Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts, Zweiter Band: Autographien. [Ausgrabungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft in Assur, E: Inschriften: II] pp. 1-444
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [KAR], vol. 2 [of 2] [=Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [WVDOG], nr 34] Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [6]. Sechstes Heft (zweiter Band, zweites Heft); in der Gesamtreihe der Keilschrifttexte aus Assur: Heft 8
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [KAR], vol. 2 [of 2]: Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts, Zweiter Band: Autographien. [Ausgrabungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft in Assur, E: Inschriften: II]; by Ebeling [=Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [WVDOG], nr 34] pp. 81-160 Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [4]. Viertes Heft, mit Ergänzungen zu Heft 1-4 (Schluß des 1. Bandes, nebst Titel und Inhalt); in der Gesamtreihe der Keilschrifttexte aus Assur: Heft 5
Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts [KAR], vol. 1 [of 2]: Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts, Erster Band: Autographien. [Ausgrabungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft in Assur, E: Inschriften: II]; by Ebeling [=Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [WVDOG], nr 28] pp. 241-354 Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Beschwörungsserie Namburbi
titleaddon
[1]
sorttitle
Beitraege zur Kenntnis der Beschwoerungsserie Namburbi 1
journal
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale
shortjournal
RA
volume
48
number
1
pages
1-15
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
year
1954
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23294678
urldate
2014-10-17
language
english
keywords
80-7-19.181, 82-2-23.57, 83-1-18.477, BMS 59, BRT 43, CT 38.23, CT 38.25, CT 40.13, K 144, K 201, K 201, K 2495, K 2784, K 2999, K 3244, K 3844, K 6313, K 6313, K 7393, K 814, K 957 = CT 39.50, KAR 144, KAR 357, KAR 44, OECT 6.23 = K 3231, Rm 2.178, TU 50, VAT 10036, VAT 10180b = KAR 388, VAT 10759a + VAT 10180a = KAR 387, VAT 10973 = KAR 241, VAT 11157 = KAR 257, VAT 13652, VAT 13652, VAT 14247 = LKA 130
Altorientalische Texte und Bilder zum Alten Testamente, vol. 1 [of 2]: Altorientalische Texte zum Alten Testamente; by Greßmann et al. (edn: 2., völlig neugestaltete und stark verm. Aufl.) pp. 108-130 Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
This page presents an index table to the texts common to Pritchard’s ANET and all three of Hallo’s COS volumes, as well as two separate lists of those texts included only in ANET (listed by given title and initial page number) and those included only in COS (listed by given title and text number). The format is simple. The first column is the COS reference number. The second column is the title given to the work in COS. The third column is the ANET page number(s). The fourth column is the title given to the work in ANET. ANET : Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Third Edition with Supplement. Ed. James B. Pritchard. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1969 COS: The Context of Scripture. 3 volumes. Eds. William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger. Leiden: Brill, 1997-2002 An Adobe PDF file of this page is available for printing, since the table is a bit messy in HTML.
timestamp
2014-03-15
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
A concordance of the texts found in both \cite{pritchard1950anet,hallo2002cos} is given here.
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
Sitzungsberichte der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [SBAW], nr 1975 Munich: Verlag der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission beim Verlag C.H. Beck
In a recent issue of this journal mention was made of the “Chariot’s Crescent,” u4 – sakar x(SAR) gišg i g i r – r a, as an aspect of lunar cultic activities. The term to date occurs only once in that form in published texts. The text presented here is offered with the view of enlarging the known body of evidence.
From gu^4-si-su^3 to GU^4.AN.NA (TAURUS): Image, Term and Semantic Field of the IInd Nippurian Month
Intellectual Life of the Ancient Near East: Papers Presented at the 43rd Rencontre assyriologique internationale [RAI 43 Proc.]; ed. by Prosecký [=Proceedings of the Rencontres Assyriologiques Internationales [RAI Proc.], nr 43] pp. 141-146 Praha: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic/Oriental Institute
[: transformation of month rituals to the names of zodiacal signs.]]. [Note: Unpublished 1997 PhD thesis (but published as monograph in 1999?). The author is an Assyriologist (Ph.D. in Sumerology) and department member of the Oriental Department, and Associate Professor (Dozent) (2011, Professor) at the Saint-Petersburg State University (a major Russian university). From the summary (Note: The appearance of @ substitutes for a correctly given letter in the original.): “The calendar of an old Sumerian city Nippur (now Niffer in Iraq) played a very important role in the cultural history of the Ancient Near East. During the third millenium it was a local calendar; but after Ur III, it became the calendar of almost the whole of Babylonia, and influenced Hebrew, Syriac and Syro-Arabic chronological systems. This work deals with cuneiform sources related to the Nippur calendar and its rituals. The main aim of the book is to analyze all these texts and to make some associations between the Nippur calendar and the solar Zodiac.” Vladimir Emelianov’s thesis summary: “Summary. The calendar of an old Sumerian city Nippur (now Niffer in Iraq) played a very important role in the cultural history of the Ancient Near East. During the third millenium it was a local calendar; but after Ur III, it became the calendar of almost the whole of Babylonia, and influenced Hebrew, Syriac and Syro-Arabic chronological systems. This work deals with cuneiform sources related to the Nippur calendar and its rituals. The main aim of the book is to analyze all these texts and to make some associations between the Nippur calendar and the solar Zodiac. Introduction. There have been three main tendencies in the study of Sumerian culture. The first one may be named aesthetical comparison. It refers to the discovery of similarities between Sumerian and Old Testamental texts by means of the analysis of its poetic composition (S. N. Kramer, W. W. Hallo, V. K. Afanasieva). The second may be called politics in myth, that is, the application of political history to the plot of sacred texts and the explanation of ancient culture by means of modern socio-economical ideas (Th. Jacobsen, I. M. Diakonoff, C. Wilcke-K.Volk, J. S. Cooper). The third tendency, religious culture, treats ideology as the sphere of religion and cult, and the cultic activity predominates here over the cultural activity (French scholars, H. Sauren, R. Averbeck). However, the existence of these tendencies in the consciousness of Sumerians is doubtful because there are no words such as “politics”, “religion” or “beauty” in ancient cuneiform languages. So, it would be strange to place the Sumerian world picture around one abstract modern term. Sumerian texts reveal a tendency to co-ordinate human life with the world of nature and cosmos. Not only as it is but also in relation with the days of sacrifice was the cult of a god important. Historical inscriptions compared the king with deities whose actions were connected with the seasons and months of the calendar. The form, stylistic elements and formulae of the text contain hidden indication to the calendar ritual, which was the prototype of a literary work. So, it is important to study the ancient calendar as a source of culture, for example, of the Sumerian culture. In the field of Sumerology there are four significant books on Sumerian calendars. B. Landsberger (1915), M. E. Cohen (1993), W. Sallaberger (1993) investigate the facts of calendar, that is, all month names and days of sacrifices found in all kinds of cuneiform texts. S. Langdon (1935) tried to explicate the ritual essence of calendar months. His work was the first attempt to overcome the separation between cultural and calendar studies in Sumerology. Recently, a second attempt was made by A. Livingstone (1986) in his book dedicated to the rituals and explanatory works on them. Our investigation continues the “Langdon-Livingstone line”. We shall try to analyze the substance of all Nippur months and then to reveal chrono-topos (Space-and-Time, by M. M. Bakhtin) of the Nippur calendar. Chapter I. The Nippur Calendar. All cuneiform sources related to the Nippur calendar can be divided into three groups: 1) Nippur pre-Sargonic and Sargonic administrative texts (ECTJ, OSP 1-2, TuM); 2) Middle Babylonian, Neo-Assyrian and Seleucian explanatory works (KAV 218, OECT XI 69+70, SBH VIII, BPO 2 X, “Nippur Compendium” in George, BTT); 3) series of prescriptions like Iqqur-ipush (Labat, Hem. et Men; Labat, Cal.). In group 1) we can find all 12 months’ names in their archaic written versions. Texts of group 2) (like Astrolabe B) contain explanations of each months’ name by means of the month’s ritual and connect it with the definite celestial object heliacally rising in this month. Prescriptions of group 3) relate to the most important events of the month. Additional information can be extracted from Sumerian hymns to a god (so called myths) and royal inscriptions. The Nippur calendar consisted of four seasons: season of An (XII-II), season of Enlil (III-V), season of An II (VI-VIII), season of Enki (IX-XI). It began near the spring equinox and might be connected with the time of the rising of the river. Astronomical foundations of the calendar were lunar and solar observations: each month began with a new moon, but each season depended on the way of the Sun through the stars of the celestial equator. I bara2-za3-gar (March-April) “(re-establishing) the dais in shrine”. Enthronement as a result of the Great Battle between the Young Hero and the Chaos (= the Old Hero). Ninurta and Asag, Marduk and Tiamat, Tarhunas and Illuyanka, St. George and the Dragon. The dais here is a symbol of stable, solid earth in the middle of the Abyss and, therefore, a symbol of the beginning of the New World. II gu4-si-su3/sa2 “turning/direction of the oxen”. The Great Meeting of the Young Hero in the gates of Nippur and his Sacred Marriage, which is connected with ploughing the earth. Here Ninurta became ensigal and engar of his father Enlil. III sig4 gish u3-shub-ba gar “placing the brick to the brick-mould”. The symbolic meaning of this magic procedure is the real co-existence of antipodes. We know that this month was associated in late astronomical texts with the Gemini Lugalgirra and Meslamtaea who were Sin and Nergal (the light of the Moon and the darkness of the Nether World). One can propose some kind of relation between the myth of this month and the plot of ‘Enlil and Ninlil’. IV shu-numun “sowing”. Here the process of sowing is connected with the departure of Dumuzi to the Nether World. Women cry over him to stimulate the growth of seeds. We would suppose that the crying Nin-ru-ru-gu2 of Astrolabe B < Nin-lu2-ru-gu2 “Mistress who opposes a man”, is Ereshkigal. V NE.NE gar “establishing of torches”. The fire of many torches helps mankind to drive away ghosts of the Nether World. People at that time make sacrifices to their dead relatives who had not received food and drink from their children and came out from the Nether World to disbalance relations between the living and the dead. In literature, it is the time of Inanna’s descent to the Nether World and Gilgamesh’s march to kur-lu2-ti-la of Huwawa (in Sumerian, kur means simultaneously “a mountain”, “a foreign country” and “the Nether World”). Athletic game played at this time in memory of Gilgamesh with the light of many torches seems to have been similar to the Greek Olympic Games. VI kin-dInnin “the service for Inanna”. Inanna’s statues are cleaned in “the River of the Sacred Ordeal” because of her coming out from the Nether World at that time. In the literature, we know the myth “Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven” where Gilgamesh has refused to enter Inanna’s temple in Uruk. He names her Nin-e2-gal “Mistress of the Big House (= Acc. bit kili »prison«)”. It means that she was a prisoner of the Nether World and, after coming out, she is waiting for a new Dumuzi, that is, for a hero who must descend to the Nether World as a substitute for Inanna. VII du6-ku3 “the Sacred Mound”. Purification of kings and rulers, libations to Enki-Ninki as parent of Enlil. From OS and SB texts (Krebernik, BFE 18-19; Selz, 1995, enki-ninki; van Dijk, 1964) we know that Enki-Ninki had been the first deity before Enlil. He lived in the Earth, in the root of sacred tamarisk, at the very beginning of the world. The month and its rituals symbolize the very ancient time of the Universe, the period of establishing the World Order. Enki-Ninki was the parent of Anunna-gods who were rulers of Justice. The sun-god Utu was the second god of this month. VIII apin-du8-a “release of the Plough”. The ritual is unknown (it should be the holiday of Tummal). Astrolabe B alludes to this ritual when it mentions the “Dialogue between the Plough and the Hoe”. It means the time of finishing all work with the plough (the plough’s activity on the field lasting from the IV till the VIII months). IX gan-gan-e3 “rising of the Killer”. Here GAN.GAN = @agK@u “to kill”, e3 “to rise”. We know from Astrolabe B and the corresponding texts that it is the month of Nergal. In the Erra-Epic Nergal is called bel shagashe “master of murder”, so we can say that the whole month is dedicated to Nergal’s rising from the Nether World, that is, to the darkness of the winter sun. There is an association between Nergal’s rising and the rising of fruits from the Earth. This is the reason why the IX month is “the month of prosperity and abundance”. X ku3-SHEM “the sacred nakedness”. According to J. Bauer’s reading, SHEM = sux, su3PA.SIKIL = /sug/. In the Sumero-Eblaite glossary su3PA.SIKIL = sa-ba-tu “to be naked” (cf. Arabic sbt,, Hebrew shbt, “twig, rod”). It is the time of the Earth’s holiday after agricultural activities. X ab-ba-e3 (from Ur III) “rising of the Elder(s)”. Here the main rituals are: a) a big feast of An related to the eldest deities (Enmesharra, Ninshubur); b) rising of the dead founders of the state (Ur-Nammu, Shulgi) and their seating at the place of assembly. XI ud2-duru5 “emmer”. The ritual is unknown; however, in Astrolabe B it is “the month of cold, the favourite month of Enlil”, in Iq.-ip. 105, 11 “the month of Ishkur, canal inspector of the Heaven and the Earth”. We know about a very obscure holiday of Enlil at that time (“Nippur Compendium”; Ur III text in Sallaberger, 1993), where many weepers participate. Assur state ritual (van Driel, Assur, 140) contains the liturgical reading of a-ab-ba hu-luh-ha at the end of this month. In the latter text, the people of Nippur appeal to Enlil with a request not to flood their city and not to freeze them. One can suggest that rituals of this month may be related to the image of the Flood and the World Crush. XII she-gur10-ku5 “(time of) harvest”. The ritual is unknown, however, we know from Iqqur-ipush that it was the time of destruction of Agade and Ur. “Harvest” may mean “the end” here. Gods of the month are Sibitti, who are friends of Asag, children of Enmesharra. Chapter II. Semantic System of the Nippur Calendar. Steady observations lead us to the conclusion that the Nippur year was divided into two periods. Its first period (I-VI) was devoted to the “Inanna-Dumuzi cycle”, its second period was occupied by the gods of the Nether World and the Abyss. The main plot of the Nippur year is the conflict between the World of Life and the Nether World. Here the spatial meaning of “the World of Life” is “our world” < “our land” (= Sumer), the temporal meaning is “the bright time of the year” (from the winter solstice till the summer solstice). Correspondingly, the spatial meaning of “the Nether World” is “steppe”, “foreign country”, “outside space”, the temporal meaning is “the dark time of the year” (from the summer solstice till the winter solstice). This is the chrono-topos of the Nippur calendar. The situation of conflict is implemented here in four positions: I-III – domination of the World of Life. Giving ME as potencies of being to the Hero after his battle with the Abyss, reconstruction of the world and temple, enthronement and the sacred marriage, division of light and dark. Lugale, Barton Cylinder, an-gim dim2-ma, Cyl.A Gudea, Enki and the World Order, Enlil and Ninlil (?). IV-VI – war with the Nether World: Substitutes (Dumuzi, Inanna, Gilgamesh in the Nether World), ghosts of the Nether World ascend. Descent of Inanna, Gilgamesh and kur-lu2-ti-la, Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh’s Death. VII-IX – peace with the Nether World. Reconstruction of the margins between the two worlds, judgement of Utu and libations to the old gods. Utu hymns, Plough and Hoe. X-XII – domination of the Nether World and Abyss. Deluge, destruction of cities, saving the World of Life by a righteous person. Deluge myth, Ur Lament, Curse of Agade. One may note that there is a system of interconnections within the Nippur calendar, such as an opposition between the corresponding months of the first and the second periods of the year: I-VII – predestination and judgement; II-VIII – plough cycle (battle and discussion between the opponents); III-IX – twins (Sin and Nergal); IV-X – entering the Nether World and rising there from; V-XI – immortality (through conquering the world during the war or through saving that during the Deluge); VI-XII – the end of period (purification before the new period). Chapter III. Life after death: metamorphoses of the Nippur calendar semantics. The following three similarities are discussed: a) the similarity between the Nippur and the Standard Babylonian calendars; b) that between the Nippur calendar and the Babylonian Zodiac; and c) the between the Nippur calendar and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The first scholar who has suggested these similarities was F. Lenormant (Lenormant, 1874 II, 78-79). Our task here is to verify his conclusion. a) nisan < nesag “the first”, “the first sacrifice” has a semantic resemblance with Sum. bara2-za3-gar, since bara2 was the place of enthronement where the Young Hero defeated an old deity (e.g. Enmesharra, Tiamat) and became the leader of nation. du’_zu may be correlated with the holiday of Dumuzi in shu-numun. e/ululu is similar to the rite of purification in kin-dInnin, and vebTtu and @abKvu show a relation between months X-XI and the Deluge. b) I MUL.LU2.HUNGA was the constellation of Dumuzi who had a ram’s head. Dumuzi, one variant of the young spring god, was sacrificed in summer. Thus, it was also the constellation of Kingu, victim-god. Semantics of the First god who was a victim for the new world is very close to the ritual of I bara2-za3-gar. II MUL.GU4.AN.NA is very close to II gu4-si-sa2. VI ab-sin2 (image of Virgo with ear-corn) is related to the image of VI kin-dInnin (Inanna’s Return from the Nether World). VII zi-ba-ni-tum is similar to VII du6-ku3 (justice). We could propose that many images of the Babylonian Zodiac had had their prototypes in images and functions of the Nippurian ritual. See SpTU II, 43; BRM IV 19-20; Pinches Astrolabe. c) The way of Gilgamesh is the annual solar route from the East (= Persian Gulf = Utnapishtim’s land) to the West (Lebanon and Mediterranean Sea = Humbaba’s mountains). In our book, we show many details indicating very close connections between the Nippur month rituals and plots of some corresponding tablets of the Epic of Gilgames: Tabl. II Battle of Gilgamesh and Enkidu near the entrance to the sacred bedroom < the Sacred marriage of Ninurta after his battle with Asag. Tabl. III Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends < Sin and Nergal, light and dark, twins. Tabl. VI Gilgamesh refuses to marry Ishtar, his purification < purification of Ishtar’s statues. Tabl. VII Gods judge Enkidu to death, Enkidu judges Shamhat (two fates) < Utu’s Justice, in Zodiac – Libra. Here are the most obvious pieces of evidence in favour of the similarity between the Nippur calendar and the Gilgamesh Epic. The confirmation of F. Lenormant’s hypothesis leads us to the issue of the ritual and calendrical functioning of the Epic. However, we do not have any solution to this problem.”]
Sachliche Erklärung des Tablets No. 400 der Cambyses-Inschriften
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 5 (), nr 1 [Jahresband 1890] pp. 281-288 Leipzig: Otto Schulze
Astronomisches aus Babylon oder das Wissen der Chaldäer über den gestirnten Himmel: Mit Copien der einschlägigen Keilschrifttafeln und anderen Beilagen
Stimmen aus Maria Laach, Ergänzungshefte, nr 44 Freiburg im Breisgau: Herdersche Verlagshandlung
The first exposition of Babylonian mathematical astronomy. Also contains identifications of constellations and star names. See the (German-language) book review by Peter Jensen in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebeite, Vierter Band, 1889, Pages 121-133; and the (French-language) book review by Rodolphe Radau in Bulletin Astronomique, Serie I, Volume 6, 1889, Pages 434-436 (Revue des Publications Astronomiques). See also the (Dutch-language) article based on this book: “Der sterrenkunde der Chaldeērs.” by J. van Mierlo, S.J. in Het Belfort, Jaargang 6, 1891 Pages 83-90, 144-149, 172-178, 302-309. Similarly, the (French-language) article based on the book: “L’astronomie á [à] Babylone.” by Pater J-D Lucas S.J. in Revue des Questions Scientifiques, Volume XXVIII, October 1890 and April 1891, also 1892 (and Volume XXXIX (= XXXI?). A series of essays on Astronomisches aus Babylon titled “L’astronomie á [à] Babylone.” were published by Father J. D. [J-D] Lucas S.J. of Louvain (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgique) in the volumes of the Revue des Questions Scientifiques, Volume XXVIII, October 1890 and April 1891, also 1892 (and Volume XXXIX (= XXXI?). See the (German-language) obituary for Joseph Epping by Alexander Baumgartner in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebeite, Neunter Band, 1894, (comprises 7 un-numbered pages at end of volume); and the (English-language) obituary by Anon in The Observatory, Volume XLIII, 1920, Pages 98-99. See the (German-language) obituary for Johann Strassmaier by Anton. Deimel in Orientalia, Number 1, 1920, Pages 5-10; and the (English-language) obituary by John Pollen in The Month, Volume CXXXV, February, 1920, Pages 137-145
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004mesopotami} [Mesopotamian Astronomy \& Astrology (Shorter Studies)][according to which the article was written together with J.N. Strassmaier]
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 164, pp. 1793-1799 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
164
pages
1793-1799
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_183
language
english
contents
Introduction 1793 Orientated for Prayer 1794 Building a Vision of the Cosmos 1796 Cross-References 1798 References 1798
abstract
The orientation of Phoenician temples has revealed some of the astronomical knowledge of their builders. What we now know on this topic is complemented by other archaeological documents from Syrio-Palestinian cities and their colonies. The astral aspects of Phoenician religion are a direct legacy from the Canaanite traditions 1,000 years earlier and display connections with Mesopotamia and Egypt.
The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy combines new scholarship with hands-on science to bring readers into direct contact with the work of ancient astronomers. While tracing ideas from ancient Babylon to sixteenth-century Europe, the book places its greatest emphasis on the Greek period, when astronomers developed the geometric and philosophical ideas that have determined the subsequent character of Western astronomy. The author approaches this history through the concrete details of ancient astronomical practice. Carefully organized and generously illustrated, the book can teach readers how to do real astronomy using the methods of ancient astronomers. For example, readers will learn to predict the next retrograde motion of Jupiter using either the arithmetical methods of the Babylonians or the geometric methods of Ptolemy. They will learn how to use an astrolabe and how to design sundials using Greek and Roman techniques. The book also contains supplementary exercises and patterns for making some working astronomical instruments, including an astrolabe and an equatorium. More than a presentation of astronomical methods, the book provides a critical look at the evidence used to reconstruct ancient astronomy. It includes extensive excerpts from ancient texts, meticulous documentation, and lively discussions of the role of astronomy in the various cultures. Accessible to a wide audience, this book will appeal to anyone interested in how our understanding of our place in the universe has changed and developed, from ancient times through the Renaissance.
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines. Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965) [RAI 14]; ed. by Wendel et al. [Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg ser.] pp. 45-68 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Wendel, F. and Nougayrol, J. and Gadd, C. J. and Oppenheim, A. L. and Falkenstein, A. and Grayson, A. K. and Dossin, G. and Finet, A. and Pettinato, G. and Aro, J. and Lambert, W. G. and Cornelius, F. and Leichty, E. and Eissfeldt, O. and Derchain, Ph. and Bloch, R. and Amandry, P.
booktitle
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines
booktitleaddon
Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965)
shortbooktitle
RAI 14
series
Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg
pages
45-68
pagetotal
184
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
institution
Centre d’Études Supérieures Spécialisé d’Histoire des Religions de Strasbourg
Zur Orthographie von EAE 22: Neue Lesungen und Versuch einer Deutung
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 247-257 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1997
date
1997/1998
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41670130
language
english
abstract
In estimating the angular separation between two celestial bodies, Babylonian astronomers in the period of at least 600 BC to 50 BC used 2 related units, which normally applied to linear measure. These units are the KUS (“cubit”) and SI (“finger”), I cubit being composed of 24 fingers in the Neo-Babylonian period. The angular equivalent of the cubit in this period was found by Kugler (1909/10: 547-550) to be approximateley 2 deg (see also Neugebauer, 1955: 39; Sachs and hunger 1988: 22). However, it would appear that a detailed investigation of this ratio using Babylonian astronomical observations has never been published. It is our intention to try to remedy this omission.
By the 5th Century B.C. three great cultures were in contact in the Eastern Mediterranean area. The newest of these, the Greek, began by borrowing and improving on the discoveries of Babylonians and Egyptians. The knowledge of the gnomon is attested as one such borrowing. An overview is attempted of the state of timekeeping, with particular emphasis on the measure of shadows, in these two older cultures, revealing the uncertainties as to just what they had to offer the Greeks, and how they had come to their conclusions.
The first record we have of a seasonal night length ratio for Egypt is from the mid 16th century BC. The origin of this estimate is traced to observations made three centuries previously, and the later reinterpretation and instrumental use of this ratio is traced down to 100AD. Extended comment is made on the astronomical dating involved in this description of events, and an attempt is made to reconstruct the alleged confirmation (or calibration) of the new timepiece that plays a central part in the story. It is believed that this is the earliest example of this fundamental scientific practice on record.
keywords
/
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Simple as the outflow clock principle may seem for the measurement of time, its translation into an accurate clock raises formidable technical and conceptual problems. An attempt is made here to reconstruct the Egyptians’ consciousness of these problems, and the success of their solutions.
The Design of Babylonian Waterclocks: Astronomical and experimental evidence
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 42 (), nr 3 pp. 210-222 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Wann wurde die 1151-jährige Venus-Periode entdeckt?
Sitzungsberichte der ö̈sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Abteilung II [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 186 () pp. 441-447 Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Zur Hypothese einer 854jährigen Planetenperiode in der babylonischen Astronomie
Anzeiger der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse, Abteilung II [AÖAW phil.hist. Kl. II], vol. 113 () pp. 231-234 Vienna
Zur Hypothese einer 854jährigen Planetenperiode in der babylonischen Astronomie
sorttitle
Hypothese einer 854jährigen Planetenperiode in der babylonischen Astronomie, Zur
journal
Anzeiger der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse, Abteilung II
shortjournal
AÖAW phil.hist. Kl. II
volume
113
pages
231-234
location
Vienna
year
1976
url
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1976OAWMN.113..231F
urldate
2014-01-31
language
german
timestamp
2014-01-31
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp}
walker_note
[These are all included as part of the background to the article by Sachs and Walker in Iraq 46, \cite{sachs1984keplersvie}, on the Babylonian almanacs which have sometimes been thought relevant to discussion of the “star of Bethlehem”.]
keibi
39:1416
adsnote
Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System; note: the ads-bibtex-entry says “Oesterreichische Akademie Wissenschaften Mathematisch naturwissenschaftliche Klasse Sitzungsberichte Abteilung”, whereas the abstract says “Anz. Österr. Akad. Wiss., Philos.-Hist. Kl., Jahrg. 113, Nr. 9, p. 231 – 234” [\#ERR]
Summa duorum libellorum de Stella Magorum (Matth. 2)
pagetotal
4
location
Vienna
year
1966
language
latin
timestamp
2014-01-31
addendum
Resumé of \cite{ferrari1965jupiterund} and \cite{ferrari1964dermessias}
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp}
walker_note
[These are all included as part of the background to the article by Sachs and Walker in Iraq 46, \cite{sachs1984keplersvie}, on the Babylonian almanacs which have sometimes been thought relevant to discussion of the “star of Bethlehem”.]
Jupiter und Saturn in den Jahren -125 und -6 nach babylonischen Quellen
Sitzungsberichte der ö̈sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Abteilung II [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 173 (), nr 9-10 pp. 343-376 Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Jupiter und Saturn in den Jahren -125 und -6 nach babylonischen Quellen
maintitle
Sitzungsberichte der ö̈sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften: mathem.-naturw. Klasse, Abt. II
journal
Sitzungsberichte der ö̈sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Abteilung II
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
173
number
9-10
pages
343-376
location
Vienna
publisher
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
year
1965
timestamp
2013-06-14
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp}
walker_note
[These are all included as part of the background to the article by Sachs and Walker in Iraq 46, \cite{sachs1984keplersvie}, on the Babylonian almanacs which have sometimes been thought relevant to discussion of the “star of Bethlehem”.]
Der Messiasstern unter neuen astronomischen und archäologischen Gesichtspunkten
Religion – Wissenschaft – Kultur: Vierteljahresschrift der Wiener Katholischen Akademie, vol. 15 (), nr 1-2 pp. 3-19 Vienna: Präsidium der Wiener Katholischen Akademie
Der Messiasstern unter neuen astronomischen und archäologischen Gesichtspunkten
sorttitle
Messiasstern unter neuen astronomischen und archaeologischen Gesichtspunkten, Der
journal
Religion – Wissenschaft – Kultur
journalsubtitle
Vierteljahresschrift der Wiener Katholischen Akademie
volume
15
number
1-2
pages
3-19
location
Vienna
publisher
Präsidium der Wiener Katholischen Akademie
year
1964
timestamp
2014-01-31
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp}
walker_note
Popular version of \cite{ferrari1965jupiterund}; [These are all included as part of the background to the article by Sachs and Walker in Iraq 46, \cite{sachs1984keplersvie}, on the Babylonian almanacs which have sometimes been thought relevant to discussion of the “star of Bethlehem”.]
The Oldest Mesopotamian Astronomical Treatise: enūma anu enlil (EAE)
sorttitle
Oldest Mesopotamian Astronomical Treatise: enūma anu enlil (EAE)
editor
Fincke, Jeanette C.
booktitle
Divination as science
pages
107-146
location
Winona Lake
publisher
Eisenbrauns
year
2016
abstract
“This volume comprises a collection of revised papers originally used in the workshop Dvinations : science masked by religion? on July 21, 2014, as part of the 60th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Warsaw”,.-Page xiii.
eventtitle
A workshop conducted during the 60th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
Divination in the Ancient Near East: A Workshop on Divination Conducted during the 54th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Würzburg, 2008; ed. by Fincke pp. 1-20 Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns
Astrologische Omenreporte aus Assur: Mondfinsternisse im Monat nisannu
Assur-Forschungen: Arbeiten aus der Forschungsstelle »Edition literarischer Keilschrifttexte aus Assur« der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften; ed. by Maul et al. pp. 35-63 Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz
Babylonische Gelehrte am neuassyrischen Hof: Zwischen Anpassung und Individualität
Krieg und Frieden im Alten Vorderasien. 52e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale / International Congress of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology; Münster, 17.–21. Juli 2006; ed. by Neumann et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 401] pp. 269-292 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Neumann, Hans and Dittmann, Reinhard and Paulus, Susanne and Neumann, Georg and Schuster-Brandis, Anais
booktitle
Krieg und Frieden im Alten Vorderasien
booktitleaddon
52e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale / International Congress of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology; Münster, 17.–21. Juli 2006
series
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments
shortseries
AOAT
number
401
pages
269-292
location
Münster
publisher
Ugarit-Verlag
year
2014
url
https://www.academia.edu/7232698
eventtitle
Krieg und Frieden im Alten Vorderasien, 52e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale / 52th International Congress of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology
The School Curricula from Hattuša, Emar and Ugarit: A Comparison
Theory and practice of knowledge transfer: Studies in School Education in the Ancient Near East and Beyond. Papers read at a Symposium in Leiden, 17-19 December 2008; ed. by van Soldt et al. [=Publication de l’Institut historique-archéologique néederlandais de Stamboul [PIHANS], nr 121] pp. 85-101 Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten
Assyrian Scholarship and Scribal Culture in Kalḫu and Nineveh
booktitle
A Companion to Assyria
pages
378-397
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
year
2017
doi
10.1002/9781118325216.ch21
urldate
2017-06-23
abstract
The Neo-Assyrian period saw a profound change in the attitude of the Assyrian kings towards scholarship and scribal culture. There are twenty-five religious texts, a genre one would have expected to be the most essential in a temple library, revealing that priests learned their profession not by reading relevant texts but rather through oral transmission. The purpose of the library was to preserve the knowledge of the past and to maintain scholarship and scribal culture. In the temple library of Nabû in Kalḫu, there is clear proof that Babylonian scholars played a certain part in the scholarly discourse. Once employed in the palace at Nineveh, Babylonian scholars wrote tablets for the royal library (SAA VIII 499) and taught their special knowledge to Assyrians. The written sources give us a good idea of the composition of the royal library in Nineveh, but the information needs to be correlated with archaeological findings.
Additions to already Edited enūma anu enlil (EAE) Tablets, Part IV: The Lunar Eclipse Omens from Tablets 15-19 Published by Rochberg-Halton in AfO Beih. 22
KASKAL: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, vol. 13 () Padova and Florence: Sargon editrice e libreria
Additions to already Edited enūma anu enlil (EAE) Tablets, Part III: A New Copy from Babylonia for the Tablet on Planets (MUL.UDU.IDIM) of the Omen Series
KASKAL: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, vol. 12 () pp. 267-279 Padova and Florence: Sargon editrice e libreria
Additions to already Edited enūma anu enlil (EAE) Tablets, Part II: The Tablets Concerning the Appearance of the Sun Published in PIHANS 73, Part I
KASKAL: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, vol. 11 () pp. 103-139 Padova and Florence: Sargon editrice e libreria
@article
EAE,
EAE 23,
K 21153,
K 3621,
EAE 24,
BM 38359 + BM 38757 + BM 39214 + BM 46241,
EAE 26,
K 2345 + K 6129 + K 12047 + K 14415,
PIHANS 9 + PIHANS 10 = K 2345 + K 12047,
Sm 430,
ACh Supp 32,
Sm 415 + Sm 1303,
ACh Supp 41 = Sm 1303,
K 6243 + K 6927 + K 8936 + K 9535 + K 12455 + 83-1-18.412,
Additions to already Edited enūma anu enlil (EAE) Tablets, Part II
subtitle
The Tablets Concerning the Appearance of the Sun Published in PIHANS 73, Part I
journal
KASKAL
journalsubtitle
Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East
volume
11
pages
103-139
location
Padova and Florence
publisher
Sargon editrice e libreria
year
2014
url
https://www.academia.edu/11921518
alturl
\url{http://www.logisma.it/kaskal.htm}
urldate
2017-06-01
keywords
EAE, EAE 23, K 21153, K 3621, EAE 24, BM 38359 + BM 38757 + BM 39214 + BM 46241, EAE 26, K 2345 + K 6129 + K 12047 + K 14415, PIHANS 9 + PIHANS 10 = K 2345 + K 12047, Sm 430, ACh Supp 32, Sm 415 + Sm 1303, ACh Supp 41 = Sm 1303, K 6243 + K 6927 + K 8936 + K 9535 + K 12455 + 83-1-18.412, ACh 2 Suppl 39 = 83-1-18.412 K 8936, K 9535 + 83-1-18.412, Rikis gerri tablet, K 12146
Additions to the Venus Omens of the Omen Series enūma anu enlil (EAE) Published in BPO 3 as Group F
KASKAL: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico / A Journal of History, Environment, and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, vol. 10 () pp. 89-110 Padova and Florence: Sargon editrice e libreria
The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial)
year
2013
url
https://www.academia.edu/6356838
abstract
A sequence of omens has puzzled Assyriologists since 1866, when Henry C. Rawlinson published the first copy of these peculiar divinatory texts. The omens have the structure DIŠ MUL ana . . . GUR, “If a star turns into . . .”, where the object into which the star changes can be an animal, metal, stone or some other item. Such a change has been held to belong to the field of dreams or, more generally, to terrestrial events rather than to astronomy. In fact, however, these omens refer to a specific celestial phenomenon, the transformation of a “star” into a meteorite that can be picked up from the ground, as can also be seen in the phrasing of the corresponding namburbi-ritual, which some scribes appended to their recension of this omen sequence.
keywords
K 4363, K 4546, K 3911, K 3909 + K 8366 + Sm 1170, K 13378, K 139 + K 4363, K 139 + K 4363, K 8489, BM 47461, K 10048, K 3995
This article reconsiders the different numbering systems attested for the series of celestial and meteorological omens called enūma anu enlil (EAE) and suggests possible reasons for these differences. The section of this series with the most divergent tablet numbers concerns the solar eclipse omens. An overview on the structure of this section, which generally covers five tablets, is given. In addition evidence is given for correcting the reading of the incipit of the fifth EAE solar eclipse tablet, which has been previously wrongly reconstructed. The solar eclipse section of EAE tablets can then be seen as the basis for distinguishing five different recensions of the series. Three of them are explicitly said to come from Babylon, and they all exhibit a different numbering of the tablets concerned.
keywords
EAE, VAT 7814 + VAT AO6470, K 270 + K 11308 + Sm 655, Sm 707, K 2221 + K 7902 + K 9916 + K 7265, K 2234 + K 8086, Berkeley 1931
Ist die mesopotamische Opferschau ein nächtliches Ritual?
journal
Bibliotheca Orientalis
shortjournal
BiOr
volume
66
issue
5-6
pages
519-558
year
2009
url
https://www.academia.edu/2393550
doi
10.2143/BIOR.66.5.2047129
language
german
abstract
This study focuses on the Mesopotamian extispicy ritual described in the so-called “Prayers to the Gods of the Night”. The legal aspect of this divinatory procedure is stated in these prayers as well as in other extispicy prayers (ikribu) (I). A detailed analysis of the “Prayers to the Gods of the Night” elucidates the timeframe and circumstances for the recitation of the prayers (II). Since the Old Babylonian versions of these prayers are called ikribu, i.e. extispicy prayers, their setting within the course of the extispicy ritual is evident. An examination of the procedures and sequence of events for this ritual as described in Neo-Assyrian tablets from Nineveh means they can be fixed exactly (III). This establishes the “Sitz-im-Leben” of the prayers (IV). After an analysis of the lawsuit that is the basis for the whole procedure (V), the role of the stars within the extispicy ritual is examined (VI), followed by a scrutiny of the evidence for the extispicy ritual as a “nightly ritual” (VII). The results of this study are concisely summarized (VIII).
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 40 () pp. 131-147
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux
journalsubtitle
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux”
shortjournal
JEOL
volume
40
pages
131-147
year
2006
date
2006/2007
url
https://www.academia.edu/2393487/
abstract
Die assyrisch-babylonischen Gelehrten verwenden für die Aufzeichnung einzelner Omina seit jeher dasselbe Formular wie für Gesetze: den mit shumma, “wenn”, eingeleiteten Bedingungssatz. In diesem Artikel soll dargelegt werden, daß beiden nicht nur das Satzgefüge, und daraus resultierend eine grammatische Gesetzmäßigkeit gemeinsam ist: vielmehr liegt beiden eine gewisse Rechtsverbindlichkeit zugrunde. Dieser Aspekt findet sich auch in den diagnostischen Texten.
Iraq, vol. 66 () [Nineveh (pt. I): Papers of the 49th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Part One] pp. 55-60 British Institute for the Study of Iraq
Assur-Katalog der Serie enuma anu enlil (EAE), Der
journal
Orientalia
shortjournal
Or
series
newseries
volume
70
pages
19-39
location
Roma
publisher
Gregorian Biblical Press
altpublisher
Pontificium institutum biblicum
year
2001
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43076733
alturl
\url{https://www.academia.edu/2393823/}
urldate
2014-01-31
keywords
EAE, VAT 10324, VAT 9438, VAT 9775, VAT 7814, AO 6470, K 2169, Rm 104, K 2129, K 11132, K 4292, DT 134 + Rm 105, K 3558, 1930-5-8.29 + BM 122640, BM 122640 = CT 51.144, K 6102, K 2314, SH 81-7-6.102 + BM 45697, BM 45697 = LBAT 1564, K 2246 + K 2994 + K 3578 + K 3605 + K 3614, K 2330, K 35 = 3 R 57.4 = ACh Ishtar 5, K 137, K 3144, K 2321 + K 3032, BM 35045 = LBAT 1557, K 10196, K 2329, K 3563 + K 3761 + K 11736 + 82-3-23.33 + Rm 303, W 23293.5
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society [PAPS], vol. 107 (), nr 6 [Cuneiform Studies and the History of Civilization] pp. 461-472 American Philosophical Society
L’Astronomie: Revue d’astronomie populaire, de météorologie et de physique du globe, exposant les progrés de la science pendant l’année, vol. 2 () [2e année] pp. 383-384 Paris: Gauthier-Villars
Les terres du ciel: Voyage astronomique sur les autres mondes et description des conditions actuelles de la vie sur les diverses planètes du système solaire
[no parental ref.] Paris: C. Marpon and E. Flammarion
illustré de 386 figures, planches en chromolithographie, cartes célestes, etc
location
Paris
publisher
C. Marpon and E. Flammarion
year
1881
url
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k94887w
urldate
2014-04-25
abstract
French astronomer Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) firmly believed that science should not be the preserve of elites. His passion for the discoveries of his time is palpable throughout this classic introduction to astronomy, which stands as a landmark in the history of popular science writing. It features 360 illustrations, including highly detailed maps of the Moon and Mars, the latter being of special interest for Flammarion as he compared and contrasted it with the Earth. Originally published in 1880, the work won the approval of the Académie Française and the Minister of Public Instruction. This reissue is of the version that appeared in 1881 after 50,000 copies had already reached an enthusiastic readership. Its translation into English as Popular Astronomy (1894) and another accessible work by Flammarion, Le Monde avant la création de l’homme (1886), are also reissued in this series. [\url{http://www.cambridge.org/ar/academic/subjects/astronomy/history-astronomy-and-cosmology/astronomie-populaire-description-generale-du-ciel}]
timestamp
2014-04-25
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars]
The recent large-scale watershed projects in northern Syria, where the ancient city of Emar was located, have brought this area to light, thanks to salvage operation excavations before the area was submerged. Excavations at Meskeneh-Qadimeh on the great bend of the Euphrates River revealed this large town, which had been built in the late 14th century and then destroyed violently at the beginning of the 12th, at the end of the Bronze Age. In the town of Emar, ritual tablets were discovered in a temple that are demonstrated to have been recorded by the supervisor of the local cult, who was called the “diviner.” This religious leader also operated a significant writing center, which focused on both administering local ritual and fostering competence in Mesopotamian lore. An archaic local calendar can be distinguished from other calendars in use at Emar, both foreign and local. A second, overlapping calendar emanated from the palace and represented a rising political force in some tension with rooted local institutions. The archaic local calendar can be partially reconstructed from one ritual text that outlines the rites performed during a period of six months. The main public rite of Emar’s religious calendar was the zukru festival. This event was celebrated in a simplified annual ritual and in a more elaborate version of the ritual for seven days during every seventh year, probably serving as a pledge of loyalty to the chief god, Dagan. The Emar ritual calendar was native, in spite of various levels of outside influence, and thus offers important evidence for ancient Syrian culture. These texts are thus important for ancient Near Eastern cultic and ritual studies. Fleming’s comprehensive study lays the basic groundwork for all future study of the ritual and makes a major contribution to the study of ancient Syria.
Ciel et Terre: Bulletin mensuel de la Société Belge d’Astronomie, de Météorologie et de Physique du Globe, vol. 67 (), nr 9-10 pp. 153-169 Bruxelles: Société Belge d’Astronomie, de Météorologie et de Physique du Globe
Ciel et Terre: Bulletin de la Société Belge d’Astronomie, de Météorologie et de Physique du Globe, vol. 66 (), nr 10-11 [Supplement au Bulletin] pp. 256-268 Bruxelles: Société Belge d’Astronomie, de Météorologie et de Physique du Globe
Beiträge zur babylonischen Astronomie (1911), Weidner E [Review]
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de memoires et de notices relatifs aux etudes orientales, ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 11 (), nr 1 pp. 472-473 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Beiträge zur babylonischen Astronomie (1911), Weidner E [Review]
sorttitle
Beitraege zur babylonischen Astronomie (1911), Weidner E [Review]
journal
Journal asiatique
journalsubtitle
ou recueil de memoires et de notices relatifs aux etudes orientales, ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
Beiträge zur babylonischen Astronomie (1911), Weidner E [Review]
Revue critique d’histoire et de littérature: publiée sous la direction de MM. P. Meyer, Ch. Morel, G. Paris, H. Zotenberg, vol. 46 (), nr 2 [New Series: 74] pp. 323-324 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Comprehensive collection of ancient Akkadian literature spanning three millennia. This larger, completely new, 3rd edition contains many compositions not in the previous editions; new translations of previously included compositions; incorporation of new text fragments identified or excavated since the last publication; all new footnotes; references and commentary brought up to date to reflect scholarly work of the last 10 years; and 100 more pages than the old two-volume edition.
timestamp
2014-03-15
addendum
Revised edition published 2004
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
Texts, Storms, and the Thera Eruption. With Appendix A: A New Translation of the Tempest Stele of Stele of Ahmose), and Appendix B: Volcanic Phenomena in Mesopotamian Sources?
[]
Journal of Near Eastern Studies [JNES], vol. 55 (), nr 1 pp. 1-14 Chicago: University of Chicago Press
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
walker_note
[refers to meteorological data in the astronomical diaries.]
Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik, Astronomie und Physik [QS], ser. B, vol. 2 (), nr 1 pp. 28-14 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
The tablet and the scroll: Near Eastern Studies in Honor of William W. Hallo [Fs Hallo]; ed. by Cohen et al. pp. 103-108 Bethesda, MD: Capital Decisions Limited Press
Rising Suns and Falling Stars: Assyrian Kings and the Cosmos
Experiencing Power, Generating Authority: Cosmos, Politics, and the Ideology of Kingship in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; ed. by Hill et al. pp. 97-120 Philadelphia
Babylonische Priestergelehrte im achämidenzeitlichen Uruk
Religion und Religionskontakte im Zeitalter der Achämeniden; ed. by Kratz [=Veröffentlichungen der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft für Theologie [VWGTh], nr 22] pp. 74-108 Gütersloher Verlagshaus
New York University, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW)
year
2012
month
February
url
http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/4/
urldate
2013-10-23
abstract
The Antikythera Mechanism is a fragmentarily preserved Hellenistic astronomical machine with bronze gearwheels, made about the second century B.C. In 2005, new data were gathered leading to considerably enhanced knowledge of its functions and the inscriptions on its exterior. However, much of the front of the instrument has remained uncertain due to loss of evidence. We report progress in reading a passage of one inscription that appears to describe the front of the Mechanism as a representation of a Greek geocentric cosmology, portraying the stars, Sun, Moon, and all five planets known in antiquity. Complementing this, we propose a new mechanical reconstruction of planetary gearwork in the Mechanism, incorporating an economical design closely analogous to the previously identified lunar anomaly mechanism, and accounting for much unresolved physical evidence.
Freeth, Tony and Jones, Alexander and Steele, John M. and Bitsakis, Yanis
sortkey
Freeth.T:2008_CalendarswithOlympiad
title
Calendars with Olympiad display and eclipse prediction on the Antikythera Mechanism
journal
Nature
volume
454
number
7204
pages
614-617
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
year
2008
month
July
url
https://www.academia.edu/2360659/
doi
10.1038/nature07130
urldate
2014-05-11
abstract
Previous research on the Antikythera Mechanism established a highly complex ancient Greek geared mechanism with front and back output dials. The upper back dial is a 19-year calendar, based on the Metonic cycle, arranged as a five-turn spiral. The lower back dial is a Saros eclipse-prediction dial, arranged as a four-turn spiral of 223 lunar months, with glyphs indicating eclipse predictions. Here we add surprising findings concerning these back dials. Though no month names on the Metonic calendar were previously known, we have now identified all 12 months, which are unexpectedly of Corinthian origin. The Corinthian colonies of northwestern Greece or Syracuse in Sicily are leading contenders-the latter suggesting a heritage going back to Archimedes. Calendars with excluded days to regulate month lengths, described in a first century bc source, have hitherto been dismissed as implausible. We demonstrate their existence in the Antikythera calendar, and in the process establish why the Metonic dial has five turns. The upper subsidiary dial is not a 76-year Callippic dial as previously thought8, but follows the four-year cycle of the Olympiad and its associated Panhellenic Games. Newly identified index letters in each glyph on the Saros dial show that a previous reconstruction needs modification. We explore models for generating the unusual glyph distribution, and show how the eclipse times appear to be contradictory. We explain the four turns of the Saros dial in terms of the full moon cycle and the Exeligmos dial as indicating a necessary correction to the predicted eclipse times. The new results on the Metonic calendar, Olympiad dial and eclipse prediction link the cycles of human institutions with the celestial cycles embedded in the Mechanism’s gearwork.
Some Babylonian Divinatory Methods and their Interrelations
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines. Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965) [RAI 14]; ed. by Wendel et al. [Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg ser.] pp. 21-35 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Some Babylonian Divinatory Methods and their Interrelations
sorttitle
Babylonian Divinatory Methods and their Interrelations, Some
editor
Wendel, F. and Nougayrol, J. and Gadd, C. J. and Oppenheim, A. L. and Falkenstein, A. and Grayson, A. K. and Dossin, G. and Finet, A. and Pettinato, G. and Aro, J. and Lambert, W. G. and Cornelius, F. and Leichty, E. and Eissfeldt, O. and Derchain, Ph. and Bloch, R. and Amandry, P.
booktitle
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines
booktitleaddon
Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965)
shortbooktitle
RAI 14
series
Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg
pages
21-35
pagetotal
184
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
institution
Centre d’Études Supérieures Spécialisé d’Histoire des Religions de Strasbourg
year
1966
crossRef
wendel1966rai14
eventtitle
XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale
eventdate
1965-07-02/1965-07-062
venue
Strasbourg
timestamp
2014-05-19
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Astrology in General] #and# \url{http://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Phil%20281b/Philosophy%20of%20Magic/World%20Soul/na_magic.htm}
Journal of Cuneiform Studies [JCS], vol. 21 () [Special Volume Honoring Professor Albrecht Goetze [Fs Goetze]] pp. 52-63 Boston: American Schools of Oriental Research
This study has its genesis in a detailed examination of the pottery of Babylonia and adjacent regions in the second millennium BC. As a result of that work Armstrong, Cole, and Gurzadyan have been able to trace the evolution of Babylonian pottery and pottery technology during the second millennium. For the early second millennium, the writers can reconstruct a ceramic sequence representing the 400-year period between the fall of Ur under Ibbi-Sin and the fall of Babylon under Samsuditana. The authors also have a detailed sequence for the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries and a twelfth-to-eleventh-century sequence that, even though it is less detailed due to a lack of excavated material, is nonetheless coherent. [From Preface, p. 1, unsigned]
Lunar Observations and Their Usefulness for Chronology
The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena VI – Proceedings [INSAP VI Proc]; ed. by Corsini [=Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series [ASP Conference Series], nr 441] pp. 503-507 San Francisco, CA: Astronomical Society of the Pacific
In the past, ancient lunar observations have been used for chronological purposes frequently. But during the last twenty years their usefulness was questioned and even rejected. This paper deals with the opportunities and drawbacks of such observations for chronology. Their usefulness and drawbacks are demonstrated on a set of forty lunar observations from an ancient Egyptian city called Illahun which was inhabited for about 100 years only (19th century BC) during the so called Egyptian Middle Kingdom.
eventtitle
INSAP VI
eventsubtitle
The inspiration of astronomical phenomena, 6th Conference
eventdate
2009
venue
Venice
organization
Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
timestamp
2013-11-27
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
A short summary and the downloadable data published in these papers you can find here: \cite{gautschy2012letzteunde}, \cite{gautschy2012lastandfir} (\url{http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/archast.html})
Lunar and Sothic Data from the Archive of el-Lahun Revisited: Chronology of the Middle Kingdom [Lunar and Sothic data from the archive of el-Lahun revisited]
Current Research in Egyptology 2010: Proceedings of the eleventh annual symposium which took place at Leiden University, January 2010; ed. by Horn et al. pp. 53-61 Oxford: Oxbow
Lunar and Sothic Data from the Archive of el-Lahun Revisited
subtitle
Chronology of the Middle Kingdom
shorttitle
Lunar and Sothic data from the archive of el-Lahun revisited
editor
Horn, Maarten and Kramer, Joost and Soliman, Daniel and Staring, Nico and van den Hoven, Carina and Weiss, Lara
booktitle
Current Research in Egyptology 2010
booksubtitle
Proceedings of the eleventh annual symposium which took place at Leiden University, January 2010
pages
53-61
location
Oxford
publisher
Oxbow
year
2011
url
http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A6001723
alturl
\url{https://www.academia.edu/8167098/}
urldate
2013-11-27
abstract
Ancient Egyptian astronomy is intrinsically tied to religion. Its main aim was not the recording of astronomical events such as solar or lunar eclipses or planetary observations (such records are completely absent before the 22nd dynasty), but the provision of knowledge of supposedly divine celestial phenomena to humans on Earth. Nevertheless, a few records of Sirius-related phenomena have survived as well as data on lunar feasts. Both of which have been of huge importance for the establishment of an absolute chronology in the past. But in recent years, the usefulness of lunar data for chronological purposes has been fundamentally questioned . Furthermore, there have also been some concerns about Sothic data. When one understands the possibilities and, equally important, when carefully taking into account the limitations of the quality of astronomical data, there is no reason to a priori dismiss such data.
eventtitle
eleventh annual symposium in Egyptology
eventdate
2010-01
timestamp
2013-11-27
bibmas_note
A short summary and the downloadable data published in these papers you can find here: \cite{gautschy2012letzteunde}, \cite{gautschy2012lastandfir} (\url{http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/archast.html})
The article discusses Babylonian observations of solar and lunar eclipses, with focus given to the direction of obscuration, or the entrance and exit directions of the eclipsing shadow, and eclipse position angles. The author provides English translations of Babylonian terms for directions found on astronomical cuneiform tablets. She investigates whether position angles were measured by the Babylonians in an equatorial or in an ecliptic coordinate system and concludes the latter was likely used.
Universität Basel, Ägyptologisches Seminar, Basel, Schweiz
title
Sonnenfinsternisse und ihre chronologische Bedeutung
subtitle
Ein neuer Sonnenfinsterniskanon für Altertumswissenschaftler
journal
KLIO
volume
94
number
1
pages
7-17
year
2012
date
2012-05-23
month
May
url
https://www.academia.edu/8167192/
doi
10.1524/klio.2012.0001
urldate
2013-11-27
abstract
In antiken Quellen sind zahlreiche astronomische Beobachtungen überliefert, die dazu benützt werden können, absolute Daten zu gewinnen. Besonders wichtig sind in diesem Zusammenhang Sonnenfinsternisse. Hier wird ein neuer elektronisch verfügbarer Sonnenfinsterniskanon präsentiert, der speziell an die Bedürfnisse von Altertumswissenschaftlern angepasst wurde: er enthält Karten aller Sonnenfinsternisse zwischen 2500 v. Chr. und 1000 n. Chr., die im ausgewählten geographischen Bereich zwischen (20° N, 5° O), (20° N, 50° O), (50° N, 5° O) und (50° N, 50° O) potentiell auffällig waren und somit für Identifikationen von Finsternisberichten aus diesem geographischen Bereich in Frage kommen, auch wenn sie nicht vorhergesagt wurden. Der Sonnenfinsterniskanon ist online verfügbar unter http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/solec/finsternis.html. Als Anwendungsbeispiele werden einerseits die Ugarit-Finsternis und andererseits die Ennius-Finsternis diskutiert. Numerous astronomical records are passed down through ancient sources. Astronomical observations can be used to obtain absolute dates. Solar eclipses are the main source for such purposes. Here I present an electronic solar eclipse canon which was designed especially for the needs of historians: it contains maps of all solar eclipses in the geographical region between (20° N, 5° O), (20° N, 50° O), (50° N, 5° O) and (50° N, 50° O) which were potentially noticeable and therefore candidates for identifications of solar eclipse records even if the eclipse was not foretold. The solar eclipse canon is online available at http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/solec/solec.html. As examples of use the so called Ugarit eclipse and the Ennius eclipse are discussed.
Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde
shortjournal
ZÄS
volume
178
pages
116-131
year
2011
url
http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A6001721
urldate
2013-11-27
abstract
Recorded dates of heliacal risings of the star Sirius as reported from ancient Egypt have been used for chronological purposes for more than 100 years. This paper presents new calculations of heliacal risings and settings of Sirius for different places in Egypt and discusses the influences of various parameters and their uncertainties on the results. Comparison with ancient Egyptian observations gives a mean value for the arcus visionis of Sirius of about 10°, with plausible values between 9° and 11° depending on the transparency of the atmosphere. This means that a date of a heliacal rising or setting of Sirius, which was recorded in the Egyptian calendar, can pin down the absolute dating of the observation to 12 years, if one assumes that the place of observation is known and if no further information, e.g. lunar data, is available. All results of the calculations are accessible online.
timestamp
2013-11-27
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
A short summary and the downloadable data published in these papers can be found here: \cite{gautschy2012thestarsir} and \cite{gautschy2012dersternsi} (\url{http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/archast.html})
Last/first sightings of the lunar crescent and new moon epochs between 2000 BC and 2000 AD were calculated using modern up-to-date lunar and solar ephemerides for different locations in Egypt and for Babylon. All results of these calculations are available online. The lunar data from the archive of Illahun are reanalysed and the uncertainties of the data reduction and possible absolute chronological assessments are discussed. The data can be fit best when a reign length of 30 years is allowed for pharaoh Senwosret III, which is in accordance with the given number for this king in the Turin papyrus. The lunar data do not support a low chronology of the Middle Kingdom. Two temporal assignments are possible in combination with the recorded date of a heliacal rising of Sirius on either IIII Peret 16 or 17 in the surrounding of Memphis. The best fit (82.5 percent reproduced cor- rectly) can be obtained with an assumed beginning of the day with dawn and year 1 of Senwosret III equalling 1872 BC and year 1 of Amenemhet III in 1842 BC respectively. In this case the correct Sirius date of year 7 Senwosret III in 1866 BC must have been IIII Peret 17 in order to match with the lunar data. The second possible fit (72.5 percent correct) is obtained with an assumed beginning of the day with sunrise and year 1 of Senwosret III equalling 1883 BC and year 1 of Amenemhet III in 1853 BC res- pectively. The correct Sirius date would be IIII Peret 16 in 1877 BC.
timestamp
2013-11-27
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
A short summary and the downloadable data published in these papers you can find here: \cite{gautschy2012letzteunde}, \cite{gautschy2012lastandfir} (\url{http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/archast.html})
Der spätneolithische Siedlungsplatz Šīr in Westsyrien wurde 2005 im Rahmen von Survey-Arbeiten entdeckt und ist seit 2006 Gegenstand großflächiger Ausgrabungen. Vorrangige Ziele der Arbeiten sind die Ermittlung der stratigraphischen Gesamtabfolge, Untersuchungen zur Bebauungsstruktur der jüngeren Schichten sowie die Erstellung regionaler Lithik- und Keramiktypologien für das 7. Jt. v. Chr. This article provides a study of the first two thunder tablets of the omen series Enūma Anu Enlil (EAE 42 and EAE 43). At the beginning there are predictions that are deduced from simple claps of thunder. In the course of the text the initial weather situation is specified further. In almost all cases the prognoses concern the harvest, weather conditions and their implications for agriculture, or the political situation in the country.
Sonnenaufgang in Sippar: Tafel 27 der Serie Enūma Anu Enlil
Studi sul Vicino Oriente Antico dedicati alla memoria di Luigi Cagni, vol. 1 [of 4]: Studi sul Vicino Oriente Antico dedicati alla memoria di Luigi Cagni, Val. I [Fs Cagni]; ed. by Graziani [=Istituto universitario orientale dipartimento di Studi Asiatici Series Minor, nr 61] pp. 345-353 Napoli: Istituto universitario orientale, dipartimento di studi asiatici
The Survival of Babylonian Wissenschaft in Later Tradition
The Heirs of Assyria: Proceedings of the Opening Symposium of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project, held in Tvärminne, Finland, October 8-11, 1998; ed. by Aro et al. [=Melammu Symposia, nr 1] pp. 1-6 Helsingfors: University Press
Medicine, Magic, and Astrology in the Ancient Near East
series
Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Cultures
number
2
pagetotal
XII+100
year
2014
date
2014-04
doi
10.1515/9781614516934
contents
\url{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781614516934.toc}
abstract
This monograph begins with a puzzle: a Babylonian text from late 5th century BCE Uruk associating various diseases with bodily organs, which has evaded interpretation. The correct answer may reside in Babylonian astrology, since the development of the zodiac in the late 5th century BCE offered innovative approaches to the healing arts. The zodiac—a means of predicting the movements of heavenly bodies—transformed older divination (such as hemerologies listing lucky and unlucky days) and introduced more favorable magical techniques and medical prescriptions, which are comparable to those found in Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos and non-Hippocratic Greek medicine. Babylonian melothesia (i.e., the science of charting how zodiacal signs affect the human body) offers the most likely solution explaining the Uruk tablet.
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 3: Diaries from 164 B.C. to 61 B.C. (1996), Sachs A & Hunger H [Review]
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London [BSOAS], vol. 66 (), nr 1 pp. 67-71 London: Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental & African Studies
The ability to read Sumerian and Akkadian – the latest and most widely used lan- guages written in cuneiform script – was dependent upon the survival of scribal schools within the temples. These scribal schools themselves survived as long as Babylonian temples remained in use in Babylonia, and as long as priests still learned the traditional scripts. The argument utilised is an extreme one, namely that as long as any priest could read the ancient script, cuneiform was not yet technically a dead language. The question is when this was likely to have taken place. The Graeco-Babyloniaca tablets, re-edited here, as well as references to cuneiform in Classical sources are adduced to argue that cuneiform could have still been read in the third century AD.
New Information on Antiochus IV from Babylonian Astronomical Diaries
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London [BSOAS], vol. 54 (), nr 1 pp. 1-4 London: Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental & African Studies
New Information on Antiochus IV from Babylonian Astronomical Diaries
journal
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
shortjournal
BSOAS
volume
54
number
1
pages
1-4
pagetotal
4
location
London
publisher
Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental \& African Studies
year
1991
month
February
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/617310
doi
10.1017/S0041977X00009575
urldate
2014-01-31
language
english
abstract
The second volume of A. Sachs and H. Hunger, Astronomical diaries and related texts from Babylonia (Vienna, 1989) extends from the years 261-165 B.C., and includes further information on Babylonian astronomy, weather patterns, market prices, and historical events during these years, and as such are an invaluable source for Hellenistic history. Of particular historical interest is a group of tablets from Babylon and Sippar which are duplicate reports from 16/17 August-10/11 December, 169 B.C. In addition to the usual astronomical and meteorological data, this report includes brief accounts of contemporary events which potentially alter the historical picture of the reign of Antiochus IV. Although the passage has been known for a long time, and previously cited by Pinches, Eddy, and van der Spek, the new edition by Sachs and Hunger gives the opportunity to reopen the discussion.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London [BSOAS], vol. 53 (), nr 2 pp. 209-213 London: Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental & African Studies
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
shortjournal
BSOAS
volume
53
number
2
pages
209-213
pagetotal
5
location
London
publisher
Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental \& African Studies
year
1990
month
June
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/619229
doi
10.1017/S0041977X00026033
urldate
2013-10-23
language
english
abstract
A new edition of the astronomical compilation MUL.APIN follows closely upon the recent publication of two sections of the large compendium of Babylonian astronomical omens known as Enūma Anu Enlil. The text of MUL.APIN likewise includes a section of astronomical omens, as well as a catalogue of stars, including the “fixed” (ziqpu) stars, and information regarding the planets, heliacal risings, the path of the moon, calendrical intercalations, and a shadow table and water clock. This modern edition is clearly presented nd well-translated, and includes notes on both the philology and astronomy of the text.
Babylonian Astronomical Diaries and Corrections of Diodorus
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London [BSOAS], vol. 53 (), nr 1 pp. 1-7 London: Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental & African Studies
Babylonian Astronomical Diaries and Corrections of Diodorus
journal
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
shortjournal
BSOAS
volume
53
number
1
pages
1-7
pagetotal
7
location
London
publisher
Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental \& African Studies
year
1990
month
February
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/618964
doi
10.1017/S0041977X00021212
urldate
2014-01-31
language
english
abstract
The long-awaited first volume of the astronomical diaries, the life-work ofthe late Abraham Sachs, has been admirably brought to fruition by HermannHunger, in Sachs and Hunger, Diaries and related texts from Babylonia.2Although one laments the passing of Abraham Sachs before the completion ofthis momentous task, Hunger has earned the acclaim of his colleagues for thepolished presentation of the finished product, particularly as the Sachs Nachlasswas not yet in publishable form when he died. The importance of these diariesreaches far beyond the narrow confines of philology, since they includecalendrical and astronomical data, lists of commodity prices for the particularday or month, weather reports and often a tantalizing allusion to a currentevent, being the closest ancient counterpart to a modern news report.
[..] Bibliography: This website offers a comprehensive bibliography of publications on Mesopotamian astronomy and astrology. When online editions are available, appropriate internet links are provided. In order to make this bibliography more useful, the references are grouped into related topics. Within each topic, the references are not listed alphabetically by author but are given in chronological order. In this way it is easier to focus on developments in a particular field of inquiry during a particular period. This bibliography is not restricted to the recent literature but an effort has been made to include the earlier literature as completely as possible. Although the earliest references are now outdated and largely erroneous, they show how our present understanding of the astral sciences of the Mesopotamians has evolved from the earliest days of Assyriology to the present day. NB: The bibliography presented on this website is still preliminary. Many items still need to be added and checked and some items may eventually migrate to other sections. For corrections and suggestions for improvement, please write me.
organization
Institute for History and Foundations of Mathematics and the Physical Sciences
The edition by A. Sachs and H. Hunger, Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylon I-III (Vienna, 1988-95) of those of the Babylonian astronomical diaries that are dated or datable, has provided a number of new references to the quarters of Babylon. These quarters are set forth in list form in Tintir V 92-104 and are otherwise attested individually in Neo- and Late Babylonian deeds and documents and a very few other texts (see George, Topographical Texts, pp. 372-82). The diaries reveal that the quarters of Babylon, as far as they are attested, bore the same names down to the end of the city’s history. Indexes to the diaries are lacking at present, so references to the quarters are given here. Collation of three suspect passages has produced readings which depart from Sachs and Hunger’s transliterated text. The revised readings are sandwiched between asterisks.
keywords
Tintir V 92-104
timestamp
2013-10-31
bibmas_file
comment
Dans les journaux astronomiques publiés par A. Sachs et H. Hunger, on retrouve des attestations de noms des quartiers de Babylone que l’on connaissait par ailleurs (Tintir V 92 104). [\url{http://chroniqueassyrio.free.fr/Generalites.htm}]
Babylonian Texts from the Folios of Sidney Smith, Part Two
subtitle
Prognostic and Diagnostic Omens, Tablet I
journal
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale
shortjournal
RA
volume
85
number
2
pages
137-167
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
year
1991
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23281884
urldate
2014-10-17
language
english
abstract
A new duplicate of Tablet I of Sakikku, the Babylonian diagnostic and prognostic omen series, discovered among the folios of the late Prof. Sidney Smith, and another from the Sippar collections of the British Museum almost completely restore the text and prompt a new, fully annotated, critical edition of both the main text and the three tablets of commentary. Un nouveau duplicat de la tablette I de Sakikku, la série divinatoire babylonienne de diagnostics et pronostics, a été découvert parmi les folios de feu le Pr Sidney Smith; avec un autre manuscrit, provenant des collections de Sippar du Musée britannique, il restaure presque complètement le texte et permet une nouvelle édition critique annotée à la fois du texte principal et des trois tablettes de commentaire.
keywords
BM 38362 = 80-11-12.244, BM 54629 + BM 54653 + BM 54982 + BM 55256 + BM 54653a + BM 54843 = 82-5-22.949 + 82-5-22.973 + 82-5-22.1313 + 82-5-22.1588, D-S 32-15, AO 17661, IM 74374 = W 22307.24, IM 74357 = W 22307.6, IM 77038 = W 22665, A 3439 a + A 3439 b, Uruk III 87, W 22307, VAT 14536
Babylonian Texts from the Folios of Sidney Smith, Part One
journal
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale
shortjournal
RA
volume
82
number
2
pages
139-162
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
year
1988
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23282097
urldate
2014-10-17
language
english
abstract
Parmi les dossiers de feu Sidney Smith se trouvaient de nombreuses copies de textes cunéiformes. Trois copies de textes inédits sont publiées dans cet article : une inscription de Nabuchodonosor II, une nouvelle source pour l’Almanach babylonien et un chant cultuel bilingue adressé au dieu Enki. Among the papers left by the late Prof. Sidney Smith were many autograph copies of cuneiform texts. This article presents three of these texts, all previously unpublished. The first text is an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II which adds to our knowledge of his public works in Babylon. The second is a new source for the Babylonian Almanac. The third is a bilingual cult song addressed to the god Enki.
This paper discusses Babylonian astronomical diaries for the years 169-163 B. C. E., which mention Antiochus IV Epiphanes and consequently bear chronological implications for Seleucid history. While the documents discussed do not upset the accepted reconstruction of Seleucid history, they add to our knowledge of the period. The first diary discussed mentions a “procession” (pompḗ). We claim that this procession should not be identified with Antiochus IV’s famous procession at Daphne but was a local festival of the Greeks of Babylon, celebrated in honor of their king’s victorious Egyptian campaign. There are two significant notices in a diary for 165. The first refers to Antiochus’ Armenian expedition while the second, it is argued, alludes to his efforts to explore the Persian Gulf. The diary’s date and the geographical information it contains add to our knowledge of Antiochus IV’s movements during that year. The last diary mentions a party escorting the corpse of a king, who must be Antiochus IV. On the basis of Jewish sources, the party’s leader is identified as Philip, the dead king’s sýntrophos. His presence in Babylon in Tebet 163. supplies an additional argument in favor of dating Lysias’ second campaign against the Jews to that year.
The Babylonian Civil Calendar 731-626 BC: Evidence for Pre-’Metonic’ Periodic Intercalation Patterns
[]
Oxford VI and SEAC 1999: Astronomy and Cultural Diversity [SEAC 7]; ed. by Esteban et al. pp. 244-248 Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Organismo Autónomo de Museos y Centros, Cabildo de Tenerife
Evidence for Pre-’Metonic’ Periodic Intercalation Patterns
sorttitle
Babylonian Civil Calendar 731-626 BC, The
editor
Esteban, César and Belmonte, Juan Antonio
booktitle
Oxford VI and SEAC 1999
booksubtitle
Astronomy and Cultural Diversity
shortbooktitle
SEAC 7
pages
244-248
location
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
publisher
Organismo Autónomo de Museos y Centros, Cabildo de Tenerife
year
2000
date
1999/2000
url
http://archeoastronomy.org/publications/
urldate
2014-04-12
abstract
It is commonly assumed that Babylonian intercalations did not follow regular patterns before the 5th century B.C. On the basis of the reliably known sequence of Babylonian New Year’s dates between 626-539 B.C. and a partial reconstruction of the calendar after 731 B.C., a complex system of 12-year patterns spaced at 19-year intervals is here demonstrated to be present throughout the attested sequence and the reconstructed parts. These patterns are embedded in a cyclic superstructure with a period of 190 years. A periodic system of intercalation based on the recognition of the equality of 235 lunar months and 19 solar years thus appears to have been in use in Babylonia two and a half centuries before the introduction of the “Metonic” cycle. It ended with the Persian conquest in 539 B.C.
The Influence of Astronomy on Neo- and Late Babylonian Historiography
sorttitle
Influence of Astronomy on Neo- and Late Babylonian Historiography
booktitle
The inspiration of astronomical phenomena II – Proceedings
shortbooktitle
INSAP II Proc
year
2000
url
http://www.insap.org/insap/program2.htm
eventtitle
INSAP II
eventsubtitle
The inspiration of astronomical phenomena, 2nd Conference
eventdate
1999-01-07/1999-07-14
venue
Malta
organization
University of Malta
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions] [[\#ERR] according to \url{http://www.insap.org/publications.html}, the publication of this conference is still tentative and publication date not set; Gent supposes editors R. White and R. Sinclair, publication date 2000 and location Qormi]
A Common Source for the Late Babylonian Chronicles Dealing with the Eighth and Seventh Centuries
sorttitle
Common Source for the Late Babylonian Chronicles Dealing with the Eighth and Seventh Centuries
journal
Journal of the American Oriental Society
shortjournal
JAOS
volume
120
number
4
pages
553-569
publisher
American Oriental Society
year
2000
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/606616
doi
10.2307/606616
language
english
abstract
The nature of the sources of the Babylonian chronicles remains a matter of controversy even after decades of occasional discussion. Here statistical evidence is presented that the sources of the chronicles dealing with political events up to the time recorded in Chron. 2 were astrological texts. The number of coincidences between exact dates in the examined chronicles and an adannu of 30 days after ominous planetary events is compared to the number that can be expected in a random sample of dates between 750-600. The null-hypothesis that the number of coincidences found in the chronicle sample is random could be rejected at a safe p < 0.02. The long-sought “common source” of the late Babylonian chronicles dealing with the eighth and seventh centuries was therefore in all probability a corpus of astrological texts. Chronicles dealing with later times were compiled from texts of a different nature. This shift from one kind of source texts to another makes a diachronically differentiated approach in the evaluation of the information contained in individual chronicles imperative. The design of the proposed test necessitates a sound basis for finding the possible Julian equivalents of Babylonian dates. A reanalysis of New Year’s dates inferred from eclipse data in LBAT 1413-1417 and of New Year’s dates between 626-539 is therefore presented in the first part of this paper. An average beginning of the year two weeks before equinox is demonstrated to be probable only until 730. From that time to the end of Nabopolassar’s reign a constant ratio of ∼7 intercalations per 19 years was maintained, which kept the average Babylonian New Year’s date a few days before equinox. Only at the turn to the sixth century can a second shift to even later dates be demonstrated.
Die Inschrift H(arran)1.A/B und die neubabylonische Chronologie
sorttitle
Inschrift H(arran)1.A/B und die neubabylonische Chronologie
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
88
number
1
pages
72-93
year
1998
doi
10.1515/zava.1998.88.1.72
language
german
abstract
Previous research on the chronology of the last Assyrian kings in Babylonia has proved inconclusive. It did not do justice to the special nature of the available evidence, even ignored some of it, and at critical points relied solely on preconceived notions of historical probability. A new attempt to elucidate the chronology of this period therefore seems justified. In this paper an inductive approach is advocated that leads to a reinterpretation of Hl.A/B, the commemorative inscription for Nabonidus’ mother: the last regnal year of the kings preceding Nabopolassar was not counted because it coincided with the “year without king”, 626; thus, Assur-etel-iläni 4 = Nabopolassar 0. Addaguppi’s age is calculated in years-of-reign of legitimate kings; her 104 years equal 102 calender years. The conjectured discrepancy of two years between her true age and the statement of Hl.A/B is inexistent. Within this framework, Sin-sumu-lTsir’s accession can be dated unequivocally to 626 by means of economic texts from Nippur. An unprejudiced examination of the Nabopolassar Epic yields new evidence against using ABC 2 as an historical text. Without recourse to arbitrary criteria, a precise dating of Sin-sar-iskun’s accession is therefore not possible. The range of possible years can, however, be accurately narrowed down to 627 or 626; current estimates on the number of post-canonical eponyms point to the higher date, but are as yet speculative. Synchronisms: Assurbanipal 42 = Assur-etel-iläni 3 (= Sin-sar-iskun 0); Nabopolassar 0 = Sin-sar-iskun 0/1 = Sin-sumu-lTsir 0 = Assur-etel-iläni 4.
timestamp
2015-06-03
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
En racontant le songe et l’apparition qui troublent Xerxès au moment de commencer la deuxième guerre médique, Hérodote n’a pas saisi la logique profonde de ce récit, et ses commentateurs modernes ne semblent pas non plus l’apercevoir. L’oncle du roi y joue le rôle de “substitut royal”, personnage attesté tout au long de la tradition babylonienne. Il suffit de se reporter à cette coutume religieuse pour retrouver le fil de l’histoire. Celle-ci est donc née à Babylone plutôt qu’en Perse.
timestamp
2014-05-19
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual]
Phoenix: Bulletin uitgegeven door het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genootschap Ex Oriente Lux, vol. 35 (), nr 2 [Wetenschap in het oude Nabije Oosten] pp. 4-65 Leiden: Ex Oriente Lux
Ephemeriden von Sonne, Mond und hellen Planeten von -1000 bis -601 (1981), Hunger H & Dvorak R [Review]
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 7 () pp. 134-135 College Park, Md.: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [The Zodiac and the Paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea] #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-thru-2013.txt}
gent_note
reprinted in O. Gingerich, The Great Copernicus Chase and other Adventures in Astronomical History (Cambridge [Mass]/Cambridge: Sky Publishing Corporation/Cambridge University Press, 1992), pp. 7-12.
Die astronomischen Kenntnisse der Babylonier und ihre kulturhistorische Bedeutung I: Der gestirnte Himmel bei den Babyloniern und der babylonische Ursprung der Mondstationen. Mit einer Karte
KLIO: Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte, vol. 1 () pp. 1-25 Leipzig: Dieterich’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Die astronomischen Kenntnisse der Babylonier und ihre kulturhistorische Bedeutung II: Sonnen- und Mondlauf und Gang der Gestirne nach babylonischer Kenntnis und deren Einfluss auf die griechische Astronomie
KLIO: Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte, vol. 1 () pp. 189-211 Leipzig: Dieterich’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Zeitrechnung der Makedonier, Kleinasier und Syrer, der Germanen und Kelten, des Mittelalters, der Byzantiner (und Russen), Armenier, Kopten, Abessinier, Zeitrechnung der neueren Zeit, sowie Nachträge zu den drei Bänden. Mit Tabellen, 6 Figuren und 1 farbigen Blatt im Text und 6 Zahlentafeln auf 44 Seiten als Anhang
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie: Das Zeitrechnungswesen der Völker, vol. 3 [of 3] Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Zeitrechnung der Makedonier, Kleinasier und Syrer, der Germanen und Kelten, des Mittelalters, der Byzantiner (und Russen), Armenier, Kopten, Abessinier, Zeitrechnung der neueren Zeit, sowie Nachträge zu den drei Bänden
titleaddon
Mit Tabellen, 6 Figuren und 1 farbigen Blatt im Text und 6 Zahlentafeln auf 44 Seiten als Anhang
maintitle
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie
Zeitrechnung der Babylonier, Ägypter, Mohammedaner, Perser, Inder, Südostasiaten, Chinesen, Japaner und Zentralamerikaner. Mit 6 Figuren im Text, chronologischen Tafeln und einer Karte
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie: Das Zeitrechnungswesen der Völker, vol. 1 [of 3] Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
Die Astronomischen Kenntnisse der Babylonier und ihre Kulturhistorische Bedeutung: drei Aufsätze (edn: Abdr. aus den Beiträgen zur alten Geschichte. Band I. Heft. 1.2.3.-1902)
Spezieller Kanon der Sonnen- und Mondfinsternisse für das Ländergebiet der klassischen Altertumswissenschaften und den Zeitraum von 900 vor Chr. bis 600 nach Chr.. Bearb. auf Kosten und hrsg. mit Unterstützung der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Spezieller Kanon der Sonnen- und Mondfinsternisse für das Ländergebiet der klassischen Altertumswissenschaften und den Zeitraum von 900 vor Chr. bis 600 nach Chr.
titleaddon
Bearb. auf Kosten und hrsg. mit Unterstützung der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Über einige von persischen und arabischen Schriftstellern erwähnte Sonnen- und Mondfinsternisse
Sitzungsberichte der königlich preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (), nr 34 [2. Halbband] pp. 709-714 Berlin: Verlag der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Kommission bei Georg Reimer
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, III. Abhandlung
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa], vol. 89 () pp. 491-559 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, III. Abhandlung
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa
volume
89
pages
491-559
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, II. Abhandlung
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa], vol. 88 () pp. 629-755 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, II. Abhandlung
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa
volume
88
pages
629-755
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, I. Abhandlung: Über die zwischen 26 und 103 n. Chr. stattgefundenen Sonnenfinsternisse im Allgemeinen und die Finsternis des Plutarch insbesondere. Mit zwei Karten
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa], vol. 85 () pp. 663-747 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über Finsternisse, I. Abhandlung
subtitle
Über die zwischen 26 und 103 n. Chr. stattgefundenen Sonnenfinsternisse im Allgemeinen und die Finsternis des Plutarch insbesondere
titleaddon
Mit zwei Karten
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa
volume
85
pages
663-747
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses]
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “References from N. F. Berry (13-14/12/95)” #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [The Zodiac and the Paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea]
Horizontal measuring in the Babylonian astronomical compendium MUL.APIN and in the Astronomical Book of 1 En
journal
Henoch
journalsubtitle
studi storicofilologici sull’ebraismo
volume
18
number
3
pages
259-282
location
Torino
school
Universita degli studi di Torino, Istituto di orientalistica, Biblioteca Paul Kahle
year
1996
timestamp
2014-01-31
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004influenceo} [Transmission to the Eastern Mediterranean] #and# \url{http://aleph.nli.org.il:80/F/?func=direct&doc_number=000191869&local_base=RMB01}
La stella Sirio e l’influenza dell’astrologia caldea nell’Iran antico
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni: Pubblicati dalla scuola di studi storico-religiosi della università di Roma [SMSR], vol. 34 (), nr 2 pp. 237-248 Roma: Cesare Marziole Editore
The focus of this article is a much debated passage of the Old Hittite magical ritual KBo 17.17+, for which the author proposes a new reading and interpretation. One of the results of this study is the isolation of a new lemma (LÚ) ānt- “equal”, which might be related to the Luvian hapax aiauala- in the Tawagalawa Letter. The lemma ānt- also occurs in the substitute king rituals, thus raising the question whether KBo 17.17+ might belong to this type of rituals. If so, KBo 17.17+ would be the oldest Hittite example of the substitute king rituals.
timestamp
2014-05-19
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual]
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars] #and# \url{http://www.goines.net/Writing/venus.html}: \begin{quote}Sky & Telescope magazine, February 1992, cites my observation of the crescent Venus in “Observer’s Notebook,” page 231\end{quote}
Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (2000), Steele J [Review]
journal
Isis
volume
94
number
1
pages
136
location
Chicago
publisher
University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
year
2003
date
2003-03
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/376124
doi
10.1086/376124
urldate
2013-11-25
language
english
contents
Reviewed work(s): John M. Steele. Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers. (Archimedes: New Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, 4.) xii + 321 pp., illus., figs., tables, app., bibl., index. Dordrecht/Boston/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000.
abstract
Reviewed work(s): John M. Steele. Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers. (Archimedes: New Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, 4.) xii + 321 pp., illus., figs., tables, app., bibl., index. Dordrecht/Boston/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000. USD 132, £84, NLG 270. Bernard R. Goldstein Ancient and medieval astronomical observations are of interest to astronomers as well as to historians of the exact sciences, and studying them demands facility in several disciplines. In the late nineteenth century, the leading American astronomer, Simon Newcomb, addressed these issues with sensitivity, but subsequent astronomers have largely turned to other matters. John Steele combines a variety of skills and has produced a volume of great value that draws together information from a wide range of sources. He restricts his attention to solar and lunar eclipses for which the times of phases are preserved, whether computed or observed, in textual materials from Babylonian, ancient Greek, medieval Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin, as well as Chinese and Japanese, sources prior to 1600. He also provides brief but useful introductions to the various astronomical cultures under discussion and the character of the sources in which the records are preserved. Observations are clearly distinguished from “predictions,” a term used here for ancient and medieval computations (there is little discussion of whether the “predictions” were made before or after the event), and both of them from modern computations. The accuracy of the observations and predictions are evaluated separately. Three user‐friendly appendixes summarize much of the data: late Babylonian eclipse records; Chinese sunrise and sunset times; and timed Chinese eclipse records. In recent years the Babylonian material in the so‐called Astronomical Diaries has appeared in print with text and translation, but without any analysis of the observations in them. Other Babylonian eclipse observations are preserved on tablets that have not been translated, and access to them has been limited to those able to read Akkadian. With the publication of this book, the entire corpus of known Babylonian eclipse records is now available, together with a determination of their accuracy. Since many of these records are fragmentary, dating them requires careful analysis. For example, it has long been argued that the Babylonians began systematically to record astronomical observations in 747 b.c., based in part on a remark in Ptolemy’s Almagest. This claim has been supported by appeal to a badly damaged Babylonian tablet that was published in transcription as LBAT No. 1413 in Abraham J. Sachs, Late Babylonian Astronomical and Related Texts Copied by T. G. Pinches and J. N. Strassmaier (Providence: Brown University Press, 1955). Steele offers a previously unpublished translation of it by Hermann Hunger and reconsiders the data, concluding that it most likely refers to a lunar eclipse in 747-746 b.c. but that not enough is known about the Babylonian calendar to exclude 801-800 b.c. (pp. 43-45). At the other end of the time period covered here are the eclipses observed by Tycho Brahe between 1573 and 1600. The author concludes that although Tycho’s observations are the most accurate, the observations by Johannes Regiomontanus and Bernhard Walther between 1457 and 1504 are only marginally less accurate (p. 154). Steele has excluded eclipse records without times for phases, and so medieval records embedded in historical accounts are not mentioned. Similarly, the vexed questions concerning reports in ancient Greek histories of total solar eclipses are passed over in silence. But the exclusion of an annular solar eclipse observed by al‐Irānshahrī in 873 and reported by al‐Bīrūnī seems arbitrary because this observation (even without timed phases) seems to be both historically and scientifically significant (see Bernard R. Goldstein, “Medieval Observations of Solar and Lunar Eclipses,” Archives Internationales d’Histoire des Sciences, 1979, 29:101-156, cited by Steele for other records). In sum, we now have a rich and reliable source of data that can be consulted with confidence.
Discusses the development of lunar theories in Babylonian astronomy, which yielded good results enabling Babylonians to compute lunar eclipses with great success. Initial values for the draconitic, synodic and sidereal months; Mean interval between eclipse possibilities; Reason why lunar anomaly is difficult to observe; Periods of lunar motion.
In this paper it is argued that Eratosthenes’s measurement of the earth depended on estimated distances and ratios as well as approximation procedures, and that precise observations were not involved. His method is reconstructed here from a number of ancient texts, and it is concluded that Cleomedes, or his source, misunderstood and misrepresented what Eratosthenes did. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In diesem Aufsatz werden Argumente dafür vorgetragen, daß die Erdmessung des Erathosthenes auf geschätzten Entfernungen und Verhältnissen sowie auf Näherungsverfahren beruhte und daß präzise Beobachtungen nicht eingingen. Seine Methode wird anhand einer Anzahl von Quellen rekonstruiert. Als Schlußfolgerung ergibt sich, daß Cleomedes, oder seine Quelle, das Verfahren des Eratosthenes mißverstand bzw. mißverständlich darstellte. RÉSUMÉ: Cet article tend à montrer que la mesure de la Terre attribuée à Eratosthène ne dérive pas d’observations précises, mais se fonde sur une estimation des données et sur des procédés d’approximation. La reconstruction de la démarche à partir de divers textes antiques permet de conclure que Cléomède, ou sa source, a déformé la méthode d’Eratosthène.
Al-Bitruji: On the principles of astronomy, Vol. 1: Analysis and Translation
Al-Bitruji: On the principles of astronomy, vol. 1 [=Yale Studies in the History of Science and Medicine, nr 7] New Haven, CT and London: Yale University Press
Al-Bitruji: On the principles of astronomy, Vol. 1
subtitle
Analysis and Translation
maintitle
Al-Bitruji: On the principles of astronomy
series
Yale Studies in the History of Science and Medicine
volume
1
number
7
pagetotal
xi+162
location
New Haven, CT and London
publisher
Yale University Press
year
1971
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
year
1966
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/228698
urldate
2014-01-31
language
english
abstract
The Metonic cycle of nineteen years is a well-known device which was used in ancient Greece and Babylon for correlating the periods of the sun and the moon for calendaric purposes. Knowledge of this cycle appears earlier in Greece (fifth century B.C.) than its unambiguous use in Babylonia (probably 383 B.C.). Nevertheless, it is most likely that the Greeks borrowed this astronomical result from the Babylonians. [..]
The Introduction of Dated Observations and Precise Measurement in Greek Astronomy
Archive for History of Exact Sciences [AHES], vol. 43 (), nr 2 pp. 93-132 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
This vol. presents tables giving the dates of all new \& full moons during an historical era when these data were of considerable interest \& importance. To make them more useful the longitudes of the moon at each of these times is also given, as is a consecutive enumeration of the conjunctions \& a similar one of the oppositions. All dates are reckoned in the Julian calendar \& all times are given in hours \& the nearest minute. These dates \& times are calculated for an observer in Babylon, or equivalently Baghdad, since this location is fairly centrally located for the historians of the period, exactly 3 hours west of Greenwich. Moreover, the time used is civil time \& is based on a 24-hour clock with its origin at midnight; thus noon is 12 hours. Since this vol. may be considered as a supplement to Bryant Tuckerman’s tables, all fundamental astronomical elements have been taken from them.
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 163, pp. 1783-1792 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Instituto de Astrofısica de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
title
Orientation of Hittite Monuments
editor
Ruggles, Clive L.N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
163
pages
1783-1792
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_182
language
english
contents
Introduction 1783 Sacred Spaces and Time 1786 Astronomy and Landscape: The Hattusha Paradigm 1788 References 1791
abstract
The possible astronomical or topographical orientations of the Hittite monuments of the Bronze Age has remained unexplored until recently. This would provide an important insight into how temporality was imprinted by this culture in sacred spaces and in the landscape. The authors’ analysis of a statistically significant sample of Hittite temples À and a few monumental gates À has demonstrated that ancient Hittite monuments were not randomly orientated as previously thought. On the contrary, there were well-defined patterns of orientation that can be interpreted within the context of Hittite culture and religion.
Au déclin de la civilisation babylonienne: Uruk sous les Séleucides
Academie royale de Belgique, Bulletin de la classe des lettres et des sciences morales et politiques, vol. 5 (), nr 27 pp. 222-244 Bruxelles: Academie royale de Belgique
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
thompson_note
Though the entries are usually brief and can be somewhat cryptic this book remains the most useful compilation/compendium of all Mesopotamian constellation names/star names known up till circa 1950. (Also, all the entries are hand-written with very few slips.) Though compiled from references that can date back to the turn of the 19th-century it is still considered to be the standard reference. (Two-thirds of the sources used by Felix Gössmann pre-date 1920 i.e., fall within the pioneering period of assyriology and efforts to recover Babylonian astronomy. Because the majority of his sources are over 90 years old and the book itself is over 60 years old it needs to be used with caution.) Improved modern translations of some constellation and star names (due to various changes in transliteration format since 1950) are, of course, not reflected in the book and some revision is required. For corrections/improvements to constellation and star names, and their identifications, see Babylonian Planetary Omens 2 by Erica Reiner and David Pingree (1981); and Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia by Hermann Hunger and David Pingree (1999). To date I have not come across any book review for this volume. See obituaries for Pater Felix Gössmann O. S. A. in Augustinianum (Review), Volume 8, 1968, Pages 547-550; and Cor Unum (Review), Volume 26, 1968, Pages 119-120. Also see: Who’s Who in the Catholic World (1967, Volume 1), edited by Stephen Taylor. Gössmann was born in 1907 in Sulzwiesan, Germany. He was the son of Joseph Gössmann, a farmer. Felix Gössmann had a Doctor of Theology degree (= Doctor of Philosophy degree) and Doctor of Assyriology degree. He was a member of the Augustinian order, which he entered in 1920. From 1937 to 1938 he was a professor at the Augustinian College of Nijmegan. Life dates: 1907-1968. To keep in mind when reading the material and interpretations in this book: The Akkadians borrowed Sumerian cuneiform script for writing their own language and whilst they retained numerous Sumerian signs they also added their own. According to the cuneiform philologist John Heise, Akkadian speakers systematically used the Sumerian language at least to the Old Babylonian Period. It was the language of the Akkadian-speaking scholars. However, Sumerograms did not necessarily represent Sumerian loan words in the Akkadian language. It may be that there has been an Akkadian adaptation of a Sumerian logogram. A logogram used in an Akkadian text could represent either a loan word from Sumerian or a native Akkadian word. It was a general convention in ancient Mesopotamian scientific texts to use Sumerian word-signs to render Akkadian vocabulary words. However, it is not (always) possible to decide whether the Sumerian words used in later (non-Sumerian) times are actually Sumerian in origin or are just later Babylonian notions recorded in anachronistic Sumerian. No conclusion can be confidently drawn from the later use of Sumerian terms regarding the time or place of the origin of the content of the texts.
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient
shortjournal
JESHO
volume
42
number
3
pages
303-325
location
Leiden
publisher
Brill
year
1999
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3632393
urldate
2014-04-10
language
english
abstract
A record of prices of basic commodities from Hellenistic Babylonia, even though incomplete, provides unusually detailed information about economic conditions there. From these prices, particularly for food, it is possible to derive conclusions concerning price levels and standards of living over a period of three centuries or so. The Seleucid period is revealed as one of high prosperity, building on a previous advance, but it was followed by a fall in living standards during the first century of Parthian rule.
The Babylonian Tradition of Celestial Phenomena and Ptolemy’s Fixed Star Catalogue
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 95-134 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Normal Star Observations in Late Babylonian Astronomical Diaries
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 97-147 Cambridge, Mass. and London: MIT Press
From the contents: Introduction.- The Stars of the Almagest.- Accusations.- The Rehabilitation of Ptolemy.- The Analysis of the Star Catalogue.- Structures in Ptolemy’s Star Catalogue.- Theory and Observation.- Appendix A.- Stars and Constellations.- Identifications.- Appendix B.- Transformation Formulae.- Column Headings.- Appendix C.- Column Headings.- Literature.- Index.
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Gerd Graßhoff and Elisabeth Rinner and Mathieu Ossendrijver and Olivier Defaux and Marvin Schreiber and Emilie Villey
sortkey
Grasshoff.G:2016_Longitude
title
Longitude
editor
Gerd Graßhoff and M. Meyer
editortype
founder
journal
eTopoi
journalsubtitle
Journal for Ancient Studies
volume
6
issuetitle
Space and Knowledge. Topoi Research Group Articles
pages
634-677
publisher
Berlin: Exzellenzcluster 264 Topoi
year
2016
url
https://edition-topoi.org/articles/details/1159
doi
10.17169/FUDOCS_document_000000026014
alturl
http://www.topoi.org/publication/38302/
urldate
2017-06-07
abstract
This study traces the development of the concept of geographical longitude: from the earliest known Mesopotamian evidence of geographical concepts through its incorporation into mathematical astronomy and to its transmission to ancient Greek philosophy and scholarship. We show that there is a tight connection between the observation of lunar eclipses and the development of a quantitative representation of terrestrial longitudes. It was not until Ptolemy that geographical longitude was systematically quantified through angular differences. It is demonstrated that the ancient scholars failed in their attempts to determine geographical longitude by astronomical means, and that even certain Syriac texts which specify how to determine longitude using a planispheric astrolabe were unable to resolve this scientific challenge.
The Coordinate System of Astronomical Observations in the Babylonian Diaries
Studies on the Ancient Exact Sciences in Honour of Lis Brack-Bernsen; ed. by Steele et al. [=Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, nr 44] pp. 83-103 Berlin: Edition Topoi
Ein Großteil der astronomischen Beobachtungen in den Babylonischen Tagebüchern handelt von Konjunktionsereignissen sich bewegender Objekte, wie dem Mond oder Planeten mit hellen Sternen in der Nähe der Ekliptik. 1995 argumentierte Graßhoff, dass die Beobachtungen am meisten Sinn ergäben, wenn man davon ausginge, dass die Babylonier ein ekliptikales Koordinatensystem nutzten. Im Folgenden stellen wir einen Test vor, der ein äquatoriales Koordinatensystem als alternatives Messsystem ausschließt.
A Study of Babylonian Goal-Year Planetary Astronomy
sorttitle
Study of Babylonian Goal-Year Planetary Astronomy, A
series
Durham theses
school
Durham University, Department of Physics
year
2009
url
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/101/
urldate
2014-01-30
language
english
abstract
Throughout the Late Babylonian Period, Mesopotamian astronomers made nightly observations of the planets, Moon and stars. Based on these observations, they developed several different techniques for predicting future astronomical events. The present study aims to improve our understanding of a particular empirical method of prediction, whichmade use of planetary periods – a period of time over which a planet’s motion recurs very closely – to predict that planet’s future motion. Various planetary periods are referred to in many Late Babylonian astronomical texts. By collecting together these periods and analysing their effectiveness, it was found that, generally, the most effective of the planetary periods were those which were used in the production of a particular type of text known as a Goal-Year Text. The Goal-Year Texts contain excerpts of astronomical observational records, with the planetary records having been taken from particular observation years with these planetary periods in mind – such that each planet’s motion will recur during the same, specific, future year. It has been suggested that they form an intermediate step towards the compilation of the nonmathematical predictive texts known as Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs. An analysis of theoretically calculated dates of planetary events showed that, if the Goal-Year Texts were to be used as a source for making empirical predictions, particular corrections (specific to each planet) would need to be applied to the dates of the planetary records found in the Goal-Year Texts. These corrections take the form of regular corrections to the day of an event (a “date correction”), and more irregular corrections of ±1 month (a “month shift”). An extensive investigation of the Babylonian nonmathematical texts demonstrated that the observed differences in the dates of events, when comparing equivalent records in all known extant Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs with those in the Goal-Year Texts, were extremely consistent with theoretical expectations. This lends considerable support to the theory that the Goal-Year Texts’ records formed the “raw data” used in the compilation of the Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs. It was also possible to analyse several other aspects of Late Babylonian non-mathematical astronomy during the course of this study. These topics include the usage of particular stars in the predictive texts, the meaning of certain terminology found in records of the Babylonian zodiacal signs, and the specific issues related to the planet Mercury’s periods of visibility and invisibility. Therefore, this investigation enhances many aspects of our knowledge of Late Babylonian astronomical practices.
The Babylonian calendar and goal-year methods of prediction
journal
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
shortjournal
AHES
volume
63
number
6
pages
611-633
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
2009
date
2009-11
month
November
doi
10.1007/s00407-009-0048-z
urldate
2013-10-23
language
english
abstract
This paper is the second part of an investigation into Babylonian non-mathematical astronomical texts and the relationships between Babylonian observational and predicted astronomical data. Part I (\cite{gray2008studieson1}) showed that the predictions found in the Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs were almost certainly made by applying Goal-Year periods to observations recorded in the Goal-Year Texts. The paper showed that the differences in dates of records between the Goal-Year Texts and the Almanacs or Normal Star Almanacs were consistent with the date corrections of a few days which, according to theoretical calculations, should be added to allow for the inexactness of Goal-Year periods. The current paper follows on from our earlier study to consider the effect of the Babylonian calendar on Goal-Year methods of prediction. Due to the fact that the Babylonian calendar year can contain either 12 or 13 months, a Goal-Year period can occasionally be month longer or shorter than usual. This suggests that there should in theory be certain points in the Metonic intercalation cycle where a predicted event occurs one Babylonian month earlier or later than the corresponding event a Goal-Year period later. By comparing dates of lunar and planetary records in the Astronomical Diaries, Goal-Year Texts, Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs, we show that these month differences between the observational records and the predictions occur in the expected years. This lends further support to the theory that the Almanacs’ and Normal Star Almanacs’ predictions originated from records in the Goal-Year Texts, and clarifies how the Goal-Year periods were used in practice.
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines. Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965) [RAI 14]; ed. by Wendel et al. [Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg ser.] pp. 69-76 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Wendel, F. and Nougayrol, J. and Gadd, C. J. and Oppenheim, A. L. and Falkenstein, A. and Grayson, A. K. and Dossin, G. and Finet, A. and Pettinato, G. and Aro, J. and Lambert, W. G. and Cornelius, F. and Leichty, E. and Eissfeldt, O. and Derchain, Ph. and Bloch, R. and Amandry, P.
booktitle
La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines
booktitleaddon
Compte rendue de la XIVe Rencontre assyriologique internationale (Strasbourg, 2-6 juillet 1965)
shortbooktitle
RAI 14
series
Bibliothèque des centres d’études supérieures spécialisés ; Travaux du Centre d’études supérieures spécialisé d’histoire des religions de Strasbourg
pages
69-76
pagetotal
184
location
Paris
publisher
Presses Universitaires de France
institution
Centre d’Études Supérieures Spécialisé d’Histoire des Religions de Strasbourg
This invaluable collection of Mesopotamian texts of the type labeled “chronicles” is divided into two sections: studies and texts. Each study elucidates essential chronicle historical and source material. Each text is presented with transliteration, translation, and commentary. Indexes, line drawings, and plates complete this volume. The book has long been considered a model of its type, and Eisenbrauns is happy to make it available again. Texts of the chronicles (p. 69-192), in English and Assyro-Babylonian. “Portions of this study were originally a doctoral dissertation for the Johns Hopkins University completed in 1962.” Includes bibliographies and indexes.
reprintdate
2000
reprintlocation
Winona Lake, Indiana
reprintpublisher
Eisenbrauns
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Solar Eclipse in the “Religious Chronicle”]
Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli: Rivista del Dipartimento di Studi Asiatici e del Dipartimento di Studi e Ricerche su Africa e Paesi Arabi. Annali dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” [AION], vol. 39 (), nr 4 pp. 673-690 Napoli: Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli
The available historical records of supernovae occurring in our own Galaxy over the past two thousand years are reviewed. These accounts include the well-recorded supernovae of AD1604 (Kepler’s SN), AD1572 (Tycho’s SN), AD1181 AD1054 (which produced the Crab Nebula) and AD1006, together with less certain events dating back to AD185. In the case of the supernovae of AD1604 and AD1572 it is European records that provide the most accurate information available, whereas for earlier supernovae records are principally from East Asian sources. Also discussed briefly are several spurious supernova candidates, and the future prospects for studies of historical supernovae.
This study treats the religious and intellectual history of the city of Harran (Eastern Turkey) from biblical times down to the establishment of Islam. The author starts from the well-known reference in the Qur’an and the early Islamic histories to the people of Harran as Sabians, one of the “peoples of the book.” The author unravels strands of religious tradition in Harran that run from the old Semitic planetary cults through Hellenistic hermeticism, gnosticism, and Neo-Pythagoreanism and Christian cults to esoteric Islamic sects such as the Sufis and Shiites.
timestamp
2015-05-13
comment
“...I welcome Green’s book, which should spur scholars to renewed efforts.” Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, Religious Studies Review, 1994. “Tamara Green est en effet bien qualifiée pour nous offrir de nouveaux ouvrages sur les rapports entre les Sabiens et les Musulmans et dans cette perspective on souhaite voir les résultats de ses recherches futures.” Cosmas Megalommatis, Journal of Oriental and African Studies, 1993.
Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
New Evidence on the Old Babylonian Calendar and Real Estate Documents from Sippar
journal
Journal of the American Oriental Society
shortjournal
JAOS
volume
121
number
2
pages
257-267
location
New Haven, CT
publisher
American Oriental Society
year
2001
date
2001-04/2001-06
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/606564
doi
10.2307/606564
urldate
2014-04-16
language
english
abstract
The Sumerian Nippur calendar, which utilizes the series of month names beginning with BARAG.ZAG.GAR and ending with ŠE.GUR10.KU5, became standard in Babylonia during the Old Babylonian period. But the familiar equivalent series of Akkadian month names, beginning with Nisannu and ending with A(d)daru, did not emerge until the Middle Babylonian period. During the Old Babylonian period, at Sippar and elsewhere, documents are dated by local calendars which had different sets of Akkadian month names. Recent publications of Old Babylonian real estate documents from Sippar yield important new evidence for the local month names, their place in the yearly calendar, and their equivalence with the standard, Sumerian Nippur series.
Old Babylonian documents from Sippar regularly used Sumerian month names of the BARAG.ZAG.GAR series, derived from the UR III calendar of Nippur. They also used a number of “variant” Akkadian month names which are not the same as those of the “standard” Nisannu series. Many of these “variant” month names are identical with Akkadian month names appearing in the regional calendars of the period. These regional calendar traditions impacted upon one another, with the result that overlapping sets of month names came to be used simultaneously. Surprisingly, when one takes a fresh look at the total data, one is hard-pressed to find real evidence for the existence and use of the Nisannu series at Sippar during the Old Babylonian period. The “variant” month names appear to be the norm.
Altorientalische Texte und Bilder zum Alten Testament, vol. 1 [of 2] (edn: 2., völlig neugestaltete und stark verm. Aufl.) Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
This volume “Praise to Istar” contains three quite distinct Old-Babylonian prayers to the fertility-and-war goddess. Two of these texts, one from the Louvre Museum, the other from the Irak Museum in Bagdad, are edited for the first time. The third is a thorough revision and expansion of the author’s 1981 edition of the Agushaya hymn. Although the contents of the texts are considerably different, the three are thematically related and share the same poetic language of Old Babylonian epic hymns. The lengthy text from the Louvre Museum, clearly marked by a transvestite ceremony, and the much shorter Agushaya hymn present detailed descriptions of Ishtar rituals. The third text can be described as a personal lament, which in style and content resembles the Old-Babylonian version of the “Righteous Sufferer.”
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 44-47 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Vers la fin du Ve siècle av. J.-C. apparaissent en Mésopotamie les plus vieux horoscopes connus, c’est à dire l’observation du ciel à la connaissance d’un petit enfant, faire en fonction de lui. C’est très tard par rapport aux premières observations du ciel et aux présages que l’on pouvait tirer des astres.
The Babylonian Astronomical Diaries: A Graphical Analysis of Their Implied Reference System
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry [MAA], vol. 16 (), nr 4 [Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures (November 2015 – Rome, Italy)] pp. 167-173
College of Liberal Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73072 USA
title
The Babylonian Astronomical Diaries
subtitle
A Graphical Analysis of Their Implied Reference System
sorttitle
Babylonian Astronomical Diaries
editor
Hernandez, Jean Paul and González-García, A. César and Magli, Giulio and Nadali, Davide and Polcaro, Andrea and Verderame, Lorenzo
journal
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry
shortjournal
MAA
volume
16
number
4
issuetitle
Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures (November 2015 – Rome, Italy)
pages
167-173
year
2016
doi
10.5281/zenodo.220916
abstract
The intent of this study is to describe the directional relations employed in the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries and visually demonstrate their function with charts showing positions of the Moon, planets and stars as viewed on dates corresponding with diary entries. The Babylonians observed and recorded celestial events each night for over six centuries during the first millennium BC. A number of cuneiform tablets containing these astronomical diaries have been recovered and were later translated by Abraham Sachs and Hermann Hunger. The majority of diary entries track the position of the Moon with reference to 31 “normal stars,” all within 10 degrees of the ecliptic. Entries specify the moon as being “above,” “below,” “in front of,” or “behind” a second body by a specified distance in “cubits.” The extant tablets fail to adequately define the reference system used for the topographical relations. Computer-generated star-charts that are specific for the date and location of selected diary entries show a general interdependence between the topographical relations and the celestial course of the Sun, Moon, and planets. John Steele has discussed the Babylonians as having considered the Moon and planets to move through the zodiac within their own individual bands. This is considered with regard to graphical data that represents a distinct correlation between diary descriptions and the path of the general direction of ecliptic travel.
crossRef
hernandez2016medarcharc
eventtitle
Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures
Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Zweite Reihe: R-Z, vol. 19 [of 19]: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, Zweite Reihe, Bd. X A: Zenobia – Zythus; ed. by Ziegler (edn: Neue Bearbeitung) pp. 462-710 Stuttgart and München: Metzler and Alfred Druckenmüller
The expression su-b / pul TIN.BI appears to belong closely with the noun samallu, which always precedes it: see especially STT 87, where the connexion is emphasized by the line-division. Other occurrences known to me are KAR.59 rev. 29 and S.U. 51/20 (unpublished). Perhaps it denotes a grade in the scribal academy.
The Sultantepe Tablets (V): The Tale of the Poor Man of Nippur
Anatolian Studies [AnSt], vol. 6 () [Special Number in Honour and in Memory of Professor John Garstang [Fs Garstang]] pp. 145-164 London and Ankara: British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara
On the Astronomical Records and Babylonian Chronology
[]
Just in Time: Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000; ed. by Armstrong et al. [=Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin [Akkadica], nr 119-120] pp. 175-186 Bruxelles: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
On the Astronomical Records and Babylonian Chronology
sorttitle
Astronomical Records and Babylonian Chronology, On the
editor
Armstrong, J. A. and Warburton, David Alan
booktitle
Just in Time
booksubtitle
Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000
series
Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin
shortseries
Akkadica
number
119-120
pages
175-186
location
Bruxelles
publisher
Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
year
2000
date
2000-09/2000-12
url
http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311035
urldate
2013-11-27
abstract
We outline the priority of high quality data of astronomical content as our strategy for the analysis of the ancient astronomical records in the search of the absolute chronology of the Near East in II millennium BC. The correspondingly defined set of data for two lunar eclipses of EAE 20 and 21 tablets linked to Ur III period enables us the choice of eclipses of 27 June 1954 BC and 17 March 1912 BC; here the information on the exit position of the darkening of the lunar disk acts as a crucial informator survived in the records. We then discuss why the 56/64 year Venus cycle cannot be traced in the Venus Tablet and therefore cannot serve as an anchor for the search of chronologies. The month length method is discussed as well. In sum the available data support the Ultra-Low Chronology proposed in the book by H.Gasche, J.A.Armstrong, S.W.Cole and V.G.Gurzadyan, “Dating the Fall of Babylon” (1998) and, particularly, leave no astronomical background for the High Chronology. Ultra-Low Chronology is supported also by archaeological, dendrochronological, Assyrian king lists and other data as summarized at the Intern. Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (Ghent, July, 2000).
keywords
EAE 20, EAE 21, EAE 63 = Venus tablet
crossRef
armstrong2000justintime
eventtitle
International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC)
eventdate
2000-07-07/2000-07-09
venue
Ghent
organization
Department of Languages and cultures of the Near East and North Africa
timestamp
2013-11-27
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [The UR III Eclipses]
Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin, vol. 124 (), nr 1 pp. 13-17 Bruxelles: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy and Yerevan Physics Institute, Armenia
title
The Venus Tablet and Refraction
sorttitle
Venus Tablet and Refraction, The
journal
Akkadica
journalsubtitle
Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin
volume
124
number
1
pages
13-17
location
Bruxelles
publisher
Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
year
2003
date
2003-11-08
url
http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311036
alturl
\url{http://www.akkadica.org/periodical.htm}
urldate
2013-10-31
abstract
It is shown that the refraction near the horizon is introducing an additional bias into the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, which is able to influence the interpretation of the data. We then discuss the attempts to link certain solar eclipses to the birth of Shamshi-Adad and conclude that a record of a single solar eclipse without description of details and/or unambiguous historical links, can hardly act as a reliable anchor.
This illustrated article represents a popular account of the study of the Babylonian astronomical records of Enuma Anu Enlil tablet series i.e. of the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa and of two lunar eclipses linked with the IIIrd dynasty of Ur, having resulted in the proposal of Ultra-Low chronology of the Near East in II millennium B.C. The emerged Ultra-Low chronology is by 96 years shorter than the conventional Middle chronology and by now is supported by various independent studies. Tables of relative chronologies of principal kingdoms of Mesopotamia are given, along with some dates associated with the fall of Babylon in II millennium B.C. The technical details are given in the book by H.Gasche, J.A.Armstrong, S.W.Cole and V.G.Gurzadyan, “Dating the Fall of Babylon” (Mesopotamian History and Environment, Series II, University of Ghent and Chicago Press, 1998) and in subsequent articles.
Actes de la XVIIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Universit Libre de Bruxelles, 30 juin-4 juillet 1969 [RAI 17 Proceedings]; ed. by Finet [=Publications du Comité Belge de Recherches Historiques, Epigraphiques et Archeologiques en Mesopotamie, nr 1] pp. 175-180 Ham-sur-Heure: Comité Belge de Recherches en Mesopotamie
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 161-173 Philadelphia: University Museum
Aristotle on the Great Year, Eudoxus and Mesopotamian Goal Year" Astronomy
Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli: Rivista del Dipartimento di studi del mondo classico e del mediterraneo antico. Sezione filologico-letteraria [AION], vol. 35 () pp. 111-123 Pisa and Rome: Fabrizio Serra Editore
Betrachtungen zur Rekonstruktion des hethitischen Frühjahrsfestes (EZEN purulliyaš)
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
78
number
2
pages
284-298
location
Berlin
publisher
De Gruyter
year
1988
month
January
doi
10.1515/zava.1988.78.2.284
urldate
2014-04-16
abstract
Ausgehend von der zum EZEN purulliyaš gehörenden Ritualanweisung 1142/Z+ KUB 25, 31 wird versucht, den bisher bekannten Textbestand dieses Festes zu erweitern, indem das “Palast-Bau-Ritual” KUB 2, 2+KUB 48, l und verschiedene Festanweisungen bzw. Festzeremonien dem purulli-Festzyklus zugewiesen werden und indem ein Zusammenhang zwischen dem Gott Telipinu sowie seinem Mythos und dem EZEN purulliyaš wahrscheinlicher gemacht wird.
Der subordinierte Satz in den spätbabylonischen Briefen (edn: 1)
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 341 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Der subordinierte Satz in den spätbabylonischen Briefen
sorttitle
subordinierte Satz in den spätbabylonischen Briefen
series
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments
shortseries
AOAT
number
341
edition
1
pagetotal
xiv+171
location
Münster
publisher
Ugarit-Verlag
year
2007
url
http://www.eisenbrauns.com/item/HACSUBORD
contents
(Book ToC:) Vorwort Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Einleitung 2. Morphologie und Funktion der Subjunktionen 2.1. Subordination in den semitischen Sprachen 2.2. Einfache (primäre) Subjumktionen 2.3. Zusammengesetzte (sekundäre) Subjunktionen 2.4. Die einzelnen Subjunktionen en detail 3. Syntax und Funktionen des subordinierten Satzes 3.1. Allgemein 3.2. Anakoluth 3.3. Ellipse 3.4. Pendenskonstruktion 3.5. Relativsätze 3.6. Subjunktionalsätze mit echten subordinierenden Subjunktionen 3.7. Subjunktionalsätze mit adverbialen Subjunktionen 4. Der subordinierte Satz im diachronen Vergleich 4.1. Einführung 4.2. Ausgewählte Nebensatztypen 4.3. Auswertung 5. Ergänzendes zum subordinierten Satz 5.1. Gleichgeordnete Nebensätze 5.2. Der Subordinativ 5.3. Negationen 6. Abschließende Bemerkungen 7. Abkürzungen 8. Bibliographie 9. Indices \url{https://www.academia.edu/1928862}
abstract
J. Hackl examines the syntax of subordinate clauses in Akkadian letters dating from the late 7th to the early 5th century B.C.E. and predominantly found in the the archives of the Ebabbar in Sippar and the Eanna in Uruk. The study focuses on all aspects of syntactic expression of hypotaxis: relative clauses, clauses with genuine and those with adverbial subordinating conjunctions used in causal, local, modal and temporal clauses. It is supplemented by an analysis of the morphology of the various subordinating conjunctions and a diachronic chapter that juxtaposes the Late Babylonian texts with slightly older texts from Nippur and Nineveh.
Astronomische Beiträge zur assyrischen Chronologie
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 49 pp. 153-196 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 8 (), nr 8 pp. 369-380 Paris: Ernest Leroux
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
shortjournal
JA
series
8
number
8
pages
369-380
location
Paris
publisher
Ernest Leroux
institution
Société asiatique (France)
year
1886
url
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k932301/f366
urldate
2016-03-19
timestamp
2014-05-09
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Identification of the Arrow Star]
This dissertation is an in-depth study of the Sumerian moon-god, Nanna/Suen based on an analysis of Sumerian cuneiform sources. The study seeks to understand what constituted the Sumerian conceptualization of the moon-god and the inner workings of his cult. The following major problems were dealt with in the course of the study.^ Organizing and treating the huge written corpus was the first problem. It had to be examined in its entirety so that well-founded and thoroughly researched conclusions about the moon-god could be made. The massive size of the textual corpus also caused problems of methodology. An approach had to be found which would coherently organize the amount of textual information available and take into consideration important factors which condition the evaluation of the evidence such as time period, provenience, text type, and lexical obscurities. Problems of interpretation were ultimately the most challenging. The problem of obtaining objective data undistorted by cultural bias and preconceived notions and the limitations of evidence consisting solely of remnants of a dead civilization were recognized.^ To deal with these probelms the following methodology was used. Whole chapters were devoted to particular types of evidence. Each chapter was organized according to time period and provenience was carefully noted. Lexical problems and the way in which text type affects the evaluation of the evidence were given full consideration. Interpretations were separated from the presentation of the evidence. In this way the most objective and unbiased evaluation of the evidence was insured.^ Through this methodology the historical development of conceptualizations of the moon-god and the range of his cult could be traced. The examination of all the evidence led to the conclusion that the moon-god derived his essential characteristics from the cyclical phases of the moon. The moon’s ever-renewing cycle was interpreted by the Sumerians as a sign of the moon-god’s inherent power to regenerate himself each month. It was believed that he could bestow this power upon all living creatures. Hence, the moon-god was a fertility god. His cult was designed to transfer the moon’s generative power to the sphere of man, thus insuring the continued procreation of crops, animals, and the generations of mankind.
More Incantations and Rituals from the Yale Babylonian Collection
Ancient Magic and Divination, vol. 1: Mesopotamian Magic: Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives; ed. by Abusch et al. pp. 275-289 Groningen: Styx Publications
New Moons and Sabbaths: A Case-Study in the Contrastive Approach
Essential Papers on Israel and the Ancient Near East; ed. by Greenspahn [Essential Papers on Jewish Studies Series ser.] pp. 313-333 New York: New York University Press
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University [JANES], vol. 16-17 () [Ancient Studies in Memory of Elias Bickerman [Fs Bickerman]] pp. 143-151 New York: Jewish Theological Seminary
Volume also published by Jewish Theological Seminary, 1987
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions] #and# \url{http://aleph.nli.org.il:80/F/?func=direct&doc_number=000007280&local_base=RMB01}
The Nabonassar Era and Other Epochs in Mesopotamian Chronology
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 175-190 Philadelphia: University Museum
Studies in Ancient Near Eastern world view and society: presented to Marten Stol on the occasion of his 65th birthday, 10 November 2005, and his retirement from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam [Fs Stol]; ed. by van der Spek pp. 235-253 Bethesda, MD: Capital Decisions Limited Press
Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association
year
2006
date
2006-04
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/ahr.111.2.592
doi
10.1086/ahr.111.2.592
urldate
2014-02-28
language
english
abstract
Reviewed work(s): Francesca Rochberg. The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2004. Pp. xxvi, 331. USD 70.00. William W. Hallo, Yale University Fifty‐five years ago, Naphtali Herz Tur‐Sinai, also known as Harry Torczyner, published a brief article entiled “Šiṭir Šamê: Die Himmelsschrift,” referring thus to the nocturnal sky with the idiom sometimes used by the cuneiform sources (Archiv Orientální 17 [1949]). Much of his short study was given over to Psalm 19 and other proposed biblical parallels (e.g. Job 38:33). When Francesca Rochberg published this book under the same title, it seemed conceivable that she was mining the same lode. But she was not. Hers is a massive disquisition on Babylonian astronomy and astrology, the difference between these two branches of ancient Mesopotmian learning, and the interrelationship between them, introduced by a long polemic against those who question whether either or both of them belong in the history of science. The author is known as one of the most astute interpreters of cuneiform texts whose reputation rests on a partial edition of the great cuneiform astrological series enuma Anu Enlil (1988), a definitive study of Babylonian Horoscopes (1998), and a stunning number of pathbreaking articles on the wider implications of Babylonian divination, including the “canonization” of the textual evidence. But the present book shows her equally at home with the specialized literature of the philosophy and history of science, disciplines far beyond the range of this reviewer, who will therefore confine his comments to its Assyriological contributions. Here the first questions to be raised are to what extent does Rochberg’s interpretation of the cuneiform evidence represent or reflect the current consensus, and to what extent does it represent her own particular take on the issues at stake, some of them of considerable weight in the history of ideas. To take an initial example of the latter, one might cite her emphasis on horoscopes, accounting for no less than three out of seven chapters and adding up almost to a sequel to her previous book on the same subject. But there are many other respects in which her presentation is au courant with current issues in the field, and she is able to furnish an informed opinion on one side or the other. Rochberg is well served by her thorough mastery of Akkadian, the language of most of her Mesopotamian texts; Sumerian, though in native eyes the fountainhead of knowledge, was not used for astral science. The immediate heirs of this science were Hellenistic Egypt in the West and India in the East, and Rochberg has no difficulty drawing these (derivative) syntheses into her purview. If, in the process, the priority and originality of Greek (or Sanskrit) astronomy is called into serious question, that is not unparalleled in current intellectual history; if anything, one could push the Babylonian origin of a number of calendaric and astronomical innovations further back than she does, as far back, perhaps, as the accession of the Babylonian King Nabonassar in 747 b.c.e. One might also quibble with Rochberg’s explanation for the astronomical diary texts, which she thinks were intended as source books for new horoscopes. Others regard them rather as source books for a new omen series, but neither view can be proved as yet. Though few readers will be able to follow the entire line of argument in this learned volume, they will come away with a deeper sense of the complexity, the profundity, and the antiquity of ancient Mesopotamian scholarship.
Origins: The Ancient Near Eastern Background of Some Modern Western Institutions ch.: III (The Calendar: 1. The Hour; 2. The Week; 3. The Era), pp. 78-143
Studies in the history and culture of the ancient Near East, nr 6 Leiden: Brill
Bibliography “Cuneiform Mathematical texts” (unknown parent, pp 219-335) #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
The Assyrian Astronomy of Genesis I and the Birth of Milesian Philosophy
Miriam and Hayim Tadmor Volume [Fs Tadmor]; ed. by Eph’al et al. [=Eretz-Israel Festschrift Series: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies [Eretz-Israel], nr 27] pp. 74-83 Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Assyrian and Pre-Socratic Astronomies and the Location of the Book of Job
Kein Land für sich allein: Studien zum Kulturkontakt in Kanaan, Israel/Palästina und Ebirnâri für Manfred Weippert zum 65. Geburtstag [Fs Weippert]; ed. by Hübner et al. [=Orbis biblicus et orientalis [OBO], nr 186] pp. 255-264 Freiburg (CH) and Göttingen: Saint-Paul and Universitätsverlag
Assyrian and Pre-Socratic Astronomies and the Location of the Book of Job
editor
Hübner, Ulrich and Knauf, Ernst Axel
booktitle
Kein Land für sich allein
booksubtitle
Studien zum Kulturkontakt in Kanaan, Israel/Palästina und Ebirnâri für Manfred Weippert zum 65. Geburtstag
shortbooktitle
Fs Weippert
series
Orbis biblicus et orientalis
shortseries
OBO
number
186
pages
255-264
pagetotal
VIII+331
location
Freiburg (CH) and Göttingen
publisher
Saint-Paul and Universitätsverlag
year
2002
url
http://books.google.de/books?id=8IZtAAAAMAAJ
urldate
2013-12-05
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Characene and Charax: (Spasinou) in pre-Islamic times
[]
Encyclopædia Iranica, vol. V: Encyclopædia Iranica 5: Carpets – Coffee; ed. by Yarshater; pt. 4 pp. 363-365 London and Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul
Characene is the name Pliny gives for the later region of Mesene (called Mēšān or Mēšūn in Middle Persian, Maysān/Mayšān in Syriac, and Maysān in Arabic) in southernmost Mesopotamia, which formed a political district of that name in the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.
reprintdate
2011-10-13
timestamp
2015-05-20
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{slotsky2009talliesand} [[\#ERR] title, pagerange, volume and year indicate the “Iranica Antiqua” journal article \cite{hansman1967charaxandt}, but maintitle says “Encyclopedica Iranica”]
Babylonian planetary theory and the heliocentric concept
journal
Spira Solaris – Time and Tide
year
2003
url
http://www.spirasolaris.ca/sbb2c.html
urldate
2013-10-31
abstract
Babylonian mean values for all four types of month are: 29;31,50,8,20 days (Mean Synodic month), 27;33,16,20 days (Anomalistic month), 27;19,18 days (Mean Sidereal month) and 27;12,43,56 days (Draconic month). A year of 365.256469days (essentially the heliocentric motion of Earth) is readily obtained from the Babylonian mean sidereal and mean synodic months.
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses]
The astronomical diaries from Babylonia (ADB) are excellent sources of information of natural phenomena, including astronomical ones, in pre-Christ era because it contains the record of highly continuous and systematic observations. In this article, we present results of a survey of aurora-like phenomena in ADB, spanning from BCE 652 to BCE 61. We have found nine records of aurora-like phenomena. Philological and scientific examinations suggest that five of them can be considered as likely candidate for aurora observations. They provide unique information about the solar and aurora activities in the first millennium BCE.
The Sun Deity and the Underworld: Mesopotamia and Ugarit
Death in Mesopotamia: Papers read at the XXVIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale [RAI 26]; ed. by Alster [=Mesopotamia: Copenhagen Studies in Assyriology, nr 8] pp. 239-242 København: Akademisk Forlag
Dating EAE: When was the Astrological Series Enūma Anu Ellil Created?
“The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg; ed. by Crisostomo C. Jay et al. [=Ancient Magic and Divination, nr 13] pp. 253-263 Leiden: Brill
Assur – Gott, Stadt und Land. 5. Internationales Colloquium der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 18.–21. Februar 2004 in Berlin; ed. by Renger [=Colloquien der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [CDOG], nr 5] pp. 371-384 Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz
Islamic Astronomical Instruments and Observatories
[]
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 181, pp. 1917-1926 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
This chapter is a brief survey of astronomical instruments being used and developed in Islamic territories from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries as well as a concise account of major observatories and observational programs in this period.
DUMU-E2-DUB-BA-A: Studies in Honor of Ake W. Sjöberg [Fs Sjöberg]; ed. by Behrens et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 11] pp. 249-252 Philadelphia: University Museum
Babylonien durchlief eine wechselvolle Geschichte: Nach der Vernichtung des Assyrerreichs 610 v.Chr. beherrschte das Neubabylonische Reich bis zu seinem Sturz durch die Perser 539 den Vorderen Orient. Dem Perserreich setzte der Feldzug Alexanders des Großen ein Ende, der 331 in Babylon einmarschierte. Vor der Entdeckung der keilschriftlichen Texte bei den Ausgrabungen des 19. Jahrhunderts waren die Bücher des Alten Testaments sowie Herodot, Ktesias, Xenophon und die Alexanderhistoriker die einzigen Quellen zur altorientalischen Geschichte. Daher stammt das Bild vom Idealherrscher Kyros, der Bericht von der List, mit der ihm die Eroberung Babylons gelungen sein soll, daß Xerxes den Marduktempel Babylons zerstört habe oder Alexander der Große von den Babyloniern als Befreier vom Joch der Perserherrschaft gesehen worden sei. Der Autor wertet die reichhaltige Keilschriftüberlieferung (Chroniken, Urkunden, astronomische Tagebücher) für das 7. bis 4. Jahrhundert sprachwissenschaftlich, philologisch und historisch gleichermaßen aus und setzt sie in Relation zu den klassischen Texten. Die vermeintlich gesicherten Ereignisse erscheinen durch die konsequente Konfrontation der Quellen in gänzlich neuem Licht. André Heller ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl für Alte Geschichte der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte sind der Alte Orient im 1. Jt. v.Chr., die hellenistische Staatenwelt, die römische Orientpolitik sowie die römischen Westprovinzen. Babylonien durchlief eine wechselvolle Geschichte: Nach der Vernichtung des Assyrerreichs 610 v.Chr. beherrschte das Neubabylonische Reich bis zu seinem Sturz durch die Perser 539 den Vorderen Orient. Dem Perserreich setzte der Feldzug Alexanders des Großen ein Ende, der 331 in Babylon einmarschierte. Vor der Entdeckung der keilschriftlichen Texte bei den Ausgrabungen des 19. Jahrhunderts waren die Bücher des Alten Testaments sowie Herodot, Ktesias, Xenophon und die Alexanderhistoriker die einzigen Quellen zur altorientalischen Geschichte. Daher stammt das Bild vom Idealherrscher Kyros, der Bericht von der List, mit der ihm die Eroberung Babylons gelungen sein soll, daß Xerxes den Marduktempel Babylons zerstört habe oder Alexander der Große von den Babyloniern als Befreier vom Joch der Perserherrschaft gesehen worden sei. Der Autor wertet die reichhaltige Keilschriftüberlieferung (Chroniken, Urkunden, astronomische Tagebücher) für das 7. bis 4. Jahrhundert sprachwissenschaftlich, philologisch und historisch gleichermaßen aus und setzt sie in Relation zu den klassischen Texten. Die vermeintlich gesicherten Ereignisse erscheinen durch die konsequente Konfrontation der Quellen in gänzlich neuem Licht. André Heller ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl für Alte Geschichte der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte sind der Alte Orient im 1. Jt. v.Chr., die hellenistische Staatenwelt, die römische Orientpolitik sowie die römischen Westprovinzen.
Das Babylonien der Spätzeit (7. Jh.- 3.Jh. v. Chr.) im Spiegel der klassischen Quellen und der keilschriftlichen Literatur
origtype
phdthesis
timestamp
2015-05-13
comment
Tom Boiy, H-Soz-u-Kult, 02.05.2011 „I can only agree with the approach to present an overview of the history of Babylonia from the seventh until fourth century BC and Heller’s book is a meaningful and welcome addition to academic research.“ Originalartikel: \url{http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/2011-2-087}
Explores the unexpected signs from heaven during the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees or Chanukkah in October 3, 164 BCE. Confusion over the precise chronology of the Maccabean Wars; Appearance of Halley’s Comet; Total eclipse of the moon.
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
On Some Recorded Observations of the Planet Venus in the Seventh Century before Christ
Report of the 30th Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science; pt. [2] Notices and Abstracts of Miscellaneous Communications to the Sections [=Reports of the Meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, nr 30] ch.: Mathematics and Physics: Astronomy, pp. 35-36 London: John Murray and Taylor & Francis
On the Eclipse of the Sun mentioned in the First Book of Herodotus
Report of the 26th Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Held at Cheltenham in August 1856; pt. II – Notices and Abstracts of Miscellaneous Communications to the Sections [=Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science [Rep. Br. Ass. Adv. Sci.], nr 26] ch.: Mathematics and Physics: Astronomy, Meteors, Waves, pp. 27 London: John Murray
The author maintained that the eclipse of the 18th of May, 603 B.C., was that which terminated the Lydian war, and that from this celebrated eclipse and his knowledge of the period of 223 lunations, Thales had predicted the eclipse of the 28th of May, 585 b.c. Herodotus, he thought, had confounded the two eclipses with which the name of Thales was connected. Previously to the publication of Mr, Baily’s paper in 1811, it was generally believed by astronomers that the eclipse of 603 b.c. satisfied the conditions of that which terminated the war, the field of battle being supposed to be in the neighbourhood of Kars. Now that Mr. Baily’s arguments against this eclipse have been shown to be erroneous, the author regretted that recent writers had neglected it ; the elements of it having never been calculated with the improved lunar tables now in use.
eventdate
1856-08
venue
Cheltenham
timestamp
2015-06-03
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\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses]
On a Tablet in the British Museum, recording, in Cuneatic Characters, an Astronomical Observation: With Incidental Remarks on the Assyrian Numerals, Divisions of Time, and Measures of Length. Read November 2, 1855
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, ser. Polite literature, vol. 23 () pp. 31-47 Dublin: M.H. Gill
MR. J. R. HIND, writing from Mr. Bishop’s Observatory, Twickenham, to the Times, supplies the following interesting sketch of the Eclipses recorded in History:..
timestamp
2015-04-28
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\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions] [[\#ERR] wrong pagerange 151-153]
gent_note
discusses the Nineveh eclipse (15 June 763 BC), the eclipse of Hezekiah (11 January 689 BC), the eclipse of Thales (28 May 585 BC), the eclipse of Xerxes (17 February 478 BC) and several later eclipses mentioned in classical and medieval sources
A New Boundary Stone of Nebuchadrezzar I. from Nippur: With a Concordance of Proper Names and a Glossary of the Kudurru Inscriptions thus far published
The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series D: Researches and Treatises [BE], nr 4 Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
A New Boundary Stone of Nebuchadrezzar I. from Nippur
subtitle
With a Concordance of Proper Names and a Glossary of the Kudurru Inscriptions thus far published
sorttitle
New Boundary Stone of Nebuchadrezzar I. from Nippur, A
editor
Hilprecht, H. V.
series
The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series D: Researches and Treatises
shortseries
BE
number
4
location
Philadelphia
publisher
University of Pennsylvania
year
1907
url
http://etana.org/node/824
alturl
\url{http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ACF2576.0004.001}
urldate
2014-04-12
language
english
timestamp
2014-04-12
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astralmyth} [Astronomical Symbols on Entitlement Narûs (kudurru’s)]
thompson_note
Still one of the few detailed discussions of the possibility of astronomical themes being depicted on Kudurru (which are commonly, but mistakenly, referred to a “boundary-stones”). The author discusses 37 kudurru and the book is profusely illustrated. See the (English-language) book review by William Ward in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Band 22, 1910, Pages 408-411; and the detailed (German-language) book review/article by Carolo [Karl] Frank (1875-1950) in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Band 21, 1909, Pages 98-124. A summary of a 1916 paper presented by the the author (to the Archaeological Institute of America) on “The Significance of the Symbols on Babylonian Boundary-Stones” appeared in American Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, Volume XX, Number 1, 1916, Pages 76-77.
The Exact Transmission of Texts in the First Millennium B.C.E.: An Examination of the Cuneiform Evidence from Mesopotamia and the Torah Scrolls from the Western Shore of the Dead Sea
Certain ancient Near Eastern texts develop over time towards a reasonably stable state of transmission. However, the development towards a single ‘stabilised’ transmitted form that marks the biblical manuscripts between the second century B.C.E. and second century C.E. is often considered to permit the Hebrew bible a unique position in the ancient Near Eastern textual corpus. The degree to which the wider body of ancient Near Eastern texts actually support or undermine this position is the topic of this dissertation. The study begins by formulating a methodology for comparing the accuracy with which ancient texts of varying genres and languages were transmitted. Exemplars from the first millennium B.C.E. cuneiform evidence are selected for analysis on the basis of genre. Texts that are preserved in more than one ancient copy are compared to determine how much variation occurs between manuscripts of the same text. The study begins with representative texts from the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Late Babylonian periods that range in date from the late eighth century B.C.E. to the third century B.C.E. The study then turns to the Torah scrolls from the Dead Sea area that range in date from the third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. The accuracy with which the cuneiform texts were transmitted is then compared with the biblical evidence. The study finds that the most stable texts surveyed are those containing ritual instructions. The mechanisms that may have led to the exact transmission of the Torah in the late Second Temple period are discussed in the conclusion.
Unpublished PhD thesis. An excellent study that includes examination of Enuma Anu Enlil tablet 63 (the “Venus Tablet”) and the Mul.Apin series. Of interest is the quote (Page 464) by Geoffrey Elton that succinctly critiques the use of statistics in solving complex historical problems, and a concluding statement (Page 494) regarding the lack of stabilisation in the transmission of astronomical/omen cuneiform texts. The latter is interesting. Hobson’s examination demonstrates persistent error-making by a trained scribal elite in copying cuneiform astronomical/omen texts. And this error-making occurred over a relatively short period of time. A tradition of oral transmission did exist in Mesopotamia. The numerous variants of popular myths is used as an argument for an oral tradition in Mesopotamia. A group of “experts” and later, in the Neo-Assyrian period (circa 950-600 BCE), “chief singers” is identified with oral tradition. It is accepted by a number of scholars that these persons would make slight changes. However, it appears that in Mesopotamia there was an early reliance/preference for scribes trained to accurately copy texts. According to The Cambridge History of the Bible (Volume 1, 1975, Page 40): “In Mesopotamia oral tradition played only a limited part in the transmission of literary texts after 2,700 B.C., the scribe using an oral source only when all else failed.” It is quite evident that scribal tradition = variation and copyist errors. Even the text of the omen series Enuma Anu Enlil exhibits divergences and was not really fixed.
Von babylonischen Quellen zur Sternenposition bis zur griechischen Rezeption durch Hipparch und Ptolemaios
alttitle
The History of Positional Astronomy
altsubtitle
From the Babylonian Sources to their Interpretation by Hipparchus and Ptolemy
location
Berlin
institution
Topoi D-1-1-1
year
2015
url
http://www.topoi.org/project/d-1-1-1/
language
german
abstract
The projekt concerns the history of positional astronomy from the Babylonian sources to their reception by Hipparchus and Ptolemy. Research Globe based on data of Hipparchus of Nicaea | Author: Susanne M. Hoffmann | Copyright: Susanne M. Hoffmann The modern concept of describing positions of stars by celestial coordinates has been formed in Greek antiquity. The first source we have which uses exact coordinates is the star catalogue in Ptolemy’s Almagest from the second century CE but earlier approaches show up at least in Hipparchus’s work in the second century BCE which is mostly not preserved. Since we are sure that there had been transfers of concepts of mathematical astronomy from Babylon to Greece in the time of Hipparchus, this project analyses the amount of transfers: Which Greek constellations were copied from Babylonian ones? Which Chaldean astrological tools and concepts did the ancients include in Greek mathematical astronomy? And which Babylonian lists of stars or other data did Greek astronomers use to set up or improve their own mathematical astronomy? The result shall be a better understanding of the transfer of concepts of describing stellar positions and the development of scientific understanding from astrological and literary tales about the relations of constellations to mathematical descriptions with spherical coordinate systems. This Ph.D. thesis is being written within the program History of Ancient Scince (HistAS) of the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).
Babylonische Astronomie: Een vergeten hoofdstuk uit de geschiedenis van de wiskunde
Kaleidoskoop van de wiskunde, vol. 1: Kaleidoskoop van de wiskunde 1: Van priemgetal tot populatiegenetica; ed. by van der Blij et al. pp. 161-180 Utrecht: Epsilon Press
Een vergeten hoofdstuk uit de geschiedenis van de wiskunde
editor
van der Blij, F. and Hogendijk, Jan P. and Oort, F.
booktitle
Kaleidoskoop van de wiskunde 1
booksubtitle
Van priemgetal tot populatiegenetica
maintitle
Kaleidoskoop van de wiskunde
volume
1
pages
161-180
pagetotal
192
location
Utrecht
publisher
Epsilon Press
year
1990
url
http://www.jphogendijk.nl/publ.html
urldate
2013-11-06
abstract
[For the entire collection see Zbl 0734.00010.]\par The article is told to be “an introduction to Babylonian astronomy and no survey” -- but as such it goes considerably deeper than many other popular expositions of similar proportions. Without presupposing deeper mathematical knowledge on the part of the reader the author assumes that he is accustomed to thinking in numbers. After an introduction to the sexagesimal place value system, the article presents the key techniques of Babylonian mathematical astronomy through three examples. Illustrating at the same time some of the difficulties involved in interpreting the numerical schemes: 1) The movement of the Sun according to “system A”, computed by means of a step function (as explained in a procedure text which is presented). 2) The movement of the Moon with relation to the Saros period, the $\phi$-function and its computation by means of a zigzag-function. The relation of the $\phi$-function and certain cognates to the computation of the daily movement of the Moon and the distance between consecutive full moons is described together with the recent results of Lis Brack-Bernsen on its probably roots in the observation of horizon phenomena. 3) The use of a third-order interpolation scheme to determine the movement of Jupiter. [J.Høyrup, Zbl 0743.01005]
B.L. van der Waerden’s Detective Work in Ancient and Medieval Mathematical Astronomy
sorttitle
Waerdens detective work in ancient and medieval mathematical astronomy
journal
Nieuw Archief voor Wiskunde
shortjournal
Nieuw Arch. Wiskd.
series
4
volume
12
issue
3
pages
145-158
year
1994
timestamp
2015-06-09
comment
This is a review paper going into great mathematical detail in describing basic achievements by O. Neugebauer, B. L. van der Waerden, and others in restoring the contents of Babylonian planetary tables. In particular, the Babylonian style of written numbers is explained, as well as the definition of the zig-zag functions $\Phi$, $F$, and $G$, together with their relationship to the Saros period. Attention is paid to van der Waerden’s conclusion drawn from Sanskrit astronomical textbooks about an early connection between Greek and Indian astronomy. This led him to believe that the equant model had already been invented probably by Apollonius. [H.Eelsalu, Zbl 0832.01001]
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific [PASP], vol. 4 (), nr 26 pp. 266 Chicago: University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
In a work of extraordinary erudition which has been presented to the Library of the Lick Observatory by Professor Pickering of the Harvard College Observatory* I find (in the Index) twenty-four references to comets which have appeared. Nearly all of these references should be consulted by anyone who is compiling a catalogue of historic comets. Three of them contain something noteworthy. I therefore copy these three extracts : ...
timestamp
2015-04-20
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bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Catalogues of Cometary Observations and Orbits]
Untersuchungen über die Größe und Helligkeit der Kometen und ihrer Schweife, 5. Teil: Die minder hellen periodischen Kometen
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 94 pp. 376-487 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Untersuchungen über die Größe und Helligkeit der Kometen und ihrer Schweife, 4. Teil: Die helleren periodischen Kometen
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 93 pp. 201-304 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Untersuchungen über die Größe und Helligkeit der Kometen und ihrer Schweife, 3. Teil: Die Kometen von 1801 bis 1835 und auszugsweise auch noch die Helleren bis 1884
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 88 pp. 745-860 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Untersuchungen über die Größe und Helligkeit der Kometen und ihrer Schweife, 2. Teil: Die Kometen von 1762 bis 1799
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 77 pp. 503-609 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Untersuchungen über die Größe und Helligkeit der Kometen und ihrer Schweife, 1. Teil: Die Kometen bis zum Jahre 1760
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 63 pp. 317-574 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
American Theological Library Association and Saint Xavier University, Chicago
title
Biblical Assyria and Other Anxieties in the British Empire
journal
Journal of Religion \& Society
volume
3
year
2001
url
http://moses.creighton.edu/jrs/toc/2001.html
abstract
The successful “invasion” of ancient Mesopotamia by explorers in the pay of the British Museum Trustees resulted in best-selling publications, a treasure-trove of Assyrian antiquities for display purposes and scholarly excavation, and a remarkable boost to the quest for confirmation of the literal truth of the Bible. The public registered its delight with the findings through the turnstyle-twirling appeal of the British Museum exhibits, and a series of appropriations of Assyrian art motifs and narratives in popular culture – jewelry, bookends, clocks, fine arts, theater productions, and a walk-through Assyrian palace among other period mansions at the Sydenham Crystal Palace. Unfortunately for the evangelically-inclined, “the monuments” did not confirm the received narrative of the Bible with uniform transparency. King Pul of biblical fame failed to appear in the cuneiform texts, thus sparking an international twenty-year hunt that illuminates deeper anxieties in British imperial civilization.
timestamp
2015-04-22
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bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [The Nineveh Eclipse]
gent_note
on the importance of the Eponym List in the early days of Assyriology.
Observations of planets within the Late Babylonian Astronomical Texts record passages of the planets by reference stars, and synodic phenomena such as first visibilities, stations, etc. known “Greek-Letter phenomena”. In addition to acting as useful shorthand, use of the Greek-Letter designations for these phenomena allows us to avoid the problem of the exact interpretation of these phenomena. For example, Huber has argued that Ω should probably be understood as the first date on which a planet was not seen, rather than the last day on which it was seen. These observations sometimes have a remark about the “ideal” date when the phenomena was supposed to occur. This often appears with a measurement of the time from sunrise/set to the observed phenomena. The aim of this thesis is to study two aspects of Babylonian observational astronomy. One is the interpretation of Θ, one of the “Greek letter” phenomenon, and proving through analysis of the texts that its precise meaning should be understood as acronycal rising as opposed to opposition. The other is to go some way towards finding the system for correcting an observation when a time measurement of the difference in the time between the planet and the sun rising or setting is recorded along with an “ideal” or “true” date.
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
Hilprecht Anniversary Volume: Studies in Assyriology and Archaeology, Dedicated to Hermann v. Hilprecht upon the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of His Doctorate and His Fiftieth Birthday (July 28) by His Colleagues, Friends and Admirers. With 85 Pictures and 76 Text-Illustrations; ed. by Cook et al. pp. 170-188 Leipzig and London and Paris and Chicago: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung and Luzac & Co. and Librairie Paul Geuthner and The Open Court Publishing Co.
Cook, Richard and de Calry, V. M. and Carus, Paul and Coxe, Eckley B. Junior, and Bey, Hamdy and McClellan, George and Milani, Luigi A. and Ramsay, Wm. M. and Smith, David Eugene and zu Ysenburg und Büdingen, Friedrich Wilhelm
editortype
collaborator
booktitle
Hilprecht Anniversary Volume
booksubtitle
Studies in Assyriology and Archaeology, Dedicated to Hermann v. Hilprecht upon the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of His Doctorate and His Fiftieth Birthday (July 28) by His Colleagues, Friends and Admirers
booktitleaddon
With 85 Pictures and 76 Text-Illustrations
pages
170-188
location
Leipzig and London and Paris and Chicago
publisher
Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung and Luzac \& Co. and Librairie Paul Geuthner and The Open Court Publishing Co.
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of Planetary Motion]
Die Astronomie der alten Chaldäer. Mit einem Nachwort |= S. 434-474] vermehrte Neuausgabe der im “Ausland” 1891 u. 1892 erschienenen Artikel
Aufsätze und Abhandlungen arabistisch-semitologischen Inhalts, vol. 3,1: Aufsätze und Abhandlungen arabistisch-semitologischen Inhalts; by Hommel ch.: 10, pp. 350-474 Munich: Franz
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004mesopotami} [Mesopotamian Astronomy \& Astrology (Shorter Studies)] [[\#ERR] van Gent tells title “Die Astronomie der alten Chaldäer” page numbers 236-268,434-474 and subtitle I-II mit Nachwort; compare \cite{hommel1900derursprun}]
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Die neuentdeckten jüdisch-aramäischen Papyri von Assuan
Biblische Zeitschrift: in Verbindung mit der Redaktion der “Biblischen Studien” [BZ], vol. 5 (), nr 3 pp. 225-234 Freiburg im Breisgau: Herdersche Verlagshandlung
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Horn, S.H. and Wood, L.H. and Horn, S. H. and Wood, L. H.
sortkey
Horn.S:1954_5CenturyJewish
title
The Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine
sorttitle
005th-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine, The
journal
Journal of Near Eastern Studies
shortjournal
JNES
volume
13
number
1
pages
1-20
location
Chicago
publisher
University of Chicago Press
year
1954
date
1954-01
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/543003
urldate
2014-04-15
language
english
keywords
Elephantine papyri, AP 8, AP 10, Kraeling 14, AP 15, Cairo Sanstone Stele, AP 20, Kraeling 7, AP 6, Kraeling 2, Kraeling 8, AP 13, Kraeling 6, UET 4.193
The Encyclopaedia of Ancient History, vol. 2 [of 13]: The Encyclopedia of Ancient History 2: An-Be; ed. by Bagnall et al. Chichester and Malden: Wiley-Blackwell
The term “Astrolabe,” as it is used in the context of ancient Mesopotamian astronomy, is a misnomer, having no relation to the antique astronomical instrument of the same name. Instead, in cuneiform studies, the term refers to the earliest known group of cuneiform astronomical texts, dating from the late second millennium down to the Hellenistic period. The main intent of the Astrolabes is to name three stars (or constellations and planets) which rise in each month of the Babylonian lunar year thereby yielding a repertoire of 36 month-stars (3 stars12 months). For each month, there is one star for each of the three east – west stellar paths of the Mesopotamian Heavens – The Path of Enlil (the king of the gods) in the north; the Path of Anu (the king of heaven) along the celestial equator, and the southern Path of Ea (the king of the underworld ocean). This intent does not always match actual events in the sky over Mesopotamia as we can reconstruct it today, with some assignments of stars tomonths apparently reflecting theological rather than astronomical considerations. A case in point is the assignment of the star of the Babylonian king of the gods Marduk to the central Path of Anu at the very end of the year. Another problem is the use of planets as month-stars, although planets do not rise at the same time in each and every year. Hence, it is possible that the Astrolabes are meant to describe an ideal year, perhaps even the year of creation. The most comprehensive text in the Astrolabe group is the Berlin Astrolabe commonly known as Astrolabe B, which preserves four distinct sections: Section I, a menology in which 10 months of the year are assigned month-stars; section II, a star-catalogue listing 36 stars (12 stars for each of the Paths of Anu, Ea, and Enlil); section III, a list-Astrolabe naming 36 month-stars (1 star for each path per month) in which the repertoire of stars is slightly different from that of section II; and section IV, a list of 36 rising and setting stars in which stars of section III rise in their path in their assigned month, and then set six months later. Given that the 36 month-stars are expected to rise in their intended lunar month, the Astrolabes can be used as an aid to determine when to intercalate the lunar year on the basis of observations of the Moon and stars. Astronomical omens in series Enuma Anu Enlil extend these principles into the realm of astrology. Here, if the stars of the Astrolabes rise at their expected times the omens are good, but conversely, if they do not, the omens are bad. The remaining members of the Astrolabe group may be defined as those texts which duplicate and/or offer parallels to the four sections of Astrolabe B. Although Astrolabe B is among the earliest sources in the group, dating to ca. 1180 bce, there are two precursors to sections of Astrolabe B that may be as much as 150-200 years older. Numerous examples of the group survive throughout the first millennium bce, down into the Hellenistic period. Among these are two examples of fragmentary planispheres from the seventh century which offer diagrams of the set of 36 Astrolabe stars, with a numerical value assigned to each star that relates to the length of day and night over the months of the year. The Astrolabe omens noted above are also known from seventh century tablets. SEE ALSO: Astronomy, ancient Near East. References and Suggested Readings Casaburi, M. (2003) Tre-stelle-per-ciascun(-mese): L’Astrolabio B: edizione filologica. Naples. Horowitz, W. (2007) “The astrolabes: astronomy, theology, and chronology.” In J. Steele, ed., Calendars and years: astronomy and time in the ancient Near East 101-13. Oxford. Horowitz, W. (in press) The three stars each: the astrolabes and related texts. Cambridge, MA. Reiner, E. and Pingree, D. (1981) Enūma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51. Malibu. Weidner, E. (1915) Handbuch der babylonischen Astronomie. Erster Band, Der Babylonische Fixsternhimmel, Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte der Sternbilder. Leipzig.
In this comprehensive study, Horowitz examines all of the extant Mesopotamian texts (both Sumerian and Akkadian) relating to the ideas of the physical universe and its constituent parts (Heaven, Earth, subterranean waters, underworld). The author shows that the Mesopotamian view of the universe was at once cohesive as well as discordant and deficient, while remaining fairly constant over more than 2,500 years. Horowitz first surveys the various sources for Mesopotamian cosmic geography, including various mythological and literary texts, as well as the famous “Babylonian Map of the World” and various astrological and astronomical texts. The universe was built by the gods in earliest times and was thought to be held together by cosmic bonds. Given this general notion, there is nevertheless significant variety in the inclusion or omission of various elements of the picture in texts of different genres and from different periods. In addition, the available evidence leaves a number of problems unsolved. What are the bounds of the universe? What is beyond the limits of the universe? In the second section of the book, Horowitz then discusses each of the various regions and their names in various locales and time periods, drawing on the disparate sources to show where there is coherence and where there is difference of perspective. In addition, he discusses all of the names for the different parts of the universe and examines the geographies of each region. Of importance for both Assyriologists and those interested in the history of ideas, particularly the cosmologies of the ancient Near East.
related
horowitz1986mesopotami
relatedtype
origpubas
timestamp
2013-09-11
bibmas_file
addendum
3rd printing 2011 includes the following number of changes and addenda: \url{http://www.eisenbrauns.com/assets/errata/Horowitz-MesCiv8_2ndprt_changes.pdf}
The Reverse of the Neo-Assyrian Planisphere CT 33, 11
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 149-159 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Astronomical Cuneiform Texts in the Birmingham City Museum
Wisdom, Gods and Literature: Studies in Assyriology in Honour of W.G. Lambert [Fs Lambert]; ed. by George et al. pp. 309-314 Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns
[Fragments of an astronomical diary for 278 BC, a Normal Star almanac, a procedure text for the Moon and an undated astronomical diary] [Walker: BCM A.1845-1982.1, BCM A.1846-1982, BCM A.1845-1982.2, BCM A.1847-1982]
The Encyclopedia of Cosmology: historical, philosophical, and scientific foundations of modern cosmology; ed. by Hetherington [=Garland reference library of the humanities, nr 1250] pp. 387-397 New York and London: Garland Publishing
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 167, pp. 1823-1827 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
167
pages
1823-1827
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_186
language
english
contents
Introduction 1823 Traditions in Sumerian 1824 Traditions in Akkadian 1825 Minor Works 1826 Cross-References 1827 References 1827
abstract
Mesopotamian cosmogony and cosmology has interested scholars and laymen since the decipherment of the cuneiform script in the nineteenth century. Below is a short discussion of this topic, with references to further bibliography.
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 168, pp. 1829-1833 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
168
pages
1829-1833
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_187
language
english
contents
Introduction 1829 The Lexical Tradition 1830 The Astronomical-Astrological Tradition 1831 Cross-References 1833 References 1833
abstract
Sumerian and Akkadian names of stars and constellations occur in cuneiform texts for over 2,000 years, from the third millennium BC down to the death of cuneiform in the early first millennium AD, but no fully comprehensive list was ever compiled in antiquity. Lists of stars and constellations are available in both the lexical tradition and astronomical-astrological tradition of the cuneiform scribes. The longest list in the former is that in the series Urra 1⁄4 hubullu, in the latter, those in Mul-Apin.
Some Thoughts on Sumerian Star-Names and Sumerian Astronomy
“An Experienced Scribe Who Neglects Nothing”: Ancient near Eastern Studies in Honor of Jacob Klein [Fs Klein]; ed. by Sefati et al. pp. 163-178 Bethesda, MD: Capital Decisions Limited Press
Some Thoughts on Sumerian Star-Names and Sumerian Astronomy
sorttitle
thoughts on Sumerian star-names and Sumerian astronomy, Some
editor
Sefati, Yitzhak and Artzi, Pinhas and Cohen, Chaim and Eichler, Barry and Hurowitz, Victor
booktitle
“An Experienced Scribe Who Neglects Nothing”
booksubtitle
Ancient near Eastern Studies in Honor of Jacob Klein
shortbooktitle
Fs Klein
pages
163-178
pagetotal
xxvi+771
location
Bethesda, MD
publisher
Capital Decisions Limited Press
year
2005
contents
(Book Contents:) Preface xi Jacob Klein: An Appreciation xiii {BARRY} L. {EICHLER} Publications of Jacob Klein xxi I. {SUMEROLOGICAL} {STUDIES} Nanše and Her Fish 1(18) {BENDT} {ALSTER} Gudea-Studien 19(10) {JOSEF} {BAUER} A Sargonic Foundation Cone 29(10) {MARIA} {GIOVANNA} {BIGA} Songs of the Goddess Aruru 39(24) {JEREMY} {BLACK} Shulgi, Nabonide, et les Grecs 63(10) {ANTOINE} {CAVIGNEAUX} A Shulgi Hymn to Enki 73(12) {MARK} E. {COHEN} Shulgi the Runner: Sumerian – Talmudic Affinities 85(13) {AARON} {DEMSKY} Sumerian One to One Hundred Twenty Revisited 98(10) {DIETZ} {OTTO} {EDZARD} sag pars pro toto for {“Person”} and {“Dead} Body” 108(8) {GERTRUD} {FARBER} Fishy Monsters: Updating the Iconographic References of V. Scheil {“La} déesse Nina et ses poissons” 116(11) {LAURA} {FELDT} In Search of the é.dub.ba.a: The Ancient Mesopotamian School in Literature and Reality 127(11) {A.R.} {GEORGE} La date de composition de la chronique de la monarchic une 138(4) {JEAN-JACQUES} {GLASSNER} Sumerian History in Pictures: A New Look at the {“Stele} of the Flying Angels” 142(21) {WILLIAM} W. {HALLO} Some Thoughts on Sumerian Star-names and Sumerian Astronomy 163(16) {WAYNE} {HOROWITZ} Eternal Rest at the Foot of the Mountain 179(20) {DINA} {KATZ} Literary Works from the Court of King Ishbi-Erra of Isin 199(14) {PIOTR} {MICHALOWSKI} Sumerian Hymns V: An Adab-Song to Ninurta with (i.a.) Prayers for King Lipiteštar of Isin 213(16) {W.H.} {PH.} {RÖMER} The Sumerian Verb na de5(-g) {“To} Clear” 229(25) {WALTHER} {SALLABERGER} At Dead of Night I Will Come ({DI} X) 254(33) {YITSCHAK} {SEFATI} Tablette de Lagaš, Époque {d’Ur} {III} 287(4) {MARCEL} {SIGRIST} A New Shulgi Hymn 291(10) {ÅKE} W. {SJÖBERG} The Priestess égi-zi and Related Matters 301(10) {PIOTR} {STEINKELLER} Lexical Bits and Pieces 311(11) {NIEK} {VELDHUIS} Tempelterrassen and Zigqurrate nach der sumerischen Überlieferung 322(21) H. {WAETZOLDT} Sing a Song for Šulgi 343(31) {JOAN} {GOODNICK} {WESTENHOLZ} A Study of the Sumerian Words for {“Animal} Hole” (habrud), {“Hole”} (burud), {“Well”} (burud2), and {“Copper”} (wuruda) 374(22) {WU} {YUHONG} A Hymn to Ninšubur 396(17) {GÁBOR} {ZÓLYOMI} {II.} {ASSYRIOLOGICAL} {STUDIES} The Courtesan, the Wild Man, and the Hunter: Studies in the Literary History of the Epic of Gilgamesh 413(21) {TZVI} {ABUSCH} Provisions for a Case of Conflicting Commitments in Fifteenth-Century {B.C.E.} Treaties 434(12) {AMNON} {ALTMAN} Hanûm: Nom ethnique ou nom générique? 446(16) {MOSHÉ} {ANBAR} {EA} 42, The Earliest Known Case of parsu, {“Correct} International Custom” 462(18) {PINHAS} {ARTZI} Continuity and Change in Some Provisions of the Code of Hammurabi’s Family Law 480(17) {JOSEPH} {FLEISHMAN} Hammimurabi in Mesopotamian Tradition 497(36) {VICTOR} {AVIGDOR} {HUROWITZ} The Akkadian Verbal System: Derivational and Inflectional Strategies 533(15) {SHLOMO} {IZRE’EL} {ETUTU} {“Darkness”} and {ITTU} {“Clay”:} Poetic License or Corruption Due to Etymological Similarity? Another Interpretation 548(9) {MEIR} {MALUL} Sin and Punishment in Hittite Prayers 557(11) {ITAMAR} {SINGER} The Order of the Rulers of Emar 568(7) {AARON} {SKAIST} New Akkadian Loanwords in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic 575(12) {MICHAEL} {SOKOLOFF} Moneybags in Neo-Babylonian Texts 587(6) {PÉTER} {VARGYAS} Offspring of Silence, Spawn of a Fish, Son of a Gazelle...: Enkidu’s Different Origins in the Epic of Gilgameš 593(7) {NATHAN} {WASSERMAN} Morphology and Morphosyntax of the Adjective as Attributive and Predicative Constructions in the Jerusalem-Amarna Letters 600(24) {JASPER} {PETRUS} {VAN} {DER} {WESTHUIZEN} Contributions to {Neo/Late-Babylonian} Documentation 624(46) {RAN} {ZADOK/TIKVA} {ZADOK} {III.} {BIBLICAL} {AND} {NORTHWEST} {SEMITIC} {STUDIES} Poetry and Theology in Lamentations 3:43-44 and 5:7 670(8) {ADELE} {BERLIN} Echoes of the Sumerian Sacred Marriage Myth in the Qur’an and Bible 678(7) {MUAZZEZ} {ILMIYE} {ÇIG} Two Misunderstood Verses in the Latter Prophets: Jer 9:24, Amos 1: 13 685(22) {CHAIM} {COHEN} The Formation of I Chr 2:3-4:23 and the Election of King David 707(11) {GERSHON} {GALIL} Akkadian Influences on the Book of Ezekiel 718(20) {ISAAC} {GLUSKA} A Moabite Seal with a Unique Iconography 738(4) M. {HELTZER} David and Uriah: The Consolidation of Power in Jerusalem by the Israelites 742(4) {ABRAHAM} {MALAMAT}
Renewed discussions of 3 astral tablets belonging to the Lichačov Collection, Russia. All were originally published and discussed circa the mid 1920s by the Russian assyriologist Vladimir (Woldemar) Šilejko. One is a tablet (ERM 15642) containing a Prayer to the Gods of the Night = Star-List: \cite{silejko1924tabletkasm}. The 2nd (an Old Babylonian tablet containing astronomical omens) and 3rd (a fragment of a Neo-Assyrian commentary to the omen series Enūma Anu Enlil) tablets were published together in 1927 in the journal CRASURSS: \cite{silejko1927mondlaufpr} and \cite{silejko1927fragmentei}.
IN SHORT: Discusses the link between the appearance of the Halley’s Comet and Judaean revolts. Halley’s Comet in 164 B.C. and Judaea; The comet of 163 B.C.; Halley’s Comet in A.D. 66 and Judaean revolts. INTRODUCTION: The return of Halley’s comet in the fall of 1985 was celebrated by modern historians and astronomers with a series of studies that examined records of previous visitations of the comet in the premodern world. Foremost among these was the British Museum publication Halley’s Comet in History, in which a team of scholars joined together to study visitations of Halley’s Comet from 240 B.C. until its return in A.D. 1682, when it was identified by Edmund Halley, whose name it now bears. In Halley’s Comet in History the cuneiformists published two Babylonian astronomical diarytablets for the second half of the year 148 of the Seleucid Era (= 164/163 B.C.) recording observations of Halley’s Comet in the sky over Babylonia in the autumn of 164 B.C.2 AS a comet visible over Babylonia would have been visible over Judaea at the same time, this means that Halley’s Comet shone in the sky over Jerusalem during the autumn of 164 B.C., when Judaea was in revolt against the Seleucid Empire and its king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
keywords
BM 33850
timestamp
2014-02-06
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
During the later portion of the Second Temple period in Israel, a 364 day calendar emerged to challenge the traditional lunar calendar with its regular year of 12 lunar months (approximately 354 days) and leap year of 13 lunar months (approximately 384 days). Evidence from cuneiform sources suggests that this ancient Israelite 364 day year, which appears in the apocryphal books of Enoch and Jubilees, and in the writings of the Qumran community, had its origins in a Mesopotamian ideal mean lunar year of 364 days (12 lunar months = 354 days plus 1/3 ideal lunar month [= 10 days]). This year length of 12 months plus 10 additional days is attested in Mesopotamia from the seventh century B.C.E. onwards, and itself represents an improvement on an ideal 360 day calendar year that dates back to the fourth millennium B.C.E.
In JCS 1 (1947), 349-50, A. Goetze published two late-Babylonian astronomical tablets from Babylon housed at the Butler Library at Columbia University in the very first installment of “Texts and Fragments.” The first of the two (JCS 1, 349) was later identified by A. Sachs in JCS 6 (1952), I 06, as a Normal-Star Almanac for Seleucid Era 96, while the second was identified by A. Goetze himself in JCS I, 350, as “a fragment of an astrological omen.” This identification was later accepted by HKL I, 158, and III, 95, which list the fragment as astrological. However, further inspection of the fragment can no longer support this identification. Rather, the fragment seems to belong to an astronomical diary. An edition of this fragment is offered below.
keywords
CULC 369 = F 106 = Columbia 7x = 46x39mm, Amherst 248, VS 6.331, VS 3.180
related
goetze1947textsandfr
timestamp
2013-11-06
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
In diesem Beitrag publizieren wir eine einzigartige kreisförmige Keilschrifttafel, die in zwölf Sektoren eingeteilt ist, von denen jeder Zahlen und Sternnamen enthält. Die Textanalyse legt nahe, dass es sich um astrologisches Material handelt, das mit dem sogenannten Kalendertext-Schema in Verbindung steht.
The article focuses on observing the crescent of Venus from December 2005 to January 2006. On the evening of December 15, 2005 and January 1, 2006, the planet will be 46 arcseconds wide. The crescent of the planet in January 1990 was described as something resembling a banana and a shining scimitar. A copper bowl bought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is claimed to depict the Venus crescent.
timestamp
2014-04-25
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars] #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-thru-2013.txt}
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars] #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-thru-2013.txt}
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars] #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-thru-2013.txt}
Ersatzkönige in griechischem Gewand: Die Umformung der sar puhi-Rituale bei Herodot, Berossos, Agathias und den Alexander-Historikern
[]
Von Sumer bis Homer: Festschrift für Manfred Schretter zum 60. Geburtstag am 25. Februar 2004 [Fs Schretter]; ed. by Rollinger [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 325] pp. 339-397 Münster
Just in Time: Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000; ed. by Armstrong et al. [=Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin [Akkadica], nr 119-120] pp. 159-176 Bruxelles: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
Astronomical Evidence for the Long and against the Middle and Short Chronologies
High, Middle Or Low?. Acts of an International Colloquium on Absolute Chronology Held at the University of Gothenburg 20th-22nd August 1987, vol. 1 [of 3]: High, Middle Or Low? Part 1; ed. by Åström [=Studies in Mesopotamian Archaeology and Literature [SIMA Pocketbooks], nr 56] pp. 5-17 Göteborg: Paul Aström Förlag, Coronet
Dating by lunar eclipse omina, with speculations on the birth of omen astrology
From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics: Essays on the Exact Sciences Presented to Asger Aaboe on His 65. Birthday, 26 April 1987 [Fs Aaboe]; ed. by Berggren et al. [=Acta Historica Scientiarum Naturalium et Medicinalium, nr 39] pp. 3-13 København: University Library
Studies on the Ancient Exact Sciences in Honour of Lis Brack-Bernsen; ed. by Steele et al. [=Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, nr 44] pp. 19-68 Berlin: Edition Topoi
Die chronologischen Implikationen der Belege für Monatslängen werden in diesem Beitrag anhand von zusätzlichem Material sowie von neueren astronomischen Theorien und Erkenntnissen über die Zeitkorrektur nachgeprüft. Die 2013 zur Verfügung stehenden Belege für Monatslängen sind in sich stimmig und bestätigen die Schlussfolgerungen von 1982, wenn auch mit etwas niedrigerer Konfidenz. Bei einem Konfidenzniveau zwischen 95 % und 99 % wird die lange Chronologie zu Ungunsten der mittleren Chronologien favorisiert. Ein Bayessches Argument verdeutlicht, dass die lange Chronologie (Ammisaduqa Jahr 1 = 1702 v. Chr.) ungefähr 25-mal wahrscheinlicher ist als jede der anderen drei Chronologien (1646, 1638 oder 1582 v. Chr.). Davon unabhängig deuten auch die Ur-III-zeitlichen Belege auf die lange Chronologie hin (Amar-Sin Jahr 1 = 2094 v. Chr.).
Organization, Representation and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 54th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Würzburg, 20-25th July 2008; ed. by Wilhelm pp. 715-733 Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns
Modeling the Length of Day and Extrapolating the Rotation of the Earth
journal
Journal of Geodesy
volume
80
number
6
pages
283-303
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2006
month
September
url
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00190-006-0067-3
doi
10.1007/s00190-006-0067-3
language
english
abstract
The stochastic behavior of the length of day (LOD) process is analyzed and is modeled within statistical accuracy on a time-scale ranging from weeks to millennia by a three-component model comprising a global Brownian motion process, decadal fluctuations, and a 50-day Madden-Julian oscillation. While the model is intended to be phenomenological, some possible physical models underlying the three components are speculated upon. The model is applied to estimate long-range extrapolation errors. For example, it predicts a standard error of 1 h in the clock-time correction ΔT for extrapolation by 1,500 years from 500 to 2000 BC.
The fragmentary text KUB 14.4, a prayer of the Hittite king Muršili II, is reexamined with regard to chronological implications. The king recounts various misdeeds of the old queen, his stepmother. In particular, he tells how she tried to leverage a solar omen into an attempt to demote him. From the reconstructed sequence of events and actions of the queen and the king, I argue that this omen-presumably a noticeable, but not necessarily a total, solar eclipse-likely occurred shortly before, or in the early phase of, Muršili’s campaign to Azzi in his tenth year. The most convincing candidates for such an eclipse are those of -1339 January 8 (probably total) or -1334 March 13 (possibly annular), while that of -1311 June 24 (possibly total) would seem to fall too late in the year.
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 42 (), nr 3 pp. 223-234 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1999
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41668440
urldate
2013-11-01
language
english
abstract
Through a new comprehensive analysis of the astronomical evidence, in particular of the lunar eclipse omens contained in Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 20-21, we confirm a previously proposed absolute chronology for the dynasty of Ur III (2160 BC to 2053 BC). This is compatible with the Long chronology for the Hammurapi dynasty (Ammisaduqa year 1 = 1702 BC). In addition, we find two alternative choices for the chronology of the Akkad dynasty (2381 BC to 2200 BC, or 2327 BC to 2146 BC). The first agrees exactly with the traditional Sollberger relative chronology, the other shortens the distance between the dynasties of Akkad and Ur (actually overlapping them), in accordance with the current historical consensus. However, any attempt to accommodate simultaneously also a lower date for the First Dynasty of Babylon would seem to do violence to the presently available astronomical evidence.
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 1-2: Diaries from 652 B.C. to 262 BC, Diaries from 261 B.C. to 165 BC (1988/1989), Hunger H & Sachs A [Review]
Journal for the History of Astronomy [JHA], vol. 22 () pp. 184 London: Science History Publications Ltd
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 1-2: Diaries from 652 B.C. to 262 BC, Diaries from 261 B.C. to 165 BC (1988/1989), Hunger H \& Sachs A [Review]
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} [cited by \cite[430]{steele2000eclipsepre} and \cite[418]{walker1993bibliograp} and \cite{walker2013bibliograp}]
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 5 (), nr 3-4 pp. 192-208 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
The “lunar six”, so named by A. Sachs, are six time intervals between the rising and setting of the sun, respectively the moon, around conjunction (new moon) and opposition (full moon). Their tabulation began in the seventh century BCE, and is documented for the following 500 years. Some of the tables are dated, but many are not (not least because only fragments survive), but a procedure developed by Peter Huber allows sometimes very certain, sometimes at least tentative or ambiguous dating. The paper describes and dates seven tablets published by Herman Hunger in {\it Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia, Vol. V}, as well as seventeen new fragments of tablets. It also gives photographs of the new tablets. [Jens Høyrup, Zbl 1140.01002]
Die Begriffe “Astrologie” und “Astronomie” in der Antike: Wortgeschichte und Wissenschaftssystematik, mit einer Hypothese zum Terminus “Quadrivium”
Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz, geistes- und sozialwissenschaftliche Klasse, nr 7 Mainz and Stuttgart: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz and Franz Steiner
Just in Time: Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (2nd Millennium BC), Ghent 7-9 July 2000; ed. by Armstrong et al. [=Akkadica: Périodique bimestriel de la Fondation Assyriologique Georges Dossin [Akkadica], nr 119-120] pp. 155-158 Bruxelles: Assyriological Center Georges Dossin
Munuscula Mesopotamica: Festschrift für Johannes Renger [Fs Renger]; ed. by Böck et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 267] pp. 229-239 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Kosmologische Vorstellungen und Astronomie im Alten Mesopotamien
Focus Behaim Globus: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, 2. Dezember 1992 bis 28. Februar 1993; ed. by Bott; vol. 1 [of 2] [Ausstellungskataloge des Germanischen Nationalmuseums ser.] pp. 63-70 Nuremberg
Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree [Fs Pingree]; ed. by Burnett et al. (edn: 1) [=Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science, Texts and Studies, nr 54] pp. 16-32 Leiden: Brill Academic Pub
Studies in Economic and Social History of the Ancient Near East in Memory of Péter Vargyas [Fs Vargyas]; ed. by Csabai [=Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Studies, nr 2] pp. 657-671 Budapest: Department of Ancient History, The University of Pécs l’harmattan, budapest
Vom alten Orient zum Alten Testament: Festschrift für Wolfram Freiherrn von Soden zum 85. Geburtstag am 19. Juni 1993 [Fs Soden [1995]]; ed. by Dietrich et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 240] pp. 105-118 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 5 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 5: Ia ... – Kizzuwatna [RlA 5]; ed. by Edzard pp. 298 Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
Weidner, Ernst Friedrich and von Soden, Wolfram and Edzard, Dietz Otto
editorbtype
continuator
editorc
Frantz-Szabó, Gabriella and Krebernik, Manfred and Bonacossi, Daniele Morandi and Postgate, J. Nicolas and Seidl, Ursula and Stol, Marten and Wilhelm, Gernot
editorctype
collaborator
editord
Theresa Blaschke and Sabine Ecklin and Josephine Fechner and Sabine Pfaffinger
editordtype
redactor
booktitle
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 5
booksubtitle
Ia ... – Kizzuwatna
shortbooktitle
RlA 5
maintitle
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 9 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 9: Nab – Nuzi [RlA 9]; ed. by Edzard Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 8 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 8: Meek – Mythologie [RlA 8]; ed. by Edzard pp. 354-356 Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 8 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 8: Meek – Mythologie [RlA 8]; ed. by Edzard pp. 357-359? Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 8 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 8: Meek – Mythologie [RlA 8]; ed. by Edzard pp. 376-377 Berlin and Leipzig: De Gruyter
Finsternisse in assyrischen und babylonischen Quellen
[]
Der neue Pauly: Enzyklopädie der Antike, vol. 16: Der neue Pauly 16: Register; Listen, Tabellen; ed. by Egger et al. pp. 525-527 Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzlersche J.B. Verlagsbuchhandlung
Scienze moderne & antiche sapienze: Le Radici Del Sapere Scientifico Nel Vicino Oriente Antico. Atti Del Convegno Internazionale, Milano, 25 Gennaio 2003; ed. by Fantini Terzi [Atti del Convegno internazionale ser. [CSVO]] pp. 9-27 Milano: Centro Studi del Vicino Oriente
Le Radici Del Sapere Scientifico Nel Vicino Oriente Antico
booktitleaddon
Atti Del Convegno Internazionale, Milano, 25 Gennaio 2003
series
Atti del Convegno internazionale
shortseries
CSVO
pages
9-27
pagetotal
123
location
Milano
publisher
Centro Studi del Vicino Oriente
shortpublisher
CSVO
year
2003
eventtitle
Scienze moderne \& antiche sapienze, Convegno Internazionale
eventdate
2003-01-25
venue
Milano
organization
Centro Studi del Vicino Oriente
shortorganization
CSVO
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Astronomie und Astrologie im seleukidischen Babylonien
Seleukos: Ein König und sein Stern. Eine interdisziplinäre Ausstellung der Sparkasse Bochum in Zusammenarbeit mit der Ruhr-Universität (Sonderdruck aus dem Jahrbuch 1987 der Ruhr-Universität Bochum); ed. by Fischer pp. 31-37 Bochum
Astronomie und Astrologie im seleukidischen Babylonien
editor
Thomas Fischer
booktitle
Seleukos
booksubtitle
Ein König und sein Stern
booktitleaddon
Eine interdisziplinäre Ausstellung der Sparkasse Bochum in Zusammenarbeit mit der Ruhr-Universität (Sonderdruck aus dem Jahrbuch 1987 der Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
pages
31-37
location
Bochum
year
1987
crossRef
fischer1987seleukosei
timestamp
2013-06-19
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Astrology in General]
Astronomische Beobachtungen in Neubabylonischer Zeit
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 139-147 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Babylonische Quellen für die Länge von Tag und Nacht
La Science des Cieux: Sages, Mages, Astrologues; ed. by Gyselen [=Res orientales, nr 12] pp. 129-136 Bures-sur-Yvette: Groupe pour l’étude de la civilisation du Moyen-Orient (GECMO)
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 201-223 Philadelphia: University Museum
Leichty, Erle and Ellis, Maria de Jong and Gerardi, Pamela
booktitle
A Scientific Humanist
booksubtitle
Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs
shortbooktitle
Fs Sachs
series
Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund
number
9
pages
201-223
location
Philadelphia
publisher
University Museum
year
1988
url
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015033104822
urldate
2013-08-23
language
german
keywords
A 3456
crossRef
leichty1988fssachs
related
hunger1988nachtraga3
timestamp
2013-08-23
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004lunarsolar} [Solar Theory] #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of the Motion of Mercury]
walker_note
[see the photograph in AfO 35]
gent_note
[collection of Mercury observations and dates of the solstices, equinoxes and Sirius phenomena for the years SE 116 to 132.]
Über die Bedeutungslosigkeit der Finsternisse in Enüma Anu Enlil für die Chronologie
Ex Mesopotamia et Syria Lux: Festschrift für Manfried Dietrich zu seinem 65. Geburtstag [Fs Dietrich]; ed. by Loretz et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 281] pp. 171-176 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Assyriologica et Semitica: Festschrift für Joachim Oelsner anläßlich seines 65. Geburtstages am 18. Februar 1997 [Fs Oelsner]; ed. by Marzahn et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 252] pp. 189-192 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Festschrift für Joachim Oelsner anläßlich seines 65. Geburtstages am 18. Februar 1997
shortbooktitle
Fs Oelsner
series
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments
shortseries
AOAT
number
252
pages
189-192
location
Münster
publisher
Ugarit-Verlag
year
2000
keywords
SBTU 4.171
crossRef
marzahn2000fsoelsner
timestamp
2013-11-01
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of the Motion of Saturn] [[\#ERR] Ossendrijver’s notes: article named “A tablet from Uruk with Saturn Obs. under Neb. II”]
Schiaparelli’s Notebook of Babylonian Star Names: Problematiche astronomiche
Giovanni Schiaparelli: Storico della astronomia e uomo di cultura. Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera; ed. by Panaino et al. pp. 81-90 Milano and Roma: Mimesis and Istituto italiano per l’Africa et l’Oriente
Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
pages
81-90
location
Milano and Roma
publisher
Mimesis and Istituto italiano per l’Africa et l’Oriente
shortpublisher
Mimesis and IsIAO
year
1999
crossRef
panaino1999giovannisc
eventdate
1997-05-12/1997-05-13
venue
Milano
organization
Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale (IsIAO)
timestamp
2014-05-02
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Kosmisches Wissen von Peuerbach bis Laplace: Astronomie, Mathematik, Physik. Peuerbach Symposium 2008; ed. by Pichler et al. [=Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften und der Technik, nr 15] pp. 1-11 Linz: Universitätsverlag Rudolf Trauner
Lišan mithurti: Festschrift Wolfram Freiherr von Soden zum 19. VI. 1968 gewidmet von Schülern und Mitarbeitern [Fs Soden [1969]]; ed. by Röllig et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 1] pp. 133-145 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins
How to Make the Gods Speak: A Late Babylonian tablet related to the microzodiac
Studies Presented to Robert D. Biggs, June 4, 2004 from the Workshop of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, Vol. 2 [Fs Biggs]; ed. by Roth et al. [=Assyriological Studies [AS], nr 27] pp. 141-151 Chicago: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
The So-Called Report on Seasonal Hours (K 2077+): A New Interpretation
Studies on the Ancient Exact Sciences in Honour of Lis Brack-Bernsen; ed. by Steele et al. [=Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, nr 44] pp. 149-163 Berlin: Edition Topoi
Die Tafel K 2077+ wurde bei ihrer Erstpublikation als Beispiel für die Verwendung von Temporalstunden in der babylonischen Astronomie angesehen. Inzwischen wurde sie mit BM 54619 zusammengefügt. Dieser Beitrag stellt eine Neuedition und Diskussion des Textes vor, der nun weniger als Beschreibung der Temporalstunden denn als ein Schema für jahreszeitlich variierende Sonnenbewegungen angesehen werden kann.
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 11,5-6 [of 14]: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 11/5-6: Religion. A – Saduppum. B. Sonderdruck [RlA 11]; ed. by Streck pp. 480-481 Berlin: De Gruyter
Weidner, Ernst Friedrich and von Soden, Wolfram and Edzard, Dietz Otto
editorbtype
continuator
editorc
Frantz-Szabó, Gabriella and Krebernik, Manfred and Bonacossi, Daniele Morandi and Postgate, J. Nicolas and Seidl, Ursula and Stol, Marten and Wilhelm, Gernot
editorctype
collaborator
editord
Theresa Blaschke and Sabine Ecklin and Josephine Fechner and Sabine Pfaffinger
editordtype
redactor
booktitle
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 11/5-6
booksubtitle
Religion. A – Saduppum. B
booktitleaddon
Sonderdruck
shortbooktitle
RlA 11
maintitle
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie
Non-Mathematical Astronomical Texts and Their Relationships
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 77-96 Cambridge, Mass. and London: MIT Press
Time’s up!: Dating the Minoan eruption of Santorini. Acts of the Minoan Eruption Chronology Workshop, Sandbjerg, November 2007; ed. by Warburton [=Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens, nr 10] pp. 145-152 Athens and Århus and Lancaster and Oakville: Danish Institute at Athens and Aarhus University Press and Gazelle Book Services Ltd. and David Brown Book Company
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
2001
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41668538
urldate
2013-11-01
language
english
abstract
Zur Wasseruhr: Ein Nachtrag zu AfO 46/47. In AfO 46/47 (1999/2000) 136ff. schlagen D. Brown, J. Fermor und Ch. Walker vor, daß es in Babylonien Einlauf-Wasseruhren gegeben habe: Wasser lief aus einem großen Gefäß in ein kleines, und die Menge in dem kleinen Gefäß wurde gewogen. Dadurch kann erreicht werden, daß die Menge des gewogenen Wassers der Zeit (fast) direkt proportional ist. Ich habe vergessen, die Autoren darauf hinzuweisen, daß eine solche Einlauf-Wasseruhr bereits von E. Gehlken in NABU 1991/95 vorgeschlagen wurde. Dieser Hinweis soll hiermit nachgeholt werden. Wien. Hermann Hunger.
Archeologia e astronomia: Esperienze e prospettive future. Convegno Internazionale (Roma, 26 novembre 1994) [=Atti dei Convegni Lincei, nr 121] pp. 153-159 Roma: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
In JNES 52 (1993) 203f., Simo Parpola proposes to explain the number 40 associated with the god Ea as referring to the relative length of daylight at the winter solstice
[]
Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires [NABU] (), iss. fall, nr 87 pp. 74
In JNES 52 (1993) 203f., Simo Parpola proposes to explain the number 40 associated with the god Ea as referring to the relative length of daylight at the winter solstice
journal
Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires
shortjournal
NABU
number
87
issue
fall
pages
74
year
1993
date
1993-11-04
month
September
url
http://sepoa.fr/?page_id=160
urldate
2014-02-14
abstract
In JNES 52 (1993) 203f., Simo Parpola proposes to explain the number 40 associated with the god Ea as referring to the relative length of daylight at the winter solstice. According to Parpola, the required ratio 2 : 3 between shortest and longest daylight is found in the texts I.NAM.GIS.HUR and MUL.APIN. This is not the case, however. B. L. van der Waerden, to whom Parpola refers, based his assumption of finding the ratio 2 : 3 in these texts on an explanation of the term uddazallu as “longest daylight” by F. X. Kugler, Sternkunde und Sterndienst in babel, Ergänzungen 89f. n. 1. Kugler’s translation was shown to be impossible by A. Sachs and 0. Neugebauer, JCS 10 (1956) 135 n. 4, who translated the word by “correction”. Therefore, the translation of the MUL.APIN passage in the edition by D. Pingree and myself is “correction” and cannot any more be adduced to find a ration of 2 : 3 for shortest and longest daylight. This ratio does occur in mathematical astronomical texts of the late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, but not in Assyrian times. Furthermore, the ratio is even in these late texts never expressed using the number 40 (to 60) but by giving the actual length of day or night in the appropriate time measures. So there is no justification to combine Ea’s number 40 with the length of dayligth at winter solstice, and to change the order of the “paths” in MUL.APIN. Finally, I want to note that a simple reversing of the order of the “paths” of Anu and Enlil would not have “mitigated the effect of the precession of the equinoxes”, but instead would have produced more confusion. Precession anyway was never taken into account by Babylonian astronomers, not even in their latest and most evolved computations; we therefore can safely forget about it in Assyrian times, and avoid misleading those who cannot control the cuneiform sources. Hermann HUNGER (04-11-93) Institut für Orientalistik, Universitätsstraße 7 A-1010 WIEN AUTRICHE
The Spread of Mesopotamian Exact Science into the Hellenistic World
Sumer: A journal of archaeology and history in Arab World, vol. 42 () [Researches On The Antiquities of AL-Qadissiya Dam project In The Two International Symposiums: Researches of The Third International Symposium] pp. 64-67 Baghdad: Iraq. Directorate General of Antiquities
Zwei Tafeln des astronomischen Textes MUL.APIN im Vorderasiatischen Museum zu Berlin
Forschungen und Berichte der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin [Forschungen und Berichte], vol. 22 () [Archäeologische Beiträge] pp. 127-135 Berlin: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 64 (), nr 1 pp. 40-43 Berlin: De Gruyter
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 62 (), nr 1 pp. 99-101 Berlin: De Gruyter
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 2 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins
Ephemeriden von Sonne, Mond und hellen Planeten von -1000 bis -601
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 155,37 Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
104
number
2
pages
182-194
year
2014
date
2014-12
url
https://www.academia.edu/7464927
doi
10.1515/za-2014-0015
abstract
In this article we present a transliteration and translation of Tablet W22340a, an astronomical Almanac from Uruk. Based on the astronomical predictions in the text we suggest that it must be dated to the year 326 in the Arsacid Era, equivalent to 79/80 AD. This makes W22340a the latest datable cuneiform text uncovered so far. This dating confirms that cuneiform writing and astronomical scholarship persisted in Mesopotamia during the Arsacid period far into the first century AD, not only in Babylon but in Uruk as well.
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1984
date
1983/1984
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41661905
urldate
2013-06-19
language
english
abstract
In LAS 14 ( = ABL 565) berichtet ein Experte für astrologische Omina dem assyrischen König, dass der Planet Jupiter bald vom Mond verdeckt werden würde.: ^dSag-me-gar ina urki Sin i-ti-ti-zi “Jupiter stand hinter dem Mond” (Z. 9 f.). Die Okkultation selbst war, wie sich aus der Fortsetzung des Briefes ergibt, noch nicht eingetreten, aber innerhalb weniger Stunden zu erwarten; es war daher ratsam, rechtzeitig die einschlägigen Omina zu finden und zu interpretieren. Deshalb spricht auch der Briefschreiber von dem bevorstehenden Phänomen wie von einem bereits eingetretenen. Außerdem verspricht er einen Bericht zu senden, sobald die Okkultation stattgefunden haben werde (Rs. 3ff.)
Handbuch der Orientalistik, 1. Abt: Der Nahe und Mittlere Osten / Handbook of Oriental Studies, Sect. 1: The Near and Middle East [HdO], nr 44 Leiden and Boston and Köln: Brill
Handbuch der Orientalistik, 1. Abt: Der Nahe und Mittlere Osten / Handbook of Oriental Studies, Sect. 1: The Near and Middle East
shortseries
HdO
number
44
location
Leiden and Boston and Köln
publisher
Brill
year
1999
url
http://www.brill.com/astral-sciences-mesopotamia
urldate
2013-06-19
abstract
Astronomy and astrology, or the astral sciences, played an enormous, if not a key role in the political and religious life of the Ancient Near East, and, later, of the Greek and Roman world. This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the origins of the astral sciences in the Ancient Near East. Every type of Sumerian or Akkadian text dealing with descriptive or mathematical astronomy, including many individual tablets are thoroughly dealt with. All aspects, such as the history of discovery, reconstruction, and interpretation come to the fore, accompanied by a full bibliography. At that the reader will find descriptions of astronomical contents, an explanation of their scientific meaning and the place a given genre or tablet has in the development of astronomy both within the Mesopotamian culture and outside of it. Because celestial omens are intimately related to astronomy in Mesopotamian science, these are also discussed extensively. The material is arranged both chronologically and thematically, so as to help make Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia a reference work on the subject in its truest sense.
Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. English translation with Assyrian or Babylonian romanized texts [ARAK (SAA 8)]
State Archives of Assyria [SAA], nr 8 Helsingfors: Helsinki University Press
Lunar and Planetary Texts. Edited by Hermann Hunger – Including Materials by Abraham J. Sachs – With an Appendix by John M. Steele [ADRT 5]
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 5 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 299] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Hunger, Hermann and Sachs, Abraham and Steele, John M.
sortkey
Hunger.H:2001_AstronomicalDiaries5
title
Lunar and Planetary Texts
titleaddon
Edited by Hermann Hunger – Including Materials by Abraham J. Sachs – With an Appendix by John M. Steele
shorttitle
ADRT 5
sorttitle
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 5
maintitle
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia
shortmaintitle
ADRT
series
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse
shortseries
DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.
volume
5
volumes
7
number
299
pagetotal
399
location
Vienna
publisher
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
year
2001
url
http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3028-4?frames=yes
abstract
This volume presents tablets with lunar and planetary data, extending from the 8th to the 1st century B.C. By far the largest part of these data are observations, in all likelihood excerpted from “Astronomical Diaries” of the kind published in vols. I to III. The first part of this volume deals with the moon. Most interesting are eclipse reports and tables of eclipses, both lunar and solar, which are arranged so that the periodic recurrence of eclipses can be seen. The eclipse texts are analysed in an Appendix by J. M. Steele. For the moon the volume further contains tables of intervals between the risings and settings of sun and moon, both around new moon and full moon; some of these intervals are computed, not observed. The second part of the book is concerned with observations of the planets. Many of these texts extend over many years. They too were used by the Babylonian astronomers to investigate periodically recurring phenomena in order to find ways to compute them in advance. Dieser Band enthält Zusammenstellungen von Daten für den Mond und die Planeten aus der Zeit vom 8. Jh. bis zum 1. Jh. v. Chr. Die überwiegende Mehrheit dieser Daten sind Beobachtungen, die vermutlich aus „Diaries“, wie sie in Band I bis III publiziert wurden, exzerpiert sind. Der erste Teil des Bandes betrifft den Mond. Unter diesen Texten gibt es einerseits Beobachtungsberichte über Finsternisse, andererseits systematische Tabellen von Finsternissen, die für die Darstellung der periodischen Wiederkehr dieser Ereignisse dienen. Die Finsternistexte werden von J. M. Steele in einem Anhang ausgewertet. Ferner sind Tafeln der Zeitintervalle zwischen Auf- und Untergang von Sonne und Mond um Neumond und um Vollmond erhalten; diese sind wenigstens zum Teil berechnet und nicht beobachtet. Die Beobachtungen der Planeten bilden den zweiten Teil des Bandes. Sie erstrecken sich oft über viele Jahre und sind wahrscheinlich ebenfalls Hilfsmittel für die Erforschung und Vorausberechnung von regelmäßig sich wiederholenden Phänomenen.
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT] [7 vol.s]
[]
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 195;210;247;?;299;346;466 Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 7 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 466] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 7
maintitle
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia
shortmaintitle
ADRT
series
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse
shortseries
DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.
volume
7
volumes
7
number
466
pagetotal
457+123pl.
location
Vienna
publisher
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
year
2014
url
http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/7627-5
abstract
This volume contains an edition of clay tablets written during the time from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. They list astronomical phenomena for a given year in chronological sequence, like a calendar. All data are calculated in advance. They are: first and last appearances of the moon and planets, with day number and zodiacal sign; solstices and equinoxes and phenomena of Sirius. For the outer planets, stations and acronychal risings are given. Furthermore the entrances of planets into zodiacal signs are listed. In some of the tablets, the conjunctions of planets with fixed stars are predicted. The predictions were most likely done with the help of “Goal-Year Texts”, which were edited in volume VI. Dieser Band bietet eine Edition von Tontafeln, die in der Zeit vom 3. Jahrhundert v. Chr. bis zum 1. Jahrhundert n. Chr. geschrieben wurden. Sie enthalten kalenderartige Aufzählungen astronomischer Ereignisse für ein bestimmtes Jahr in zeitlicher Reihenfolge. Alle Angaben in diesen Texten sind vorausberechnet. Es geht um die ersten und letzten Sichtbarkeiten von Mond und Planeten, mit Datum und Tierkreiszeichen, ferner um Sonnenwenden und Äquinoktien sowie die Phänomene des Sterns Sirius. Bei den äußeren Planeten werden auch die Daten der Stillstände und Oppositionen aufgezählt. Außerdem wird angegeben, wann die Planeten von einem Tierkreiszeichen in ein anderes wechseln. Einige der Tafeln erwähnen auch die Konjunktionen von Planeten mit Fixsternen. Die Vorausberechnungen wurden vermutlich wenigstens teilweise mit Hilfe der in Band VI edierten “Goal-Year Texts” gemacht.
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 6 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 346] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 6
maintitle
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia
shortmaintitle
ADRT
series
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse
shortseries
DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.
volume
6
volumes
7
number
346
pagetotal
471
location
Vienna
publisher
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
year
2006
url
http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3727-3?frames=yes
abstract
This volume presents an edition of cuneiform tablets with lunar and planetary data, extending from the 3rd century to the 1st century B.C. By far the largest part of these data are observations, in all likelihood excerpted from “Astronomical Diaries” of the kind published in vols. I to III. Planetary phenomena occur after a certain number of years at almost the same calendar date within a Babylonian year; this period is different for each planet. In the so-called Goal-year texts, the phenomena of the planets are collected from a year which is by one period earlier than the year for which the text is intended. In this way, the calendar dates and positions of the planets’ phenomena can be predicted approximately. The texts were probably also used by the Babylonian astronomers to investigate periodically recurring phenomena in order to find ways to compute them in advance. Dieser Band enthält eine Edition von Tontafeln aus der Zeit vom 3. Jh. bis zum 1. Jh. v. Chr. mit Zusammenstellungen von Daten für den Mond und die Planeten. Die überwiegende Mehrheit dieser Daten sind Beobachtungen, die vermutlich aus „Diaries“, wie sie in Band I bis III publiziert wurden, exzerpiert sind. Eine Erscheinung eines Planeten, z. B. seine erste Sichtbarkeit nach der Konjunktion mit der Sonne, kehrt nach einer bestimmten Anzahl von Jahren an demselben oder fast demselben Datum im Kalenderjahr wieder. Diese Anzahl von Jahren kann man leicht herausfinden, wenn man Beobachtungen über Himmelserscheinungen wie die „Diaries“ besitzt; sie ist für jeden Planeten verschieden. Kennt man einmal die Anzahl der Jahre, nach der die Planetenphänomene periodisch am gleichen Datum wiederkehren, so kann man die „Diaries“ für Voraussagen benützen. Dazu stellen die „Goal Year Texts“ diejenigen Beobachtungen zusammen, die um eine ganze Periode früher als das Jahr liegen, für das der Text gelten soll. Diese Methode funktioniert als Voraussage ganz gut. Vermutlich haben die babylonischen Astronomen diese Texte auch als Material zur Konstruktion von Vorausberechnungen verwendet.
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 3 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 247] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia 3
maintitle
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia
shortmaintitle
ADRT
series
Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse
shortseries
DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.
volume
3
volumes
7
number
247
pagetotal
517
location
Vienna
publisher
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
year
1996
date
1996
url
http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/2578-5
abstract
During the second half of the first millennium B.C. astronomical observations were carried out continuously in Babylonia. This remarkable scholary activity, unsurpassed in length by any scientific project in all of human history, yielded archives kept for reference and used for the production of predictive astronomical texts. While such archives probably existed in several cities, a significant number of tables has so far been found only in Babylon. These tablets are now in the British Museum. The volume published herewith contains the third part of datable astronomical diaries, which concern the years 164 to 61 B.C. This is the latest group of the diaries; all datable diaries (about 400) have now been published. Diaries usually cover half a year. They contain observations of the moon and planets in relation to fixed stars, first and last visibilities, stationary points etc. They also report eclipses of sun and moon and other phenomena in the sky. Apart from celestial observations, the diaries refer to the weather, the water level in the Euphrates river, and the prices of the most important commodities. They also contain, in the style of chronicles. remarkable events. In this way they provide important information on the history of Mesopotamia in these troubled times, when control of the country was wrested from the Seleucids by the Partians. In der Spätzeit der babylonischen Kultur, in der zweiten Hälfte des 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr., wurden über lange Zeit hin astronomische Beobachtungen gesammelt. Obwohl durch diese Beobachtungstätigkeit entstandene Archive wahrscheinlich in mehreren Städten existiert haben, wurden nur in Babylon Reste davon ausgegraben. Diese Tontafeln befinden sich heute im British Museum. Hiermit wird der 3. Band der Publikation dieser Texte vorgelegt. Es handelt sich um Aufzeichnungen von Beobachtungen aus den Jahren 164 bis 61 v. Chr. Dies ist die jüngste Gruppe der sogenannten astronomischen Tagebücher; damit sind alle datierbaren Texte dieser Art (etwa 400) veröffentlicht.\r\nDie einzelnen Tagebücher erstrecken sich meist über ein halbes Jahr. Sie enthalten Beobachtungen des Mondes und der Planeten in ihrer Bewegung zwischen den Fixsternen, Auf- und Untergänge der Planeten, Finsternisse von Sonne und Mond, und andere Vorkommnisse am Himmel. Es wird aber auch über das Wetter, den Wasserstand des Euphrat und die Preise der wichtigsten Handelsgüter berichtet. Schließlich werden auch besondere Ereignisse chronikartig festgehalten. Die Texte sind daher auch für die Geschichte Mesopotamiens in dieser Zeit, als die Oberherrschaft über das Land von den Seleukiden auf die Parther überging, von Bedeutung.
Diaries from 261 B.C. to 165 B.C.: Text and plates. By the late Abraham J. Sachs; edited by Hermann Hunger [ADRT 2]
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 2 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 210] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia [ADRT], vol. 1 [of 7] [=Denkschriften der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse [DÖAW phil.hist. Kl.], nr 195] Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
The document discussed here is a small piece of an astronomical diary in the collection of the British Museum. It is part of the corpus of texts published by Hermann Hunger in three volumes containing the dated astronomical diaries from Babylonia (Sachs & Hunger 1988; 1989; 1996). The document studied here was not included in the corpus since it previously could not be dated. Now, however, we are confident that we have established its date. The historical part of the tablet was studied, transliterated and translated in London in December 2005 by Van der Spek, with the help of Irving Finkel; the astronomical part has subsequently been the subject of a renewed study by Hunger. Following the convention of the edition of the diaries, this diary can be added to Volume I (1988) under No. -362. We thank the Trustees of the British Museum for the possibility to study the text and present it in an online publication.
The Sun-Disk Tablet of Nebobaladan, King of Babylon (BBSt 36)
Hayim and Miriam Tadmor Volume [Fs Tadmor]; ed. by Eph’al et al. [=Eretz-Israel Festschrift Series: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies [Eretz-Israel], nr 27] pp. 91-109 Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society
The Sun-Disk Tablet of Nebobaladan, King of Babylon (BBSt 36)
sorttitle
Sun-Disk Tablet of Nebobaladan, King of Babylon (BBSt 36), The
editor
Eph’al, Israel and Ben-Tor, Amnon and Machinist, Peter
booktitle
Hayim and Miriam Tadmor Volume
shortbooktitle
Fs Tadmor
series
Eretz-Israel Festschrift Series: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies
shortseries
Eretz-Israel
number
27
pages
91-109
location
Jerusalem
publisher
Israel Exploration Society
year
2003
language
hebrew
crossRef
ephal2003fstadmor
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Sumerian tablets in the Harvard Semitic museum, 2: From the time of the Dynasty of Ur [HSS 4]
Sumerian tablets in the Harvard Semitic museum, vol. 2 [=Harvard Semitic Series [HSS], nr 4] Cambdrige and Leipzig: Cambridge University Press and Hinrich’sche Buchhandlung
Studies in the Greek Astronomers: I Eudoxian Topics; II A Fragment of Cleostratus of Tenedos; III Friends and Contemporaries of Apollonius of Perge
Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies: A scholarly journal devoted to the culture and history of Greece from Antiquity to the Renaissance [GRBS], vol. 4 (), iss. spring, nr 2 pp. 83-105 Durham: Duke University
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT EUDOXUS OF CNIDUS occupies a distinguished position in the intellectual life of Greece in the fourth century B.C.: he was a mathematician, an astronomer, a lawgiver, and a geographer, and the interests of this astonishing man reached into medicine and philosophy. As an associate of Plato and a friend of Aristotle, Eudoxus repays examination by Platonists and Aristotelians, but he is hardly less interesting for himself and his own work. He still awaits a biographer, but the range of his interests was so great and the evidence for his work is so fragmentary that it is doubtful whether a definitive biography could be written. In this essay we consider a few only of the outstanding problems concerning his life and work.
keywords
/
timestamp
2013-12-05
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The Shape of the Cosmos According to Cuneiform Sources
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland [JRAS], ser. Third Series, vol. 7 (), nr 2 pp. 189-198 London: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Texts stating in plain words the opinions of ancient Mesopotamian scholars concerning the shape of the universe have proved elusive, and consequently the question of whether they believed the sky to be flat or domed has never been settled. In 1975 Professor Lambert summarized the comments of earlier scholars on this topic and noted that textual support for the concept of a vault of heaven was lacking in cuneiform sources known to him at that time. Since then, the topic has elicited comment, but no serious attempt to assemble evidence in support of one view or another. In this paper I propose to bring together evidence from a range of sources and argue that in ancient Mesopotamia the sky was thought to be a rotating sphere with a polar axis.
A Note on Water-Clocks and on the Authority of Texts
sorttitle
Note on Water-Clocks and on the Authority of Texts, A
journal
Archiv für Orientforschung
shortjournal
AfO
volume
44/45
pages
192-194
location
Vienna
publisher
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1997
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41670128
urldate
2013-11-01
language
english
abstract
L’auteur s’interroge sur la validité des textes relatifs aux mathématiques, textes non remis en question sans même avoir été vérifiés par l’expérimentation. A cet effet, il prend l’exemple des horloges à eau égyptiennes et babyloniennes, elles aussi objets d’approximations.
Changing Trends in the Historiography of Mesopotamian Mathematics: An Insider’s View. Revised Contribution to the Conference “Contemporary Trends in the Historiography of Science”, Corfu, May 27 – June 1, 1991
Filosofi og videnskabsteori på Roskilde Universitetscenter, 3. Række, Preprints og Reprints (), nr 3 Roskilde: Roskilde University Center Institute of Educational Research, Media Studies and Theory of Science
On Parts of Parts and Ascending Continued Fractions
subtitle
An Investigation of the Origins and Spread of a Peculiar System
sorttitle
Parts of Parts and Ascending Continued Fractions, On
journal
Centaurus
volume
33
number
3
pages
293-324
location
København
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
year
1990
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1990.tb00729.x
urldate
2013-12-14
abstract
The following article deals with two particular ways to denote fractional numbers, one of them multiplicative (‘parts of parts’) and the other multiplicative-additive (‘ascending continued fractions’). They turn up in sources from several cultures and epochs, but as a standard idiom only in Arabic mathematics, where their occurrence has been amply described: In certain other contexts (Babylonia, High and Late Medieval Europe) their occasional presence has been taken note of though rarely investigated systematically. Finally, a few scattered occurrences in Ancient Greek and Egyptian sources have not been commented upon until this day. Widespread occurrence of similar practices raises the question of interdependence versus independent development by accident or in response to analogous situations. Thus also in this case. Posing the question, however, turns out to be more easy than answering it, not least because some of the cultures to be dealt with only present us with utterly few examples of the usage, and only the combination of evidence and arguments of many kinds will allow us to construct a scenario which is at least well-founded if not definitively verified on all points. As a by-product, the inquiry will cast new light on the origins of the Egyptian unit fraction system.
On Parts of Parts and Ascending Continued Fractions: An Investigation of the Origins and Spread of a Peculiar System
Filosofi og videnskabsteori på Roskilde Universitetscenter, 3. Række, Preprints og Reprints (), nr 2 Roskilde: Roskilde University Center Institute of Educational Research, Media Studies and Theory of Science
The following article deals with two particular ways to denote fractional numbers, one of them multiplicative (“parts of parts”) and the other multiplicative-additive (“ascending continued fractions”). They turn up in sources from several cultures and epochs, but as a standard idiom only in Arabic mathematics, where their occurrence has been amply described. In certain other contexts (Babylonia, High and Late Medieval Europe) their occasional presence has been taken note of though rarely investigated systematically. Finally, a few scattered occurrences in Ancient Greek and Egyptian sources have not been commented upon until this day. Widespread occurrence of similar practices raises the question of interdependence versus independent development by accident or in response to analogous situations. Thus also in this case. Posing the question, however, turns out to be more easy than answering it, not least because some of the cultures to be dealt with only present us with utterly few examples of the usage, and only the combination of evidence and arguments of many kinds will allow us to construct a scenario which is at least well-founded if not definitively verified on all points. As a by-product, the inquiry will cast new light on the origins of the Egyptian unit fraction system.
Zur Frühgeschichte algebraischer Denkweisen: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Algebra
Filosofi og videnskabsteori på Roskilde Universitetscenter, 3. Række, Preprints og Reprints (), nr 3 Roskilde: Roskilde University Center Institute of Educational Research, Media Studies and Theory of Science
The New and Full Moons in the Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings and the Book of Esther
Proceedings of the Second SEAC Conference, Bochum, August 29th-31st, 1994 [SEAC 2]; ed. by Schlosser pp. 49-56 Bochum: Astronomisches Institut der Ruhr-Universität
Archaeoastronomical Analysis of Assyrian and Babylonian Monuments
subtitle
Methodological Issues
journal
Journal for the History of Astronomy
shortjournal
JHA
volume
34
pages
79-93
location
London
publisher
Science History Publications Ltd
year
2003
month
February
url
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003JHA....34...79I
urldate
2014-04-11
abstract
The history of astronomy of ancient Mesopotamia has been the subject of stud- ies for more than 130 years. A great part of this research focused on Assyrian and Babylonian mathematical astronomy as well as on the origins of scientific astronomy (sensu Aaboe). A number of cuneiform texts dealing with observational astronomy and celestial divination have also been investigated, especially in recent times. The analytical method employed so far has been that of the history of astronomy. Although celestial divination has been studied in a wider cultural context, archaeoastronomy is not a recognized field of study in Assyriology. Every contribution in the field of the Mesopotamian archaeoastronomy is to be highly appreciated, especially when it brings some significant discoveries. Such was the case with Hartner’s analysis of Sumerian constellations about 4000 B.C. However, in investigations that combine written and non-written evidence one needs much more than a superficial knowledge ofthe culture under study. Familiarity with general cultural patterns as well as with the specific tendencies of particular epochs and at least a rudimentary knowledge of cuneiform texts and ancient languages is indispensable. The results drawn from archaeoastronomical analysis should be compatible with what may be read in texts. In cases where they disagree, differences should be carefully examined and recognized. In the present paper I shall discuss some of Vladimir Tuman’s ideas in order to illustrate these remarks.
L’étude des kudurrus, c’est-à-dire des pierres de bornage, repose sur une longue tradition et reflète différentes tendances en assyriologie. Des analyses philologiques furent entreprises au début du siècle par Scheil (1900-1908) et King (1912). Ces études philologiques furent suivies par les études des représentations symboliques placées sur les kudurrus (Frank 1906, Zimmern 1906). Puis on vit bientôt apparaître plusieurs tentatives de décryptage de leurs significations astronomiques ou zodiacales (Hinke 1907 et Hommel cité par Seid11989,17), études caractéristiques des tendances de l’époque. Tout ceci fut suivi par Steinmetzer (1922) qui se concentra sur la signification légale et administrative des kudurrus. Après cela on a vu tomber le nombre d’études sur les kudurrus. A part la tentative isolée de Watelin (1953) pour expliquer le sens ésotérique des symboles divins, les années suivantes n’apportèrent qu’une étude innovatrice et monumentale, celle de SeidI (1968,1989) qui se concentra sur le développement d’une forme idéale standardisée des pierres de bornage. En 1978 à partir des stèles publiées par Seidl (1968) et en leur appliquant un traitement systématique, j’ai mis au point un modèle de description du ou des processus qui ont contribué à la formation de ces monuments tels que nous les connaissons (Iwaniszewski 1978). Avec le développement de l’archéoastronomie, les interprétations astronomiques sont réapparues (Cullens et Tuman, 1986).
The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man: An Essay on Speculative Thought in the Ancient Near East; ed. by Frankfort et al. [Oriental Institute Essays ser.] pp. 125-184 Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press
This paper re-examines 4QcryptA Lunisolar Calendar (4Q317), a scroll from Qumran in an esoteric Hebrew script with many emendations that aligns the moon’s daily waxing and waning to a 364-day calendar. It seeks to ascertain whether the calendar may be exegetically related to the Creation and also discusses the text’s arithmetical relationships with the cycles of the priestly courses from Qumran, possible intertextual allusions to other lunar calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QDaily Prayers [4Q503], 4QAstronomical Enoch a–b ar [4Q208–4Q209]), biblical passages, and parallels with another Mesopotamian calendar text. The first transcription of the largest fragments using a Cryptic A font is here published with a commentary (in the Appendix), focusing on the text’s unusual scribal features. A reconsideration of the calendar’s structure with a new arrangement of its dates is presented.
This paper responds to the theory that information, known as “X” and“dwq” in same of the manuscripts of the calendars of the priestly courses. 4Q320. 4Q321:J and 4032 1. is related to a group of techniques itemised in Babylonian astronomical texts, called the Lunar Three. It is suggested that a direct comparison is problematic and that possible Hellenistic influences may be discerned in the calendars of the priestly courses as well as in parts of theAramaic Astronomical Book of Enoch, 4Q208-4Q209. The essay concludes that a new theoretical basis for researching the calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls in a comparative context is needed.
Mesopotamian Influence on Persian Sky-Watching and Calendars Part I
subtitle
Mithra, Shamash and Solar Festivals
editor
Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz
booktitle
Proceedings of the Conference ‘Time and Astronomy in past Cultures’
pages
51-62
location
Warszawa and Toruń
publisher
Instytut Archeologii UW
year
2006
url
http://www.antropologia.uw.edu.pl/AS/as-001.pdf
abstract
There are numerous similarities between Mithra and Shamash, the Persian and Babylonian Sun-Gods. Many of them may be a result of cultural diffusion between Iran and Mesopotamia, chie‚y directed from the west to the east. The comparison of the attributes of Mithra in Avesta and the attributes of Shamash in various Babylonian and Assyrian sources shows that in the 2nd half of the 2nd, and the 1st half of the 1st millennia BCE the Mesopotamian religion strongly in‚uenced Persian idea of the Sun-God. This in‚uence is particularly well visible in the symbolism of the solar festival during the VIIth month of both the Babylonian and the Persian calendars, the festival of the autumn equinox with its relation to the constellation Libra. The second phase of Mesopotamian in‚uence on the attribution of Mithra may be more precisely dated to the reign of Artaxerxes II. This Persian king reformed the official pantheon and established the cult of the divine triad: the main god Ahuramazda, the Sun-God Mithra and Anahita, the goddess of planet Venus. Such a triad strongly resembles the planetary triad worshipped in Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamian Influence on Persian Sky-Watching and Calendars Part II: Ishtar and Anahita
Astronomy and Cosmology in Folk Traditions and Cultural Heritage; ed. by Vaiškūnas [=Archaeologia Baltica, nr 10] pp. 45-51 Klaipėda University Institute of Baltic Sea Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda
Mesopotamian Influence on Persian Sky-Watching and Calendars Part II
subtitle
Ishtar and Anahita
editor
Vaiškūnas, Jonas
booktitle
Astronomy and Cosmology in Folk Traditions and Cultural Heritage
series
Archaeologia Baltica
number
10
pages
45-51
publisher
Klaipėda University Institute of Baltic Sea Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda
year
2008
urldate
2016-03-19
abstract
There are a small number of similarities between Ishtar and Anahit, the Persian and Babylonian Venus-goddesses. These similarities may result from cultural diffusion between Persia and Mesopotamia, which was mainly eastwards. We present a comparison of the attributes belonging to both Ishtar and Anahita. This is mainly based on the Mesopotamian sources, since the Persian ones are very meagre. The relationships and influences between the two goddesses are visible in the symbolism of the planet Venus and the constellation Leo, and are associated with autumnal equinox festivals.
Joshua’s “Standing Sun” at Gibeon: Biblical Archaeoastronomy?
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 5 (), nr 4 pp. 10-19 College Park, Md.: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia] #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Enuma Anu Enlil]
walker_note
[415-748 (=most part of chapter XX, which extends over pt 1 \& 2) contain an account of Babylonian astrology with extensive translations of the available texts, index of quotations from Enuma Anu Enlil on p. 996 (Virolleaud)]
gent_note
Virolleaud’s unpublished translations and commentary were extensively used by Morris Jastrow Jr. in his Die Religion Babyloniens und Assyriens (Töpelmann, Gießen, 1912), Vol. 2,p p. 415-748
\cite{walker1993bibliograp}#and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
walker_note
[415-748 (=chapter XX; extends over pt 1 \& 2) contain an account of Babylonian astrology with extensive translations of the available texts, index of quotations from Enuma Anu Enlil on p. 996 (Virolleaud)] Overview at \url{http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24473004M/Die_Religion_Babyloniens_und_Assyriens}
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia] #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Enuma Anu Enlil]
walker_note
[Vol. 2, pp. 415-748 (=chapter XX; extends over pt 1 \& 2) contain an account of Babylonian astrology with extensive translations of the available texts, index of quotations from Enuma Anu Enlil on p. 996 (Virolleaud)]
Enlarged and entirely rewritten German edition, together with a separate volume of illustrations bearing on the religion of the Babylonians and Assyrians
relatedtype
translationas
timestamp
2013-06-19
bibmas_file
comment
\cite{barton1899reviewjast}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
seealso \cite{jastrow1905diereligi1,jastrow1912dierelig21,jastrow1912dierelig22} (3 volumes alltogether) for an enlarged and entirely rewritten German edition of this English edition, together with a separate volume of illustrations bearing on the religion of the Babylonians and Assyrians.
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [The Zodiac and the Paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea]
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 1 () [Jahresband 1886] pp. 244-267 Strasbourg, Alsace: Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete
journalsubtitle
Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
shortjournal
ZA
volume
1
issuetitle
Jahresband 1886
pages
244-267
location
Strasbourg, Alsace
publisher
Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
institution
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften and Josefine-und-Eduard-von-Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Identification of the Arrow Star]
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde der Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 1 (), nr 3 pp. 198-208 Vienna and Paris and Turino and London and New York and Bombay: Alfred Hölder and Ernest Leroux and Hermann Loescher and Trüber & Co and B. Westermann & Co. and Manager Education Society’s Press
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Identification of the Arrow Star]
Deutsche Revue über das gesamte nationale Leben der Gegenwart
volume
15
number
3
issue
fall
pages
112-116
location
Wrocław and Berlin
publisher
Verlag von Eduard Trewendt
year
1890
month
July
url
http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id30162476Z
urldate
2014-09-18
timestamp
2014-09-18
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [The Zodiac and the Paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea] [[\#ERR] journaltitle Deutsche Rundschau
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
The Babylonian Epic of Creation (1923), Langdon S [Review]
sorttitle
Babylonian Epic of Creation (1923) by Langdon S [Review]
journal
Orientalistische Literaturzeitung
shortjournal
OLZ
volume
28
pages
19-26
location
Berlin
publisher
Akademie-Verlag
year
1925
url
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1299169707
urldate
2014-05-09
Reviewof
\cite{langdon1923thebabylon}
related
langdon1923thebabylon
relatedtype
reviewof
timestamp
2014-05-09
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
The Supposed Babylonian Origin of the Week and the Sabbath
sorttitle
Supposed Babylonian Origin of the Week and the Sabbath, The
journal
Sunday School Times
volume
34
number
3
location
Philadelphia
publisher
John D. Wattles
year
1892
timestamp
2014-04-16
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Now thoroughly out-of-date. The author demonstrated that the Greek zodiac was borrowed from the Babylonians. See the (German-language) obituary by Walter Baumgartner in Archiv für Orientforschung, Elfter Band, 1936/1937, Pages 281-282; and the (German-language) obituary by Albert Schott in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Volume 44, 1938, Pages 183-190. See the (German-language) book review by Heinrich Zimmern in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Fünfter Band, 1890, Pages 114-120; and the (English-language) book review by C. B. in The Academy, May 31, 1890, Number 943, Page 375. The author was later a Panbabylonist independent of the Panbabylonist school of Hugo Winckler and Alfred Jeremias.]
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Das Alter der babylonischen Astronomie. Mit 15 Abbildungen und astronomischen Zeichnungen, unter Berücksichtigung der Erwiderung von P. F.X. Kugler SJ (edn: Zweite erweiterte Auflage)
Im Kampfe um den Alten Orient: Wehr- und Streitschriften [KAO], nr 3 Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, I: Manual of Biblical archaeology
The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, vol. 1 (edn: Translated from the Second German Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author) [=Theological Translation Library, nr 28] New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Williams and Norgate
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, II: manual of Biblical archaeology
The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, vol. 2 (edn: Translated from the Second German Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author) [=Theological Translation Library, nr 29] New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Williams and Norgate
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie, vol. 4: Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie 4: Quadriformis-Syzygia; ed. by Roscher pp. 1427-1500 Leipzig: B.G. Teubner
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Bibliothek der Alten Welt, gemeinverständliche Darstellungen: Der Alte Orient
number
32
edition
2
pagetotal
29
location
Leipzig
publisher
Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung
institution
Vorderasiatisch-Ägyptische Gesellschaft
year
1932
timestamp
2014-03-21
comment
\cite{c1932reviewjere}
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
2., völlig erneuerte Aufl., mit 260 Bildern nach den Monumenten und 1 Sternkarte
location
Berlin
publisher
De Gruyter
year
1929
origdate
1913
origlocation
Leipzig
origpublisher
J.C. Hinrich
origurl
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89095896734
timestamp
2013-06-19
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
Das Alte Testament im Lichte des alten Orients: Handbuch zur biblisch-orientalischen Altertumskunde (edn: 3. (deutsche) völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage)
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004generallit} [Major Collections of Translated Cuneiform Texts and Anthologies]
Death and Divination in the Old Babylonian Period: Mesopotamia and Ugarit
Death in Mesopotamia: Papers read at the XXVIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale [RAI 26]; ed. by Alster [=Mesopotamia: Copenhagen Studies in Assyriology, nr 8] pp. 107-121 København: Akademisk Forlag
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 32 () pp. 23-41 Leiden
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 48-55 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Par un étonnant jeu du sort, avant d’inventer l’écriture, l’homme a dû apprendre à lire, à déchiffrer et à décrypter les messages que les dieux créateurs lui avaient laissés. Las Mésopotamiens furent, une fois encore, les précurseurs d’un art divinatoire qui devait marquer l’histoire de l’humanité.
Une chronique judiciaire d’époque hellénistique et le châtiment des sacrilèges à Babylone
Assyriologica et Semitica: Festschrift für Joachim Oelsner anläßlich seines 65. Geburtstages am 18. Februar 1997 [Fs Oelsner]; ed. by Marzahn et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 252] pp. 193-211 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
The Astronomical Resources for Ancient Astral Prognostications
The Star of Bethlehem and the Magi: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Experts on the Ancient Near East, the Greco-Roman World, and Modern Astronomy; ed. by Barthel et al. [=Themes in Biblical Narrative: Jewish and Christian Traditions, nr 19] ch.: 8, pp. 171-198 Leiden and Boston: Brill
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the astronomical knowledge, and more specifically the astronomical tools, that ancient astrologers in Mesopotamia and the Greco-Roman world possessed and used. Much of its content will be well known to specialists in ancient astronomy and astrology, but this is the first broad treatment of the topic. The roughly 1200-year evolution of astrological practice surveyed in this chapter is characterized by several shifts. First, interpretation of direct observations of the heavens was progressively supplanted by reliance on predicted astronomical data. Second, prediction based on the principle that astronomical phenomena observed in the past would approximately repeat after certain time intervals (called recurrence periods) gave way to mathematical models that had a more remote derivation from observations. Finally, astrologers became increasingly removed from the production of the astronomical information they used and increasingly dependent on published almanacs comprising precomputed data. This chapter is thus a contribution to understanding the expertise of an ancient astrologer as well as its limits.
A Greek Papyrus Containing Babylonian Lunar Theory
sorttitle
Greek Papyrus Containing Babylonian Lunar Theory, A
editor
Eck, Werner and Engelmann, Helmut and Hammerstaedt, Jürgen and Jördens, Andrea and Kassel, Rudolf and Koenen, Ludwig and Lebek, Wolfgang Dieter and Maresch, Klaus and Petzl, Georg and Römer, Cornelia
Evidence for Babylonian arithmetical schemes in Greek astronomy
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 77-94 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
This work presents nearly two hundred hitherto unpublished astronomical texts and horoscopes written in Greek on papryrus, which were excavated a a century ago in the rubbish heaps of Oxyrhynchus, a district capital of Roman Egypt. Through these documents we obtain the first coherent picture of the range of astronomical activity, chiefly in the service of astrology, during the Roman Empire. The astronomy of this period turns out to have been much more varied than we previously thought, with Babylonian arithmetical methods of prediction coexisting with tables based on geometrical models of orbits. Editions of the texts are accompanied by facing translations and explanatory and philological commentaries. The introduction provides the first comprehensive treatment of astronomical papyri, explaining their contents and purpose, the underlying astronomical theories, and strategies for analyzing and dating them.
On Babylonian astronomy and its Greek metamorphoses
Tradition, transmission, transformation: Proceedings of two conferences on pre-modern science held at the University of Oklahoma; ed. by Ragep et al. pp. 139-155 Leiden: Brill Academic Pub
Transmission of Babylonian Astronomy to Other Cultures
[]
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 175, pp. 1877-1881 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, NY, USA
title
Transmission of Babylonian Astronomy to Other Cultures
editor
Ruggles, Clive L.N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
175
pages
1877-1881
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_194
language
english
contents
Introduction 1877 Transmission to Egypt 1878 Transmission to the Greco-Roman World 1878 Transmission to India 1880 Cross-References 1880 References 1881
abstract
Babylonian astronomy and astrology were extensively transmitted to other civilizations in the second and first millennia BC. Greek astronomy in particular was largely shaped by knowledge of Babylonian observations and mathematical astronomy.
Babylonian Lunar Theory in Roman Egypt: two new texts
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East [AOAT 297]; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 167-174 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
A Classification of Astronomical Tables on Papyrus
Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination; ed. by Swerdlow [Studies in the History of Science and Technology ser.] pp. 299-340 Cambridge, Mass. and London: MIT Press
Models and Tables in Ancient Astronomy, 200 B.C. to A.D. 300
editor
Temporini, Hildegard and Haase, Wolfgang
booktitle
Principat
shortbooktitle
ANRW 2
maintitle
Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt
mainsubtitle
Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung
volume
2
part
37.4: Wissenschaften: Medizin und Biologie, Fortsetzung
location
Berlin and New York
publisher
De Gruyter
pubstate
inpress
url
http://www.degruyter.com/view/serial/16624
urldate
2013-12-06
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
A Portable Cosmos: Revealing the Antikythera Mechanism, Scientific Wonder of the Ancient World; by Jones ch.: 7, pp. 161-199 Oxford: Oxford University Press
In 1901 divers salvaging antiquities from a Hellenistic shipwreck serendipitously recovered the shattered and corroded remains of an ancient Greek gear-driven device, now known as the Antikythera Mechanism. Since its discovery, scholars relying on direct inspection and on increasingly powerful radiographic tools and surface imaging have successfully reconstructed most of the functions and workings of the Mechanism. It was a machine simulating the cosmos as the Greeks understood it, with a half dozen dials displaying coordinated cycles of time and the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets.
A Portable Cosmos presents the Antikythera Mechanism as a gateway to understanding Greek astronomy and scientific technology and their place in Greco-Roman society and thought. Although the Mechanism has long had the reputation of being an object we would not have expected the ancient world to have produced, the most recent researches have revealed that its displays were designed so that an educated layman would see how astronomical phenomena were intertwined with one's natural and social environment. It was at once a masterpiece of the genre of wonder-working devices that mimicked nature by means concealed from the viewer, and a mobile textbook of popular science.
A Study of Babylonian Observations of Planets Near Normal Stars
sorttitle
Study of Babylonian Observations of Planets Near Normal Stars, A
journal
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
shortjournal
AHES
volume
58
number
6
pages
475-536
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
2004
month
September
doi
10.1007/s00407-004-0082-9
urldate
2014-05-02
language
english
abstract
The present paper is an attempt to describe the observational practices behind a large and homogeneous body of Babylonian observation reports involving planets and certain bright stars near the ecliptic (“Normal Stars”). The reports in question are the only precise positional observations of planets in the Babylonian texts, and while we do not know their original purpose, they may have had a part in the development of predictive models for planetary phenomena in the second half of the first millennium B.C. The paper is organized according to the following topics: (I) Sections 1-3 review the format of the observations and the texts in which they are found; (II) Sections 4-6 discuss the composition of the Normal Star list; (III) Sections 7-8 concern the orientation of the reported celestial directions from star to planet; (IV) Sect. 9 concerns the relationship between the reported distances and the actual angular distances between planet and star; and (V) Sect. 10 discusses the reports of planetary stations, which are the most common reports giving precise locations of planets when they are not near their closest approach to stars, and draws some brief general conclusions about the utility of the Babylonian observations for estimating planetary longitudes and calibrating models in antiquity.
keywords
BM 46083, BM 36609, SpTU 5.268, H 52 = BM 41222, HSM 1490, BM 76738 + BM 76813, SpTU 4.171, H 54 = BM 36823, BM 33066 = 78-11-7.4 = Strm Camb 400 = LBAT 1477, SpTU 5.268, H 56 = BM 32299 + BM 42083 + BM 45674, H 58 = BM 32209, H 63 = AO 17630, H 82 = IM 44152, A 3456
timestamp
2014-05-02
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Zur Entstehung der babylonischen Mondtheorie (1997), Brack-Bernsen L [Review]
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 42 (), nr 2 pp. 150-153 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Académie Internationale d’Histoire des Sciences (International Academy of the History of Science)
year
1991
language
english
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Note on p. 445f: ’The astronomy that the Hellenistic Greeks received from the hands of the Babylonians was by then more a skill than a science: the quality of the prediction was proverbial, but in all likelihood the practioners knew little or nothing of the origins of their schemes in theory and observations.
Babylonian and Greek Astronomy in a Papyrus Concerning Mars
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 33 (), nr 2 pp. 97-114 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Transactions of the American Philosophical Society [TAPS], ser. newseries, vol. 80 (), nr 7 pp. i-vi; 1-61 Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
“The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg; ed. by Crisostomo C. Jay et al. [=Ancient Magic and Divination, nr 13] pp. 333-352 Leiden: Brill
A New Discovery of a Component of Greek Astrology in Babylonian Tablets
subtitle
The “Terms”
sorttitle
New Discovery of a Component of Greek Astrology in Babylonian Tablets, A
journal
ISAW Papers
volume
1
location
New York
publisher
New York University, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW)
year
2012
url
http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/1/
urldate
2013-11-07
language
english
abstract
Two cuneiform astrological tablets in the British Museum provide the first evidence for Babylonian knowledge of the so-called “doctrine of the Terms” of Greco-Roman astrology (BM 36326 and BM 36628+36817+37197). Greek, Latin, and Egyptian astrological sources for the various systems of Terms and their origin are reviewed, followed by preliminary editions and translations of the relevant sections of the tablets. The system of Terms is shown to be so far the most technically complex component of Greek astrology to originate in Babylonia. Over the course of the Hellenistic period an Egyptian origin was ascribed to the systems of Terms as it was combined with components of Greek horoscopic astrology. By Ptolemy’s day, this spurious history had largely displaced the true.
Babylonian Astronomy 1880-1950: The Players and the Field
A Mathematician’s Journeys: Otto Neugebauer and Modern Transformations of Ancient Science; ed. by Jones et al. [=Archimedes: New Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, nr 45] pp. 265-302 New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and London: Springer Science
This essay aims at telling the story of the rediscovery of Babylonian astronomy and of the wrestling of the early pioneers with the astronomical cuneiform texts in trying to understand the ingenious Babylonian numerical schemes for the computation of the celestial positions of the Sun, Moon and planets. When Otto Neugebauer entered the stage in the early 1930s, this pioneering phase had already come to an end. While at that time the field of Babylonian mathematical astronomy had been created, it needed Neugebauer to develop it into a well-established discipline in the history of science. This he accomplished almost single-handedly by systematically analyzing all texts available to him at the time in great depth and detail, eventually resulting in the publication of his magnum opus Astronomical Cuneiform Texts (Neugebauer 1955; here often referred to as ACT). In this essay I will strictly limit myself to the period 1880-1950, but most of what is in ACT is previewed in papers published before 1950.
Astronomical Dating of the Rising Star List in MUL.APIN
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 97 () [Festschrift für Hermann Hunger zum 65. Geburtstag: gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern [Fs Hunger]] pp. 107-120 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Early Babylonian Observations of Saturn: Astronomical Considerations
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East [AOAT 297]; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 175-192 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
On the Origin of the Lunar and Solar Periods in Babylonian Lunar Theory
Studies on the Ancient Exact Sciences in Honour of Lis Brack-Bernsen; ed. by Steele et al. [=Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, nr 44] pp. 105-126 Berlin: Edition Topoi
In dieser Untersuchung skizziere ich, auf welche Weise babylonische Astronomen die grundlegenden Parameter ihrer Mondtheorie möglicherweise abgeleitet haben. Die Mondgeschwindigkeitsperiode von 6247 synodischen Monaten, die der Konstruktion der Funktionen Φ und F des Systems A unterliegt, sind dadurch abzuleiten, dass man ein Vielfaches der Sarosperiode von 223 synodischen Monaten unter Verwendung der 27-jährigen Siriusperiode in eine ganzzahlige Anzahl von Sonnenjahren einpasst. Des Weiteren schlage ich vor, dass die Mondgeschwindigkeitsperiode von 251 synodischen Monaten, die für die Konstruktion von Funktion F des Systems B genutzt wird, ein direktes Ergebnis der Periode von 6247 Monaten ist. In aller Kürze diskutiere ich auch die Ursprünge der Perioden der Sonnengeschwindigkeitsfunktion B (des Systems A) und der Sonnenlängenfunktion A (des Systems B) und schlage vor, dass die Perioden dieser Funktionen eventuell aus einer präzisierten Version der 27-jährigen Siriusperiode hervorgehen. Abschließend wird der Zeitrahmen der möglicherweise schrittweisen Entwicklung der frühen Mond- und Sonnenfunktionen diskutiert.
Astronomical Fine-Tuning of the Chronology of the Hammurabi Age
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 44 () pp. 147-167 Leiden
The article discusses ancient Babylonian astronomical observations of Venus made during the second half of the fist millennium BCE when the planet appeared in the sky as either a morning or evening star. The author identifies asymmetries in the observation data, which he attributes to the relative velocity of Venus and the Sun depending on the former’s orbital position as viewed from Earth and daily changes in the Earth’s weather. Particular focus is given to the impact of atmospheric extinction, or the decrease in an astronomical object’s brightness as its light moves through the Earth’s atmosphere, on the observations.
A New Look at the Venus Observations of Ammisaduqa: Traces of the Santorini Eruption in the Atmosphere of Babylon?
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 42 () pp. 141-158
A New Look at the Venus Observations of Ammisaduqa
subtitle
Traces of the Santorini Eruption in the Atmosphere of Babylon?
sorttitle
New Look at the Venus Observations of Ammisaduqa
journal
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux
journalsubtitle
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux”
shortjournal
JEOL
volume
42
pages
141-158
institution
Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek (IAP)
year
2010
url
https://www.academia.edu/5625158
language
english
abstract
The chronology of the ancient Near East (2000-1500 B.C.) is not well established. A much debated anchor point for this chronology is provided by a series of observed dates of the first appearance and the disappearance of the planet Venus during the reign of the Babylonian king Ammisaduqa. The Venus observations allow four different chronologies: Ammisaduqa year 1 = 1702 B.C. (the Long Chronology), 1646 and 1638 B.C. (the High and Low Middle Chronologies), and 1582 B.C. (the Short Chronology). In this paper we reanalyse the Venus observations using a physical model of the visibility of Venus in a twilight atmosphere. Although there are small differences between the quality of fit for the four different chronologies, the results do not allow us to make a decisive choice. This is reflected in the average visual extinction in the atmosphere of Babylon which varies from 0.25 ± 0.07 to 0.28 ± 0.11 magnitudes per airmass for the four different Venus chronologies. These extinction values are identical (within the standard deviations) to those found in earlier studies based on first and last appearances of stars and planets in Babylon in the 13th and 7th century B.C. The analysis further shows that there is a cluster of observations with enhanced extinction values in the 12th and 13th years of the reign of Ammisaduqa. These observations were discarded in previous studies as corrupted by scribal errors. In this paper we attribute these enhanced extinction values to the eruption of the volcano on the Greek island Thera (present-day Santorini). From the magnitude of the excess extinction we find that about 45 Megatons of aerosols were ejected into the Earth stratosphere in the eruption, and that the strength of the eruption was comparable to that of Krakatau (Indonesia, 1883). The Santorini eruption serves as an important calibration point for the Aegean Late Bronze Age chronology (1700-1400 B.C.). By connecting the chronologies of the ancient Near East and of the Aegean Late Bronze Age in this way, we are able to show that there are two possibilities: (i) the eruption occurred in 1628/1627 B.C., consistent with the radiocarbon dating window of the eruption, supporting the Low Middle Chronology of the ancient Near East (Ammisaduqa 1 = 1638 B.C.), or (ii) the eruption occurred in 1692/1691 B.C. when we adopt the Long Chronology of the ancient Near East (Ammisaduqa 1 = 1702 B.C.) based on the Old Babylonian month length calibration.
Koninklijke Maatschappelijke Diligentia, Natuurkundige Voordrachten, Nieuwe reeks
year
2004
date
2004-03-22
abstract
Het oude Babylon, gelegen aan de rivier de Eufraat in het huidige Irak, kan worden beschouwd als de bakermat van de sterrenkunde. Al in het 2e millennium voor Chr. (meer dan 3000 jaar geleden) werd in Babylon de sterrenhemel dagelijks nauwkeurig waargenomen om daar de “wil der goden” af te lezen en op grond daarvan de koning te adviseren in tijden van oorlog en vrede. Wij hebben een tamelijk goed beeld van de Babylonische cultuur en van hun sterrenkunde omdat veel ervan in spijkerschrift op kleitabletten is vastgelegd, die later in groten getale onder het woestijnzand vandaan gekomen zijn. Niet alleen deden de Babyloniërs nauwkeurige waarnemingen van de sterren en de planeten maar ook waren zij vanaf ongeveer 500 voor Chr. in staat op grond van ingenieuze rekenmethoden vrij precies de posities van de maan en de planeten tientallen jaren vooruit te berekenen. De Babyloniërs waren echte rekenmeesters die, dankzij hun 60-tallig rekenstelsel en de door hen uitgevonden “plaats-waarde” notatie, heel grote berekeningen met zeer grote nauwkeurigheid konden uitvoeren. De sterrenhemel speelde in Babylonië een belangrijke rol in het dagelijks leven, bijvoorbeeld bij de landbouw en bij het vaststellen van de kalender. Onze verdeling van de cirkel in 360 graden en onze verdeling van uren in minuten vindt zijn oorsprong in Babylonië. Een groot aantal van de ons bekende sterrenbeelden, met name die van de dierenriem, zijn van de Babyloniërs afkomstig en vervolgens via de Griekse cultuur aan ons doorgegeven. De beroemde Griekse astronoom Ptolemaeus (ca. 100 na Chr.) gebruikte oude Babylonische waarnemingen van o.a. zons- en maans-verduisteringen om de parameters van zijn planetentheorie te bepalen. Deze theorie is pas in de 17e eeuw door de theorie van Keppler en Newton vervangen. In deze lezing wordt een aantal aspecten van de Babylonische sterrenkunde besproken en geïllustreerd aan de hand van de sterrenhemel.
AN astronomical event recorded on a clay tablet found in 1948 among the ruins of the ancient city of Ugarit, in what is now Syria, was identified 20 years ago as a description of a total solar eclipse that occurred on 3 May 1375 BC. The dating of ancient solar eclipses provides reference points to fix the long-term evolution of angular momentum in the Earth-Moon system. We have reanalysed the Ugarit eclipse record. A new historical dating of the tablet, and mention in the text of the visibility of the planet Mars during the eclipse as well as the month in which it occurred enables us to show that the recorded eclipse in fact occurred on 5 March 1223 BC. This new date implies that the secular deceleration of the Earth’s rotation has changed very little during the past 3,000 years.
Redating an Early Solar Eclipse Record (KTU 1.78): Implications for the Ugaritic Calendar and for the Secular Accelerations of the Earth and Moon
[]
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 30 () pp. 65-77 Leiden
Agricultural Management, Tax Farming and Banking: Aspects of Entrepreneurial Activity in Babylonia in the Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods. Hans Hirsch zum 75. Geburtstag gewidmet
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.): Actes du colloque organisé au Collège de France par la “Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre” et le “Réseau internationald’études et de recherches achéménides” (GDR 2538 CNRS), 22-23 novembre 2004, sous la direction de Pierre Briant et Francis Joannès; ed. by Briant et al. [=Persika, nr 9] pp. 137-222 Paris: De Boccard
Aspects of Entrepreneurial Activity in Babylonia in the Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods
titleaddon
Hans Hirsch zum 75. Geburtstag gewidmet
editor
Briant, Pierre and Joannès, Francis
booktitle
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.)
booksubtitle
Actes du colloque organisé au Collège de France par la “Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre” et le “Réseau internationald’études et de recherches achéménides” (GDR 2538 CNRS), 22-23 novembre 2004, sous la direction de Pierre Briant et Francis Joannès
In the so-called Mūrās[shin]u archive records of deposit and promissory notes were kept that show the entrepreneurial activities of a high-rank person: Mūrāsu was a rent and tax farmer, and as a contractor for Esagila he ran the temple’s agricultural business. Through these documents the Author recovers the transactions between Mūrāsu and other traders, ascertaining that he frequently deposited funds together with other persons – his own funds, or temple funds administrated by him – and suggesting that sometimes these records of deposit were intended to be used as negotiable financial instruments, namely cheques. According to the Author, the purpose of such a deposit could actually be explained as a money investment, since depositaries reinvesting in their turn are known from other areas of the Hellenistic world.
crossRef
briant2006latransiti
eventtitle
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.)
eventdate
2004-11-22/2004-11-23
venue
Collège de France
organization
la Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre and le Réseau international d’études et de recherches achéménides
In the so-called Mūrās[shin]u archive records of deposit and promissory notes were kept that show the entrepreneurial activities of a high-rank person: Mūrāsu was a rent and tax farmer, and as a contractor for Esagila he ran the temple’s agricultural business. Through these documents the Author recovers the transactions between Mūrāsu and other traders, ascertaining that he frequently deposited funds together with other persons – his own funds, or temple funds administrated by him – and suggesting that sometimes these records of deposit were intended to be used as negotiable financial instruments, namely cheques. According to the Author, the purpose of such a deposit could actually be explained as a money investment, since depositaries reinvesting in their turn are known from other areas of the Hellenistic world.
eventtitle
La transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.)
eventdate
2004-11-22/2004-11-23
venue
Collège de France
organization
la Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre and le Réseau international d’études et de recherches achéménides
timestamp
2013-11-11
bibmas_file
addendum
confer \cite{jursa2006agricultur}
note
References and translations have not been checked systematically, the English has not been corrected by a native speaker.
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 375 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Kelley, David H. and Aveni, A.F. and Milone, Eugene F.
sortkey
Kelley.D:2005_ExploringAncientSkies
title
Exploring Ancient Skies
subtitle
An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy
pagetotal
638
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
2005
date
2005-12-06
url
http://books.google.de/books?id=cgEJu3iUwM0C
urldate
2014-04-24
abstract
Exploring Ancient Skies uses modern science to examine ancient astronomy throughout the World, that is, to use the methods of archaeology and insights of modern astronomy explore how astronomy was practiced before the invention of the telescope. It thus reviews an enormous and growing body of literature on the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, the Far East, and the New World, particularly Mesoamerica, putting the ancient astronomical materials into their archaeological and cultural contexts. The book consists of two parts. The first emphasizes naked-eye astronomy: the motion of objects in the sky, the determination of time and calendars, corrections due to various factors such as parallax or atmospheric diffraction, and rare or transient phenomena such as eclipses, aurorae and comets. The second part begins with a discussion of the Paleolithic and Neolithic roots of astronomy. It then turns to the antecedents of the modern Western Astronomy: Mesopotamia, Greece, ancient and mediaeval Europe. Separate chapters deal with astronomy in ancient Egypt and Africa; India; China, Korea and Japan; the cultures of the Pacific; and the Americas, with particular emphasis on Mesoamerica, since this is one of the few areas for which written evidence is linked to astronomical alignments. Throughout, the discussion emphasizes the main purposes of ancient astronomy, many of which it shares with modern astronomy: astrology, navigation, calendar regulation, and understanding of our place and role in the universe. Exploring Ancient Skies provides a comprehensive review and reference for scholars and students in both astronomy and archaeology.
The Hindu Calendar as Described in Al-Bīrūnī’s Masudic Canon
[]
Journal of Near Eastern Studies [JNES], vol. 24 (), nr 3 [Erich F. Schmidt Memorial Issue. Part One [Gs Schmidt (pt. I)]] pp. 274-284 Chicago: University of Chicago Press
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Two Tables from an Arabic Astronomical Handbook for the Mongol Viceroy of Tibet
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 233-242 Philadelphia: University Museum
Two Tables from an Arabic Astronomical Handbook for the Mongol Viceroy of Tibet
sorttitle
002 Tables from an Arabic Astronomical Handbook for the Mongol Viceroy of Tibet
editor
Leichty, Erle and Ellis, Maria de Jong and Gerardi, Pamela
booktitle
A Scientific Humanist
booksubtitle
Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs
shortbooktitle
Fs Sachs
series
Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund
number
9
pages
233-242
location
Philadelphia
publisher
University Museum
year
1988
url
http://www.jphogendijk.nl/publ.html
urldate
2013-12-06
crossRef
leichty1988fssachs
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
“In diesem Monat hörte ich...”: Einige Bemerkungen zu den Astronomical Diaries
Actas del I Symposium Internacional Una década de estudios sobre el Oriente antiguo (1986-1996): Homenaje al Prof. Dr. Horst Klengel En su sexagésimoquinto aniversario. ISIMU 1 [Fs Klengel 3]; ed. by Zoilo et al.; pt. 3 pp. 167-172 Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
A Neo-Babylonian Astronomical Treatise in the British Museum, and Its Bearing on the Age of Babylonian Astronomy
[]
Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archæology [PSBA], vol. 35 () [43rd Session, First Meeting, January 15th, 1913] pp. 41-46 London: Society of Biblical Archæology
These twq volumes belong to the series “Studies in Eastern History.” In the first we have introductory and explanatory chapters ; iji the second the actual texts and their translation. Mr. King is confident that recent discoveries have improved the position of the Hebrew chronology. One important fact is that the Second Dynasty (so-called) of Babylonians reigned contemporaneously with the First and Third in a different region. This reduces the period that has to be assigned to Hammurabi by several hundred years. He is now supposed to belong to the twentieth century B.C. This synchronises with the date of 1921 for the call of Abraham, and makes it possible to identify Hammurabi with the Amraphel of Genesis xiv., a conjecture which is not opposed by linguistic considerations.
timestamp
2015-04-22
comment
\cite{winckler1907reviewking}
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Solar Eclipse in the “Religious Chronicle”]
gent_note
Vol. I, pp. 212-240 & Vol. 2, pp. 70-86 & 157-179.
The Seven Tablets of Creation: or, The Babylonian and Assyrian Legends Concerning the Creation of the World and of Mankind, vol. 1 [of 2] [=Luzac’s Semitic Text and Translation Series, nr 12] London: Luzac & Co.
The Seven Tablets of Creation: or, The Babylonian and Assyrian Legends Concerning the Creation of the World and of Mankind, vol. 2 [of 2] [=Luzac’s Semitic Text and Translation Series, nr 13] London: Luzac & Co.
Theologische Literaturzeitung: Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft [ThLZ], vol. 51 (), iss. 15 pp. 393-395 Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt
Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott für Staat und königliches Haus aus der Zeit Asarhaddons und Assurbanipals [Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott], vol. 1 [of 2] Leipzig: Verlag von Eduard Pfeiffer
Einleitung, Umschrift und Erklärung, Verzeichnisse
Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott für Staat und königliches Haus aus der Zeit Asarhaddons und Assurbanipals [Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott], vol. 2 [of 2] Leipzig: Verlag von Eduard Pfeiffer
Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott für Staat und königliches Haus aus der Zeit Asarhaddons und Assurbanipals [Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott] [2 vol.s]
[no parental ref.] Leipzig: Verlag von Eduard Pfeiffer
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 185-198 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 43 (), nr 3-4 pp. 176-183 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Neue Überlegungen zu einigen astrologischen und astronomischen Keilschrifttexten
sorttitle
Neue Ueberlegungen zu einigen astrologischen und astronomischen Keilschrifttexten
journal
Journal of Cuneiform Studies
shortjournal
JCS
volume
53
pages
69-81
location
Boston
publisher
American Schools of Oriental Research
year
2001
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1359978
doi
10.2307/1359978
alturl
\url{http://www.asor.org/pubs/jcs/53/koch.pdf}
urldate
2013-09-11
language
english
abstract
Nur bescheiden ist die Zahl der Texte, die bisher aus dem gewaltigen Fundmaterial astrologischer und astronomischer Keilschrifttafeln Mesopotamiens veröffentlicht wurden. Noch viel geringer ist die Ausbeute an gesichert interpretierten und verstandenen Tafeln. Manche sind ein Jahrhundert schon nach Inhalt und Deutung umstritten. Beispiel dafür ist etwa der vieldiskutierte “Hilprecht-Text.” Im folgenden sind ihm und ein paar anderen Texten einige Überlegungen gewidmet, die – so jedenfalls die Absicht – dem Verstehen ein wenig weiterhelfen.
keywords
HS 245 = HS 229 = Hilprecht-text, Sm 1113.3, Sm 162, Sm 162 rev = CT 33.11, Astrolabe B = KAV 218, ARAK 316 = K 2085, W 22281a
Die babylonischen Hypsomata, wenn man sie denn noch so bezeichnen will, waren nicht, wie bisher angenommen, ganze Tierkreisbilder bzw. Tierkreiszeichen. Sie hatten aber auch mit dem, was dann die Griechen unter Hypsoma verstanden, nichts gemein. Sahen namlich die Griechen im Hypsoma der Planeten bestimtme Grade bestimmter Tierkreiszeichen, war nach babylonischer Lehre der asar/bit nisirti Stillstand, stationärer Ort, lt. Astrological Reports KI.GUB GI.NA = “dauerhafter Standort” der Planeten. Die Tierkreisbilder bzw. -zeichen hatten damit aber gerade soviel zu tun, als da nun einmal die Planetenstillstände bzw. stationären Aufenthalte stattfanden. Freilich, dennoch war nicht schon jeder Stillstand, nicht schon jeder stationäre Ort der Planeten ein asar/bit nisirti. Himmelsbeobachtung, Wetter, singulärer planetarer Stillstand bzw stationärer Aufenthalt, vielleicht noch weitere Kriterien, die wir bisher nicht kennen: all das mußte stimmen, nur dann konnte von asar/bit nisirti gesprochen werden. So waren Stillstand, stationärer Ort der Planeten zwar conditio sine qua non des asar/bit nisirti, nicht dieser aber selbst.
keywords
BM 78161, MUL.APIN, K 3753, Ass A 1.39-2.5, DT 47.13, K 3708, K 2346, BM 36943, BM 47721, BM 32376, BM 33018, BM 34003
In ihrem kürzlich erschienenen Opus “Dating the Fall of Babylon. A Reappraisal of Second Millenium Chronology” widmen die Verfasser den sogen. “UR III Lunar eclipses” eine eigene Betrachtung. Ergebnis ist, daß nicht die von P. Huber vorgeschlagenen Mondfinsternisse vom 25. Juli 2095 und 13. April 2053 v.Chr. für die mit Sulgi’s Tod und Ur’s Fall in Zusammenhang gebrachten Omina aus EAE 20 und 21 sprächen, sondern die Mondeklipsen vom 27. Juni 1954 und 16. März 1912 v.Chr., womit sich bestätige, “that the correct chronology is, at the very least, lower than the Middle Chronology”. Dabei nehmen die Verfasser für sich in Anspruch, daß ihre “two eclipses not only perfectly satisfy the condition of the “first watch” (18.00-22.00) specified in the Simanu and Addaru eclipses of Enama Anu Enlil Tablets 20 and 21, but they also perfectly fit the information concerning their direction”.
keywords
EAE 20, EAE 21
timestamp
2013-11-01
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
not available on achemenet.com
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [The UR III Eclipses]
Zur Bedeutung von SAG GE6 in den “Astronomical Diaries”
sorttitle
Bedeutung von SAG GE6 in den Astronomical Diaries, Zur
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
87
number
1
pages
33-42
location
Berlin
publisher
De Gruyter
year
1997
doi
10.1515/zava.1997.87.1.33
urldate
2013-09-11
language
german
abstract
Die im antiken Mesopotamien von Sonnenunter- bis Sonnenaufgang gerechnete Nacht war in drei gleich lange Wachen unterteilt, wobei deren jeweilige Dauer von der Jahreszeit abhing: im Sommer waren die Nachtwachen kurz, im Winter lang. Die “Astronomical Diaries”, darin tägliche Beobachtungen zu Witterung, Gestirnspositionen und -erscheinungen, aber auch zu Tagesereignissen festgehalten wurden, gebrauchten für die Nachtwachen Kurzbezeichnungen: USAN “Abend”, also “erste Nachtwache”, MURUB4 “Mitte”, somit “mittlere Nachtwache”, und ZALAG “Helle”, folglich “dritte Nachtwache”. Darüber hinaus fand sich in den “Diaries” noch ein weiterer Fachbegriff zur babylonischen Nacht: SAG GE6 “Beginn der Nacht”. Was freilich damit bezeichnet, darunter verstanden wurde, ist noch immer ungeklärt. Wohl ist unbestritten, daß neben meteorologischen Erscheinungen vor allem Mondbeobachtungen eine wichtige Rolle spielten; aber “the duration of this interval is unclear”. So ist es, wie wir meinen, ein Glücksfall, daß “Diaries” erhalten blieben, die, nach dem Augenschein des Himmelsbetrachters astronomisch ausgewertet, Anfang und Ende, und damit auch die Dauer von SAG GEö erschließen lassen: das “Intervall” SAG GE6 entsprach in etwa unserer astronomischen Dämmerung.
Mit seinem Aufsatz Two New Ziqpu-Star Texts and Stellar Circles wollte W. Horowitz eine wichtige Entdeckung gemacht haben: Seit dem 7. Jahrhundert v.Chr. war in Mesopotamien das 364 Tage-Jahr bekannt 2. Jetzt liegt eine weitere Arbeit des Verfassers vor, die das damals Gesagte untermauern und den Zusammenhang mit dem 364 Tage-Jahr Qumrans wahrscheinlich machen soll: The 360 and 364 Day Year in Ancient Mesopotamia. Aber auch diesmal muß der Argumentation HOROWITZ’s entschieden widersprochen werden.
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
1997
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41670127
urldate
2013-11-01
language
english
abstract
Daß uns heute die 14. Tafel von Enuma Anu Enlil uneingeschränkt uneingeschränkt zugänglich ist, haben wir der Veröffentlichung F.N.H. al-Rawi’s und A.R. George’s in AfO 38/39 zu danken. Zwei Texte waren kurz vorher entdeckt bzw ans Tageslicht gebracht und bekanntgemacht worden: IM 121332, ein Fragment in neubabylonischer Schrift aus Tell Haddad, und BM 40592, Teil einer neubabylonischen Keilschrifturkunde aus Borsippa. Der Vergleich beider Funde ergab, daß “the two peices duplicate each other to a large degree”, und daß IM 121332 “is the one (table) that concludes the obverse of BM 40592, on which it follows fragmentary remains of the last lines” des bereits vor einem Jahrhundert mit Text 80-7-19,273 publizierten Tafelanfangs. Daß der sogen. Uruk-Katalog aus dem 2. vorchr. Jahrhundert EAE 14 nur 92 statt der 116 Zeilen zugestehen will, die sich bei Hinzunahme von IM 121332 und BM 40592 ergeben, spielt angesichts solcher Verzahnung der Urkunden keine Rolle. Beide Fragmente, IM 121332 und BM 40592, sind fraglos “the long-lost middle portion of the text”, und wir haben es jetzt mit der Kompilation (“compilation”) von vier “Tables” zu tun: Table A: Tägliche Leuchtzeit des Mondes nach der Tradition von Nippur; Table B: Tägliche Leuchtzeit des Mondes nach der Tradition von Babylon; Table C: Jahreszeitbedingte Dauer der Tag- und Nachtwachen; Table D: Sichtbarkeit des Mondes bei Neumond und Unsichtbarkeit des Mondes bei Vollmond in monatlichen Intervallen.
keywords
IM 121332, BM 40592, 80-7-19.273, EAE 14, K 90, BM 45821+, BM 82923, AO 6478 = TCL 6.21 = TU 21
Zur Bedeutung von uštāniḫ in den Lunareklipsen-Omina von Enūma Anu Enlil
sorttitle
Bedeutung von ustanih in den Lunareklipsen-Omina von Enuma Anu Enlil, Zur
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
shortjournal
ZA
volume
86
number
2
pages
192-206
location
Berlin
publisher
De Gruyter
year
1996
doi
10.1515/zava.1996.86.2.192
urldate
2013-11-11
language
german
abstract
F. Rochberg macht für die Behandlung der Lunareklipsen-Omina der Tafeln EAE 15 — 22 zwei Voraussetzungen: 1) Jede der drei in den Omina ausgewiesenen Nachtwachen hatte vier Stunden Dauer. 2) Das antike Mesopotamien kannte und berücksichtigte die Halbschattenverfinsterungen des Mondes. Keine der Voraussetzungen ist durch die Überlieferung gedeckt. Die Lunareklipsen-Omina setzten die nach Jahreszeit gleitende Nachtwachendauer voraus, die Halbschattenverfinsterungen des Mondes spielten, wie die “Astronomical Diaries” belegen, keine Rolle. So ist bei der Interpretation der Lunareklipsen-Omina immer nur von den Kernschattenfinsternissen des Mondes und deren maximaler Dauer von 3.8 Std. auszugehen. Von da her bestimmt sich dann auch die Bedeutung des Terms ustänih in den Omina der Tafel EAE 19 neu. Weil es da nämlich um Zeitabläufe bis über 10 Std. ging, meinte ustänih nicht Dauer einer Finsternis (so Rochberg), sondern Verzug, Sich-Hinziehen, etwa vom erwarteten zum wirklichen Finsternisbeginn bzw. -verlauf, u. s. w. Das aber führt schließlich zu neuen Einsichten für das Verständnis von Assurbanipals vieldiskutierter Nachricht von einer ustänih-Mondeklipse anläßlich seiner Auseinandersetzung mit Teumman, dem König Elams.
keywords
MUL.APIN 2, EAE, Astrolabe, BM 22696, BM 86381, Asb B
timestamp
2013-11-11
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Enuma Anu Enlil]
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 25 () pp. 201-218 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas
shortjournal
UF
volume
25
pages
201-218
location
Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer
publisher
Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon \& Bercker GmbH
year
1993
timestamp
2013-09-11
comment
“Alles spricht für den Befund, daß Jes 13,10 Informationen zur Sonneneklipse vom 5. Februar und zur Mondeklipse vom 20. Februar 561 v.Chr. überlieferte: das Vokabular, die Anleihen beim Formular der Astronomical Diaries, die Eklipsen samt ihren näheren Umständen. Der Vers wäre demnach in den beiden Wochen zwischen den beiden Eklipsen verfaßt worden. Ebenso die Botschaft vom nahen Tag JHWHs, galten ja die Finsternisse von Jes 13,10 als Vorboten dieses Tages.” ZATW 107.286.1 (1995) \url{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zatw.1995.107.2.304}
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
walker_note
[on H. Neumann’s review (\cite{neumann1991reviewkoch}) of Koch’s Neue Untersuchungen … (\cite{koch1989neueunters}); see Neumann’s reply to Koch on p. 131 (\cite{neumann1991zujkochneu})]
Converging Fortunes: Links between Celestial and Intestinal Divination
“The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg; ed. by Crisostomo C. Jay et al. [=Ancient Magic and Divination, nr 13] pp. 120-147 Leiden: Brill
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 231-246 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Démons et merveilles d’Orient; ed. by Gyselen [=Res orientales, nr 13] pp. 71-84 Bures-sur-Yvette: Groupe pour l’étude de la civilisation du Moyen-Orient (GECMO)
The Astrological Commentary Šumma Sîn ina tāmartīšu Tablet I
La Science des Cieux: Sages, Mages, Astrologues; ed. by Gyselen [=Res orientales, nr 12] pp. 149-165 Bures-sur-Yvette: Groupe pour l’étude de la civilisation du Moyen-Orient (GECMO)
Focuses on the horoscope which was originally published by Abraham Sachs and republished by Francesca Rochberg in her Babylonian horoscopes. Recorded date; Conversion of the date to the Gregorian calendar equivalent; Prediction made. Full Text: This horoscope was published by Abraham Sachs, 1 and was republished by Francesca Rochberg in her Babylonian horoscopes.2 The date is recorded as: Year 48 (of the Seleucid Era), Addar (month), night of (23rd). With the computer program BABYLONIA3 I converted this date to the Gregorian equivalent, 03 April sunset - 04 April sunrise, -262. Sachs suggests that the city of Uruk may have been the place of origin of the tablet, and so I used the coordinates of Uruk (31 °l8’N, 45°39’E, time zone 3 hours east) in my calculations. The striking thing about this horoscope is that it is the only one with a clearly timed prognosis: Line 6 reverse of the tablet reads, “The 36th year will have wealth.” Presumably this refers to the 36th year of his life. How did they come to the conclusion that the native would have wealth in this particular year? Although parallels are lacking, I believe the answer is that on this man’s 36th birthday, 23rd of Addar, year 84 of the Seleucid Era, Venus rose in her Morning First heliacal phase. 4 This corresponds to 27 March, -226. REFERENCES 1. Abraham Sachs, “Babylonian horoscopes”, Journal of cuneiform studies, vi (1952), 49-75. 2. Francesca Rochberg, Babylonian horoscopes (Philadelphia, 1998), 65-67, Text 5. 3. The program BABYLONIA 1.1 was written by me for use in studies of the Babylonian calendar and astronomy. 4. From the program I find that for Uruk: 26 March -226 sunrise= 22 Addar 84 Seleucid Era: arcus visionis of Venus, -5.83°; 27 March -226 sunrise= 23 Addar 84 Seleucid Era: arcus visionis of Venus, -6.62°.
keywords
MLC 1870
timestamp
2014-05-19
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
[\#trigger] Author promoted Pan-babylonism (resp. “Babel-Bibel”), an highly speculative and reductionist pseudo-science, afflicted with german antisemitism. Cf. \cite{stadnikow2007diebedeutu,thompson2015thedevelop}
On the Measurement of Celestial Longitude in Antiquity
Proceedings of the XXth International Congress of History of Science, vol. 12: Optics and Astronomy; ed. by Simon et al. [=De Diversis Artibus, nr 55 [=NS, 18]] pp. 145-159 Turnhout: Brepols
Note on Modern Computational Errors in Astronomical Dating
High, Middle Or Low?. Acts of an International Colloquium on Absolute Chronology Held at the University of Gothenburg 20th-22nd August 1987, vol. 3 [of 3]: High, Middle Or Low? Part 3; ed. by Åström [=Studies in Mesopotamian Archaeology and Literature [SIMA Pocketbooks], nr 80] pp. 160-162 Göteborg: Paul Aström Förlag, Coronet
This article considers three questions associated with Ptolemaic-Roman lunar chronology: did the temple service begin on Lunar Day 2; were lunar phases determined by observation and/or cyclically; how accurate were lunar observations? In the introduction, Babylonian and modern observations of old and new crescents are analyzed to obtain empirical visibility lines applicable to Egyptian lunar observations. \url{http://www.um.es/cepoat/biblioteca/product_info.php?cPath=121_341&products_id=3941}
Discusses ancient beliefs about lunar eclipses in Mesopotamia and how astronomers view the phenomenon in the 21st century. Belief that lunar eclipses foretold the death of a king; Documents detailing the assignment of substitute kings during lunar eclipses; Astronomers expected to gather at observatories worldwide to witness the November 2003 lunar eclipse.
timestamp
2013-11-06
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual] and \url{http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/11009799/temporary-replacement} #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-thru-2013.txt}
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Meteors, Meteorites and the Aurora Borealis] #and# \url{http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/stindex-2000-2009.xls}
gent_note
suggests that the annual Taurid meteor shower was already observed in the Ancient Near East
Solar and Lunar Eclipses of the Ancient Near East from 3000 B.C. to 0 with Maps
Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients; Sonderreihe [AOAT-S], nr 1 Kevelaer and Neukirchen-Vluyn: Butzon & Bercker and Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins
Eine rätselvolle astronomische Keilinschrift (Strm. Kambys. 400)
sorttitle
raetselvolle astronomische Keilinschrift (Strm. Kambys. 400), Eine
editor
Carl Bezold
journal
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete
shortjournal
ZA
volume
17
number
1
pages
203-238
location
Strasbourg, Alsace
publisher
Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
institution
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften and Josefine-und-Eduard-von-Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst
Zur Erklärung der Babylonischen Mondtafeln I: Mond- und Sonnenfinsternisse
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 15 () [Jahresband 1900] pp. 178-209 Berlin: Felber and de Gruyter
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Sybillinischer Sternkampf und Phaëton in naturgeschichtlicher Beleuchtung
series
Aschendorffs zeitgemässe Schriften
number
17
location
Münster in Westfalen
publisher
Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
year
1927
url
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/kugler/
urldate
2014-04-11
timestamp
2014-04-11
bibmas_file
comment
[\#ERR] Gnomon: Kritische Zeitschrift für die gesamte klassische Altertumswissenschaft, 4 (1928), 449-??? [W. Gundel]; Ephemerides theologicae lovanienses: Commentarii de re theologica et canonica, 5 (1928), 466-??? [J. Coppens]; Isis: International Review devoted to the History of Science and its Civilisation, 12 (1929), 156-157 [H.G. Bévenot] [JSTOR link]; The Journal of Theological Studies, 33 (1932), 77-?? [A.D. Nock] [Periodicals Archive Online link].
Natur, Mythus und Geschichte als Grundlagen babylonischer Zeitordnung nebst Untersuchungen der älteren Sternkunde und Meteorologie. Heft 2 von 2 [Babylonische Zeitordnung und ältere Himmelskunde] pp. 321-630
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. 2, pt. 2.2 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Distances entre étoiles fixes d’aprés une tablette de l’époque des Séleucides: Commentaire astronomique. Deuxième partie [Distances entre étoiles fixes, 2]
Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale [RA], vol. 11 (), nr 1 pp. 1-21 Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Ergänzungen zum I. und II. Buch ch.: 9.–14. Abhandlung: Sternkunde und Chronologie der älteren Zeit, pp. 140-243
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. [Ergänzungsband], pt. 2 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. [Ergänzungsband], pt. 1.1 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. [Ergänzungsband], pt. 1.2 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Natur, Mythus und Geschichte als Grundlagen babylonischer Zeitordnung nebst Untersuchungen der älteren Sternkunde und Meteorologie. Heft 1 von 2 [Babylonische Zeitordnung und ältere Himmelskunde] pp. 200-320
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. 2, pt. 2.1 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
[\#trigger] Criticizes the theories of the “schule Wincklers” and especially Winckler’s “Himmels- und Weltenbild der Babylonier”.
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Natur, Mythus und Geschichte als Grundlagen babylonischer Zeitordnung nebst Untersuchungen der älteren Sternkunde und Meteorologie [Babylonische Zeitordnung und ältere Himmelskunde] pp. 1-199
[]
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. 2, pt. 1 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Kulturhistorische Bedeutung der babylonischen Astronomie. [3. Vortrag von der Paderborner General-Versammlung]
Vereinsschrift der Görres-Gesellschaft zur Pflege der Wissenschaft im Katholischen Deutschland [Vereinsschrift] (), nr 3 [Fünf Vorträge von der Paderborner Generalversammlung. [Wilpert, Wasmann, Kugler, Schweitzer, Dyroff]] pp. 38-50 Köln: J. P. Bachem in Kommission
Entwicklung der babylonischen Planetenkunde von ihren Anfängen bis auf Christus. Nach zumeist ungedruckten Quellen des Britischen Museums [Babylonische Planetenkunde] pp. 1-292
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. 1 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Assyriologische, astronomische und Astralmythologische Untersuchungen, vol. [Ergänzungsband], pt. 3 Münster in Westfalen: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung
Die Babylonische Mondrechnung: Zwei Systeme der Chaldäer über den Lauf des Mondes und der Sonne. Auf Grund mehrerer von J.N. Strassmaier S.J. copirten Keilinschriften des britischen Museums; mit einem Anhang über chaldäische Planetentafeln
[no parental ref.] Freiburg im Breisgau: Herdersche Verlagshandlung
A short guide to 254 star names and their derivations
sorttitle
dictionary of modern star names, A
edition
2nd, revised edition
pagetotal
66
location
New York
publisher
Sterling Publishing Company Inc
year
2006
abstract
Most of us know Polaris or even Antares, but how many can identify, let alone pronounce Giedi, Alrescha or Procyon? Those of us who confuse Sirius with sinuses can take heart with this concise guide, first published as Short Guide to Modern Star Names and Their Derivations by Harassowitz Publishers in 1986. Kunitzsch (Arabic studies emeritus, U. of Munich) and educator Smart give the stars’ names with their Greek letters or other modern designations sorted by their parent constellations, a guide to pronunciation for English, French, Arabic and Latin, derivations, a history of star names from the ancient to the recent, a bibliography and illustrations including star charts from the eleventh, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The compact format makes it a perfect pocket guide and the authors kindly include an alphabetical index. [[c]20072005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR]
Symbolae Biblicae et Mesopotamicae Francisco Mario Theodoro de Liagre Böhl dedicatae [Fs Böhl]; ed. by Beek et al. [=NINO Studia Francisci Scholten Memoriae Dicata, nr 4] pp. 266-270 Leiden: Brill
Rannjaja istorija mesopotamskich sosvezdij (K probleme prroischozdenija sozvezdij)
alttitle
Ранняя история месопотамских созвездий (К проблеме происхождения созвездий) [The early history of Mesopotamian constellations (to the problem of constellation origin)]
Izmereniye vremeni i kalendari v Drevney Mesopotamii (shumerskiy period)
alttitle
Измерение времени и календари в Древней Месопотамии (шумерский период)
journal
Voprosy istorii yestestvoznaniya i tekhniki
altjournal
Вопросы истории естествознания и техники
shortjournal
VIYET
altshortjournal
ВИЕТ
number
4
pages
22-40
location
Moskva
year
2013
url
http://ihst.ru/content/kurtik
urldate
2014-02-20
language
russian
abstract
V stat’ye rassmotreny yedinitsy izmereniya vremeni i kalendari, prinyatyye v Drevney Mesopotamii v kontse IV – pervoy polovine II tys. do n. e. Na osnove klinopisnykh istochnikov analiziruyutsya predstavleniya, svyazannyye s opredeleniyem osnovnykh vremennykh yedinits – dnya, mesyatsa i goda – v ikh istoricheskom razvitii. Posledovatel’no rassmotreny kalendari, poluchivshiye rasprostraneniye v Mesopotamii v ukazannyy period: ranniy semitskiy, grazhdanskiy lunno-solnechnyy, administrativnyy i tak nazyvayemyy skhematicheskiy.
Vvedeniye zodiaka kak polosy sozvezdiy v mesopotamskoy astronomii
alttitle
Введение зодиака как полосы созвездий в месопотамской астрономии
journal
Voprosy istorii yestestvoznaniya i tekhniki
altjournal
Вопросы истории естествознания и техники
shortjournal
VIYET
altshortjournal
ВИЕТ
number
1
pages
23-32
location
Moskva
year
2012
url
http://ihst.ru/content/kurtik
urldate
2014-02-20
language
russian
abstract
Stat’ya posvyashchena naiboleye rannemu periodu v istorii mesopotamskogo zodiaka. Zdes’ posledovatel’no rassmotreny: 1) klinopisnyye istochniki II tys. do n. e., kasayushchiyesya istorii sozvezdiy; 2) “pis’ma” i “raporty” uchenykh assiriyskim tsaryam (VII v. do n. e.) kak istochnik po istorii predstavleniy o zodiake; 3) opredeleniye zodiaka kak polosy sozvezdiy v MUL.APIN. Net osnovaniy predpolagat’, chto zodiakal’nyye sozvezdiya igrali kakuyu-libo osobuyu rol’ v mesopotamskoy astronomii II tys. do n. e. Vmeste s tem ochevidno, chto zodiak kak polosa sozvezdiy uzhe byl izvesten v novoassiriyskiy period. Ob etom svidetel’stvuyut nablyudeniya polozheniy Luny i planet otnositel’no zodiakal’nykh sozvezdiy, proizvodivshiyesya v etot period, a takzhe tekst MUL.APIN.
Šumero-akkadskie nazvanija sozvezdij i drugich svetil
alttitle
Звездное небо древней Месопотамии [The star heaven of Ancient Mesopotamia]
altsubtitle
шумеро-аккадские названия созвездий и других светил [The Sumero-Akkadian names of constellations and other heavenly bodies]
pagetotal
744
location
Sankt-Peterburg
publisher
Aleteyya
altpublisher
Алетейя
year
2007
language
russian
abstract
Nastoyashcheye izdaniye predstavlyayet soboy issledovaniye po istorii zvezdnoy astronomii, astral’noy religii i astrologii Drevney Mesopotamii. Eto unikal’nyy katalog nazvaniy sozvezdiy i drugikh nebesnykh svetil, vstrechayushchikhsya v klinopisnykh istochnikakh II-I tys. do n. e. razlichnogo proiskhozhdeniya. Stat’i kataloga raspolozheny v alfavitnom poryadke i postroyeny po yedinoy skheme: a) nazvaniye sozvezdiya ili planety (shumerskoye i/ili akkadskoye), varianty yego chteniya, prinyatyye v sovremennoy nauchnoy literature, perevod, primernoye otozhdestvleniye; b) klinopisnyye teksty, v kotorykh vstrechayetsya dannoye nazvaniye, ikh chastichnyy ili polnyy perevod na russkiy yazyk; v) mesopotamskoye bozhestvo, svyazannoye so svetilom, yego kratkaya mifologicheskaya kharakteristika, molitvy i ritualy; g) figura sozvezdiya; d) mestopolozheniye sozvezdiya na nebesnoy sfere; ye) nazvaniya, svyazannyye s otdel’nymi chastyami sozvezdiya i ikh otozhdestvleniya; zh) rol’ sozvezdiya (planety, zvezdy) v astrologii Drevney Mesopotamii. Po kazhdomu voprosu privodyatsya ssylki na sootvetstvuyushchiye istochniki, neobkhodimyye bibliograficheskiye svedeniya, osveshchayutsya spornyye i nereshennyye voprosy. Rabota soderzhit ryad poleznykh indeksov, a takzhe illyustratsii, v tom chisle izobrazheniya figur sozvezdiy, vstrechayushchiyesya v klinopisnykh istochnikakh.
altabstract
Настоящее издание представляет собой исследование по истории звездной астрономии, астральной религии и астрологии Древней Месопотамии. Это уникальный каталог названий созвездий и других небесных светил, встречающихся в клинописных источниках II-I тыс. до н. э. различного происхождения. Статьи каталога расположены в алфавитном порядке и построены по единой схеме: а) название созвездия или планеты (шумерское и/или аккадское), варианты его чтения, принятые в современной научной литературе, перевод, примерное отождествление; б) клинописные тексты, в которых встречается данное название, их частичный или полный перевод на русский язык; в) месопотамское божество, связанное со светилом, его краткая мифологическая характеристика, молитвы и ритуалы; г) фигура созвездия; д) местоположение созвездия на небесной сфере; е) названия, связанные с отдельными частями созвездия и их отождествления; ж) роль созвездия (планеты, звезды) в астрологии Древней Месопотамии. По каждому вопросу приводятся ссылки на соответствующие источники, необходимые библиографические сведения, освещаются спорные и нерешенные вопросы. Работа содержит ряд полезных индексов, а также иллюстрации, в том числе изображения фигур созвездий, встречающиеся в клинописных источниках.
Rannjaja istorija mesopotamskich sosvezdij (K probleme prroischozdenija sozvezdij)
alttitle
Ранняя история месопотамских созвездий (К проблеме происхождения созвездий) [The early history of Mesopotamian constellations (to the problem of constellation origin)]
journal
Istoriko-Astronomicheskiye Issledovaniya
altjournal
Историко-Астрономические Исследования
journalsubtitle
Yezhegodnyy sbornik, posvyashchennyy obzoru shirokogo kruga problem istorii otechestvennoy i mirovoy astronomii
altjournalsubtitle
Ежегодный сборник, посвященный обзору широкого круга проблем истории отечественной и мировой астрономии
volume
27
pages
259-308
location
Moskva
publisher
Nauka
altpublisher
Наука
year
2002
language
russian
abstract
V nastoyashchem issledovanii sdelana popytka rassmotret’ samyye ranniye izvestnyye pis’mennyye i izobrazitel’nyye istochniki III – nachala II tys. do n. e. kak osnovu dlya rassmotreniya problemy vozniknoveniya mesopotamskikh sozvezdiy. Pri etom avtora interesuyut, prezhde vsego, dva voprosa: 1) mozhno li na osnove etikh istochnikov sdelat’ vyvod o tom, chto sozvezdiya v Mesopotamii uzhe byli vydeleny v sootvetstvuyushchiy period, i, yesli da, to 2) o kakom sozvezdii ili gruppe sozvezdiy v nikh idet rech’? Kak pravilo, vyvod okazyvayetsya otritsatel’nym ili neopredelennym, poskol’ku istochniki v bol’shinstve sluchayev dopuskayut razlichnoye, inogda protivopolozhnoye po svoyemu smyslu tolkovaniye. Neobkhodimo, odnako, podcherknut’, chto nastoyashcheye issledovaniye predstavlyayet soboy tol’ko vvedeniye v temu, kotoraya trebuyet gorazdo boleye obshirnogo i detal’nogo rassmotreniya.. (\url{http://www.aviaprom.info/rannyaya-istoriya-myesopotamskih-sozvyezdiy-k-problyemye-proishojdyeniya-sozvyezdiy/})
altabstract
[В настоящем исследовании сделана попытка рассмотреть самые ранниеизвестные письменные и изобразительные источники III – начала II тыс. до н. э. как основу для рассмотрения проблемы возникновения месопотамских созвездий. При этом автора интересуют, прежде всего, два вопроса: 1) можно ли на основе этих источников сделать вывод о том, что созвездия в Месопотамии уже были выделены в соответствующий период, и, если да, то 2) о каком созвездии или группе созвездий в них идет речь? Как правило, вывод оказывается отрицательным или неопределенным, поскольку источники в большинстве случаев допускают различное, иногда противоположное по своему смыслу толкование. Необходимо, однако, подчеркнуть, что настоящее исследование представляет собой только введение в тему, которая требует гораздо более обширного и детального рассмотрения..]
Sozvezdija drevnej Mesopotamii (II-I tys. do.n.e.)
alttitle
Созвездия древней Месопотамии (II-I тыс. до.н.э.) [Constellations of ancient Mesopotamia, 2nd-1st millennis B.C.E.]
journal
Istoriko-Astronomicheskiye Issledovaniya
altjournal
Историко-Астрономические Исследования
journalsubtitle
Yezhegodnyy sbornik, posvyashchennyy obzoru shirokogo kruga problem istorii otechestvennoy i mirovoy astronomii
altjournalsubtitle
Ежегодный сборник, посвященный обзору широкого круга проблем истории отечественной и мировой астрономии
volume
25
pages
128-154
location
Moskva
publisher
Nauka
altpublisher
Наука
year
2000
language
russian
abstract
V nachale II tys. do n. e. mesopotamskaya sistema sozvezdiy byla uzhe v osnovnykh chertakh sformirovana. Ob etom svidetel’stvuyut ranniye spiski zvezd, datiruyemyye rubezhom III-II tys. do n. e. Vo II-I tys. do n. e. nazvaniya sozvezdiy vstrechayutsya vo mnogikh klinopisnykh istochnikakh razlichnogo proiskhozhdeniya: religioznykh, literaturnykh, astrologicheskikh, astronomicheskikh, kalendarnykh i drugikh. Simvoly sozvezdiy izobrazhalis’ na pogranichnykh kamnyakh (kudurru). Shumerskiye spiski zvezd, datiruyemyye III-II tys. do n. e. i starovavilonskim periodom, soderzhat nazvaniya ne meneye 26 sozvezdiy. Dal’neyshaya sud’ba mesopotamskoy sistemy khorosho izvestna; sistema grecheskikh sozvezdiy osnovyvalas’ v znachitel’noy stepeni na mesopotamskoy traditsii: zodiakal’nyye sozvezdiya byli tselikom zaimstvovany, a vne zodiakal’nogo poyasa – chastichno sokhranili mesopotamskoye proiskhozhdeniye.. (\url{http://www.aviaprom.info/sozvyezdiya-dryevnyey-myesopotamii-tis-do-n-e/})
altabstract
[В начале II тыс. до н. э. месопотамская система созвездий была уже в основных чертах сформирована. Об этом свидетельствуют ранние списки звезд, датируемые рубежом III-II тыс. до н. э. Во II-I тыс. до н. э. названия созвездий встречаются во многих клинописных источниках различного происхождения: религиозных, литературных, астрологических, астрономических, календарных и других. Символы созвездий изображались на пограничных камнях (кудурру). Шумерские списки звезд, датируемые III-II тыс. до н. э. и старовавилонским периодом, содержат названия не менее 26 созвездий. Дальнейшая судьба месопотамской системы хорошо известна; система греческих созвездий основывалась в значительной степени на месопотамской традиции: зодиакальные созвездия были целиком заимствованы, а вне зодиакального пояса – частично сохранили месопотамское происхождение..]
Issledovaniya po istorii fiziki i mekhaniki 1995-1997 [Issledovaniya po istorii fiziki i mekhaniki ser.] pp. 60-75 Moskva: Institut istorii yestestvoznaniya i tekhniki (akadémiya naúk SSSR)
The identification of inanna with the planet venus: A criterion for the time determination of the recognition of constellations in ancient mesopotamia
Astronomical & Astrophysical Transactions: The Journal of the Eurasian Astronomical Society [AApTr], vol. 17 (), nr 6 pp. 501-513 London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
The author of the paper believes that the identification of Inanna with Venus as the morning or evening star chronologically preceded the time when the first constellations began to be recognized in Ancient Mesopotamia. If this is correct, the date of identification can be used as a reference point for the determination of the earliest probable limit for the epoch when in Mesopotamia the process of constellation recognition have been started. The earliest known images with the symbol of Inanna date from the period of archaic Uruk. They can be divided into two groups: (1) the images on seals and ceramics where there are no astral attributes; (2) the pictographic texts where the picture of a star and the signs of a sunrise or a sunset are placed alongside the symbol of Inanna. The pictographic texts, however, admit also a non-astral interpretation, if the picture of a star is a determinative of a deity. The astral nature of Inanna for the Uruk period therefore cannot be considered as finally proved. The identification of Inanna with Venus is reliably certified on seals of the Early Dynastic Period where there are at once three astral symbols – the crescent, the solar disk and the star of Inanna.
Klavdij Ptolemej Al’magest: Ili Matematiěskoe Sočinenie v Trinadcati Knigach [Ptolemy C Al’magest, ili Matematicheskoe Sochinenie v Trinadtsati Knigakh]; ed. by Veselosky pp. 429-451 Moskva: Fizmatlit
Kurtik, Gennadiy Yevseyevich and Matvievskaya, Galina Pavlovna
altauthor
Куртик, Геннадий Евсеевич and Матвиевская, Галина Павловна
sortkey
Kurtik.G:1998_Ptolemeiiego
title
Ptolemei i ego astronomicheskii trud
alttitle
[Ptolemy and his astronomical work]
editor
Veselosky, Ivan Nikolaevich
booktitle
Klavdij Ptolemej Al’magest: Ili Matematiěskoe Sočinenie v Trinadcati Knigach
altbooktitle
[Almagest or Mathematical Treatise in Thirteen Books]
altbooktitleaddon
Translated from the ancient Greek by I N Veselovsky
shortbooktitle
Ptolemy C Al’magest, ili Matematicheskoe Sochinenie v Trinadtsati Knigakh
pages
429-451
location
Moskva
publisher
Fizmatlit
year
1998
language
russian
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_src
\url{http://iopscience.iop.org/1063-7869/56/5/509} #and# \cite{gent2009almagestep} #and# \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The contribution is a new version of the paper “From Mesopotamia to Greece: to theOrigin of Semitic and Greek Star Names” once written by a Sumerologist (L.Bobrova) and etymologist (A. Militarev), and recently revised, updated and corrected in most part by a historian of the Mesopotamian astronomy (G. Kurtik). The present paper analyzes Sumerian and Akkadian (Babylonian) names of 34 celestial bodies, and their equivalents in other Semitic languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Syrian Aramaic, and Ge’ez, or ancient Ethiopian) and in Greek and Latin. Its main goal is to demonstrate the importance of Sumerian and Babylonian celestial body names as a source of corresponding terms in other cultures, up to the conventional inventory of modern astronomy, and to reveal four strategies by which other cultures drew ideas for name-giving from the treasury of Mesopotamia’s lexicon of celestial bodies. Whereas one of these strategies - echoing, or full translation, of a Sumero-Akkadian term - is axiomatic, the other three - shift of meaning or interpretation of a Sumero-Akkadian term; lexical, or material borrowing; and, especially, folk etymology, or misinterpretation - are understudied and practically unnoticed. The authors do not focus on such complicated matters as a historical background of Mesopotamian influence, direct or indirect, on Greek culture; a direction and routes of inter-borrowing between different speaking areas other than Akkadian and their contacts with the Greek world; a chronology of all kinds of cultural contacts and influences; probable connections between the early pre-Islamic Arabic and Babylonian traditions; or the problem of identification of Mesopotamian constellation and stars. However, the data presented may give a certain impulse to further investigation of these matters, while feasible etymologies and relations established between names can even throw some light upon debatable identification cases.
Speculations on Babylonian Telescopes, Planetary Distances and Sizes
journal
Sumer
journalsubtitle
A Journal of Archaeology and History in Iraq
volume
28
pages
21-28
location
Baghdad
publisher
Iraq. Directorate General of Antiquities
year
1972
url
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1305757982
urldate
2013-06-20
timestamp
2013-06-20
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp,walker1993bibliograp} and Bibliography “Cuneiform Mathematical texts” (unknown parent, pp 219-335) and \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars]
gent_note
[argues unconvincingly that Babylonian astronomers “knew” that Jupiter was the largest planet in the Solar System and therefore must have had access to primitive telescopes]
Histoire générale des sciences, vol. 1 [of 8]: La Science antique et mediévale: Des origines à 1450; ed. by Taton Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 68-73 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Le récit biblique de la construction d’une tour qui tentait de s’éléver jusqu’au ciel a depuis longtemps marqué les esprits, source d’inspiration d’écrivains et de peintres. Ce récit fait clairement référence aux tours que la civilisation assyro-babylonienne avait produites et que les Mésopotamiens appelaient ziggourats. Celles-ci ont aussi été représentées sur des sceaux-cylindres ou des bas-reliefs.
Si l’origine mésopotamienne de la constellation de la Vierge n’est aujourd’hui contestée par personne, celle du nom de cette figure, soit παρϑένος en grec ou Betūltā en araméen n’est pas élucidée. L’auteur s’efforce dans un premier temps d’établir un schéma de diffusion de la constellation de Mésopotamie vers la Grèce en passant par la Syrie, et présente dans un second temps quelques éléments permettant de comprendre comment cette constellation s’est répandue chez les peuples ouest-sémitiques.
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 26-31 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Poussés sans trêve vers un futur qu’ils estimaient incertain et terrifiant, les vieux Mésopotamiens préféraient scruter le passé plutôt que de regarder vers l’avenir et de croire en des “jours meilleurs”. Le passé était d’ailleurs perçu comme ce qui est “devant”, et le futur ce qui est “derrière”, témoignage de cette conception caractéristique du temps et de l’Histoire.
La astronomía egipcia y babilónica en relación con la astronomía bíblíca
sorttitle
astronomía egipcia y babilonica en relacion con la astronomia biblica, La
journal
Revista Biblica
journalsubtitle
Fundada 1939 por mons. Juan Straubinger
shortjournal
RevBib
volume
26
pages
1-9
year
1964
language
spanish
timestamp
2013-06-20
addendum
confer \cite{lakatos1964laastron1}
comment
“Studie der Astronomie Ägyptens und Babylons im Hinblick auf diejenige in der Bibel. Die biblische Astronomie soll (auf Grund von I Reg 4-5) durch Salomo eingeführt und von der Weisheit gepflegt worden sein.” (\cite{soggin1965reviewlaka})
bibmas_note
Journal’s website is \url{http://www.revistabiblica.org.ar}
A New Fragment from a List of Antediluvian Kings and Marduk’s Chariot
Symbolae Biblicae et Mesopotamicae Francisco Mario Theodoro de Liagre Böhl dedicatae [Fs Böhl]; ed. by Beek et al. [=NINO Studia Francisci Scholten Memoriae Dicata, nr 4] pp. 271-280 Leiden: Brill
tikip santakki mala bašmu: Festschrift für Rykle Borger zu seinem 65. Geburtstag am 24. Mai 1994 [Fs Borger]; ed. by Maul [=Cuneiform Monographs [CM], nr 10] pp. 141-157 Groningen: Styx Publications
123) The etymology and meaning of Salbatanu – C.B.F. Walker in F.R. Stephenson and C.B.F. Walker, eds., Halley’s Comet in History (London, 1985) p. 16, gave the meaning of this name of the planet Mars as “unknown”. E. Reiner in her Astral Magic in Babylonia (Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 85/4, Philadelphia, 1995) p. 7, is more emphatic: “His (Mars’) Akkadian name, Salbatanu, has no known meaning or etymology.” However, a proposal can be made. The planet Mars was the star of the god Nergal, see E. von Weiher, Der babylonische Gott Nergal (AOAT 11, Kevelaer, 1971) pp. 76ff. One of Nergal’s names was dlugal-gisasal = [be-el a]r-BE (An= Anum VI 72, see RLA VII 115-6). There is a problem about the exact form since there are writings with -sar-bi and -sar-bi, suggesting -sar-be, but the name of the goddess distar-sar-BE is proved to be -sar-bat by the variant from Ras Shamra sa-ar-be-ti (MSL XI 30 18 cf. 49 58). This detail, however, need not detain us. In a late god list, CT 25 35 rev. 20 = 36 rev. 26: dsar-bu-u = dbel-sar-BE, the adjective sarbu is used for the god, and this prepares us to take salbatanu as a variant of sarbatanu, by interchange of r and l. The ending -anu can be adjectival, as commonly in the other Semitic languages (C. Brockelmann, Grundriss I p. 392f.), though not so commonly in Akkadian, but note nabalkattanu “rebel” and nullatanu “slanderer” (W. von Soden, GAG3, 1995, p. 86). Only two explicit writings of the name have so far been quoted: mul-sa-al-ba-ta-nu in a late Old Babylonian or early Cassite omen text (RA 65, 1971, 72 62), and an unpublished Ras Shamra tablet, RS 23 38* rev. 13, cited by Nougayrol in RA 65 (1971) 82 on 16. However, the Greek lexicographer Hesychius cites Σελέβατος [the MSS give Βελέβατος, but that is corrupt: the uncial Greek B and L. having been interchanged] Ο του πυρος αστηρ Βαβυλωνιοι “Selebatos: the fiery star: the Babylonians,” which looks like a descendant of Salbatanu, and reflects the Babylonian alternative name Makru “red”, explained in a commentary as “likeness of fire” (tam-sil dGIS.BAR: see CAD makru). W. G. LAMBERT (17-12-96), Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, The University, BIRMINGHAM B15 2TT, GRANDE-BRETAGNE
keywords
/
timestamp
2014-02-20
bibmas_file
bibmas_note
not available on achemenet.com
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Stadhouders [mit Angaben zum Namen von Mars]
Babylonian Astrological Omens and Their Stars: Babylonian Planetary Omens 1-2: Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablet 63 / Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51 (1975/1981), Reiner E [Review]
[]
Journal of the American Oriental Society [JAOS], vol. 107 (), nr 1 pp. 93-96 New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society
Babylonian Planetary Omens 1-2: Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablet 63 / Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51 (1975/1981), Reiner E [Review]
sorttitle
Babylonian Planetary Omens 1-2: Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablet 63 / Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51 (1975/1981), Reiner E [Review]
journal
Journal of the American Oriental Society
shortjournal
JAOS
volume
107
number
1
pages
93-96
location
New Haven, CT
publisher
American Oriental Society
year
1987
date
1987-01/1987-03
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/602955
doi
10.2307/602955
urldate
2014-10-10
language
english
abstract
A fundamentally new edition of the remains of the Babylonian omen series about heavenly bodies and the weather has begun to appear in fascicles. A much more complete and reliable text is being offered, and serious study of the purpose and meaning is given. The first fascicle concerns Venus observations, relevant for dating the First Dynasty of Babylon, with both philological and astronomical explanation. The second deals with more recondite material derived from omens about stars. Identifications of many of these stars are proposed, based on the ancient star-lists, but a wider-based research will be necessary before the identifications can be considered as established.
Journal of Cuneiform Studies [JCS], vol. 21 () [Special Volume Honoring Professor Albrecht Goetze [Fs Goetze]] pp. 126-138 American Schools of Oriental Research
This classic work has served students of Akkadian literature as a useful sourcebook and as a model publication for the study of a specific corpus of cuneiform literature. These timeless proverbs, instructive precepts, and ancient fables demonstrate a rich heritage in the Mesopotamian development of this genre. Lambert’s focused collection also provides scholars with a unique comparative reference for those studying biblical wisdom literature. An Eisenbrauns classic reprint. In Babylonian studies “Wisdom” is used to cover a group of texts similar in scope to the Biblical Wisdom books: discussions on the problem of suffering, teaching on the good life, fables or contest literature, and proverbs. These texts are not only of considerable literary merit, but are also of great importance to all students of the ancient Near East as revealing the thought pattern of the ancient Babylonians. The cuneiform texts have been copied direct from the tablets and are accompanied by both transliteration and translation. An introductory chapter describes the cosmological background against which the works are to be set. Philological notes and a glossary complete the volume.
SU 51/10 [!], SU 195/110, VAT 11100 = KAR 326, K 9237, K 3291, BM 32694 = S 76-11-17.2463 + S 76-11-17.2478, BM 32214 = S 76-11-17.1941, SU 51/32 [!], K 2518 + DT 358, K 3972, K 8396, K 3323 + Rm 941, DT 151, Sm 1745, K 3291, VAT 10657 = KAR 108, SU 1951/15A + SU 1951/32 + SU 1951/46 + SU 1951/103A, BM 32694 = S 76-11-17.2463 + S 76-11-17.2478
Results of orbit determinations of Comet Halley are discussed, and it is suggested that a radial light offset can be eliminated by using from the observations only the position angles relative to the sun. It is shown that the Rickman and Froeschle (1982) models for the nongravitational forces on Comet Halley may be more accurate than the model of Delsemme (1982). Results are given for discrete solutions for the nongravitational forces at different parts of the orbit to improve the models through determination of quantities such as lag angle at different distances and orientation of the spin axis. It is suggested that the nongravitational forces on the comet increase by about 0.5 percent per revolution. The perihelion time in 837 AD is calculated precisely from that of earlier apparitions, and an integration of the motion of the comet for 467 BC to 2580 AD is presented.
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
Verbesserte Bahnelemente und Perihelzeiten -2316 bis 2284 für Komet Halley. Zusammenfassung der für ein breiteres Publikum relevantesten Ergebnisse von “On the Motion of Comet Halley”. ESTEC EP/14.7/6184 Final Report
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Ancient Observations and Orbital Motion of Comet 1P/Halley]
Brief des Bischofs von Esagila an König Asarhaddon
Koninklijke Nederlandse akademie van wetenschappen, verhandelingen, afd. letterkunde, nieuwe reeks [KNAW verh.], nr 28,6 Amsterdam: Noord-Hollandsche Uitg. Maatschappij
Mesopotamian Astrology and Mathematical Astronomy in Herodotus’ Histories
sorttitle
Oracle of Apollo to Croesus, The
editor
Elena Rova
booktitle
Patavina Orientalia selecta
series
History of the Ancient Near East, Monographs
shortseries
HANE/M
number
4
pages
261-278
pagetotal
xvii+290
location
Padova
publisher
Sargon editrice e libreria
year
2000
timestamp
2013-11-06
comment
The core of the question is that Croesus asked the Delphian Apollo whether he should have embarked on a military campaign against the Persians. The answer was, “If Croesus had made an expedition against the Persians, he would have destroyed a great empire.” Croesus interpreted this as a favorable oracle and attacked the Persians but was eventually defeated and taken prisoner by Cyrus. When Croesus questioned the Delphian god about this oracle that had gone wrong, the oracle replied that Croesus had not understood the oracle because he failed to ask what empire the god meant. Lanfranchi’s discussion involves the kinds of interpretation indulged in by Babylonian astrologers to decide whether a particular omen was relevant for the king or an enemy and speculation on whether Herodotus may have known of the system of interpreting Mesopotamian omens. (R. Biggs: DOI 10.1086/382562)
Archeologia e astronomia: Esperienze e prospettive future. Convegno Internazionale (Roma, 26 novembre 1994) [=Atti dei Convegni Lincei, nr 121] pp. 131-152 Roma: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
Babylonian Penitential Psalms: To which are added Fragments of the Epic of Creation from Kish in the Weld Collection of the Ashmolean Museum excavated by the Oxford-Field Museum Expedition
Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts [OECT], nr 6 Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner
To which are added Fragments of the Epic of Creation from Kish in the Weld Collection of the Ashmolean Museum excavated by the Oxford-Field Museum Expedition
series
Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts
shortseries
OECT
number
6
location
Paris
publisher
Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner
year
1927
timestamp
2014-05-05
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Prayer to the Gods of the Night] #and# \cite{gent2004fixedstars} [The Babylonian Creation Myth (Enuma elis)]
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland [JRAS], ser. newseries, vol. 57 (), nr 4 pp. 717-718 London: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert, 1: Being the Result of a Second Expedition, undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert, vol. 1 [of 2] London: John Murray
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert, 2: Being the Result of a Second Expedition, undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert, vol. 2 [of 2] London: John Murray
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert: Being the Result of a Second Expedition, undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum [2 vol.s]
Nineveh and its Remains, 1: With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians
Nineveh and its Remains, vol. 1 [of 2] (edn: 2) London: John Murray
With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians
Nineveh and its Remains, 2: With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians
Nineveh and its Remains, vol. 2 [of 2] (edn: 2) London: John Murray
With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians
Nineveh and its Remains: With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians [2 vol.s] (edn: 2)
With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or the Devil-Worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians
volumes
2
edition
2
location
London
publisher
John Murray
year
1849
related
layard1849ninevehan1,layard1849ninevehan2
relatedtype
multivolume
timestamp
2014-04-24
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004planetarym} [Babylonian “Telescopes” and the Phases of Venus and Mars]
The Historicity Question in Mesopotamian Divination
Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East [AOAT 297]; ed. by Steele et al. [=Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments [AOAT], nr 297] pp. 209-222 Münster: Ugarit-Verlag
Astronomy, Weather, and Calendars in the Ancient World: Parapegmata and Related Texts in Classical and Near-Eastern Societies
Astronomy, Weather, and Calendars in the Ancient World: Parapegmata and Related Texts in Classical and Near Eastern Societies ser. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Astronomy, Weather, and Calendars in the Ancient World: Parapegmata and Related Texts in Classical and Near-Eastern Societies
series
Astronomy, Weather, and Calendars in the Ancient World: Parapegmata and Related Texts in Classical and Near Eastern Societies
pagetotal
566
location
Cambridge
publisher
Cambridge University Press
year
2007
url
http://books.google.de/books?id=XaSlwqwe4iEC
urldate
2014-05-19
abstract
The focus of this book, first published in 2007, is the interplay between ancient astronomy, meteorology, physics and calendrics. It looks at a set of popular instruments and texts (parapegmata) used in antiquity for astronomical weather prediction and the regulation of day-to-day life. Farmers, doctors, sailors and others needed to know when the heavens were conducive to various activities, and they developed a set of fairly sophisticated tools and texts for tracking temporal, astronomical and weather cycles. Sources are presented in full, with an accompanying translation. A comprehensive analysis explores questions such as: What methodologies were used in developing the science of astrometeorology? What kinds of instruments were employed and how did these change over time? How was the material collected and passed on? How did practices and theories differ in the different cultural contexts of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome?
Parapegmata: Astrology, weather, and calendars in the Ancient World, being an examination of the interplay between the heavens and the earth in the Classical and Near-Eastern cultures of antiquity, with particular reference to the regulation of agricultural practice, and to the signs and causes of storms, tempests, &c
Astrology, weather, and calendars in the Ancient World, being an examination of the interplay between the heavens and the earth in the Classical and Near-Eastern cultures of antiquity, with particular reference to the regulation of agricultural practice, and to the signs and causes of storms, tempests, \&c
series
Canadian theses
pagetotal
474
location
Toronto
school
University of Toronto, Instituie for the History and Phifosophy of Science and Technology
I examine a set of texts and instruments, called parapegmata , which were used in the classical world for tracking cyclical phenomena such as stellar phases, weather, hebdomadal cycles, lunar cycles, and more. I argue that these texts are primarily astrological rather than astronomical or calendrical. I trace the possible connection between parapegmata and calendrical cycles in Greece, Rome, and Babylon, but I maintain a sharp distinction between calendars and parapegmata: the parapegmata were not used for chronological purposes, but rather for the regulation of various activities, most prominently agriculture. Different types of parapegmata were used by the Greeks and Romans for tracking stellar and lunar phenomena, and these distinct phenomena were used by them as signs for the timing of various activities, partly in an attempt to align their actions with sympathetic forces in the Cosmos. In order to understand how the parapegmata were used, I devote a chapter to unraveling the modes of predictive signification in the parapegmata, showing how these texts and instruments eliminated the need for astronomical observation. I show that some similar astronomical phenomena were tracked by the Babylonians and Egyptians for similar purposes, although the parallels we find in these cultures show a much closer connection to other, more diverse types of omina than the classical texts do. The work includes a descriptive catalogue of all the parapegmata known to me.
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], vol. 244 () pp. 275-280 Paris: Ernest Leroux
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
shortjournal
JA
volume
244
pages
275-280
location
Paris
publisher
Ernest Leroux
institution
Société asiatique (France)
year
1956
url
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1294649074
urldate
2013-09-24
keywords
LBAT 1597
timestamp
2013-09-24
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004astrologyo} [Astrology in General]
Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens; ed. by Galter [=Grazer Morgenländische Studien, nr 3] pp. 21-29 Graz: RM Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft
Catalogue of the Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum
volume
1
number
6
pagetotal
352
location
London
publisher
Trustees of the British Museum
year
1986
abstract
Sixth in the series publishing the whole collection of Babylonian and Sumerian cuneiform tablets in the British Museum. In this volume over 10,000 Babylonian tablets acquired by the Museum in 1882 are described. The majority come from the archives of the Shamash temple at Sippar, and are dated to the Neo-Babylonian dynasties (625-331 BC).
From the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea: Studies on the History of Assyria and Babylonia in Honour of A. K. Grayson [Fs Grayson]; ed. by Frame [=Publication de l’Institut historique-archéologique néederlandais de Stamboul [PIHANS], nr 101] pp. 203-212 Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten (NINO) and Peeters
Die Sternbilder auf dem rechteckigen und runden Tierkreis von Dendara
sorttitle
Sternbilder auf dem rechteckigen und runden Tierkreis von Dendara
journal
Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur
volume
34
pages
285-318
publisher
Helmut Buske Verlag GmbH
year
2006
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25157759
urldate
2017-06-23
abstract
Der Aufsatz behandelt sämtliche Sternbilder der beiden Tierkreise von Dendara und beschäftigt sich eingehend mit der Frage, welchem Kulturkreis diese Sternbilder entspringen. Es ergeben sich vier verschiedene Gruppen: I. Altägyptische Sternbilder (7); II. eindeutig griechische Sternbilder und Sterne (10 und 12 Tierkreiszeichen); III. Sternbilder, die auch bei Teukros und im (lateinischen) Liber Hermetis vorkommen (7); IV. Sternbilder, deren Zuordnung/Herkunft unklar bleibt (6). Als wahrscheinlichste Vorlage für diesen Befund ergibt sich ein griechisch astrologischer Text.
Records of the Past: Being English Translations of the Ancient Monuments of Egypt and Western Asia, vol. 11 [of 18]: Records of the Past, old series, volume 11: Being English Translations of the Ancient Monuments of Egypt and Western Asia; ed. by Birch et al. pp. 119-128 London: Samuel Bagster & Sons Ltd.
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne: Suite et fin
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 7 (), nr 13 pp. 5-98 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne
subtitle
Suite et fin
journal
Journal asiatique
journalsubtitle
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne: Post-scriptum
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 7 (), nr 14 pp. 264-267 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne
subtitle
Post-scriptum
journal
Journal asiatique
journalsubtitle
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne
Journal asiatique: ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux [JA], ser. 7 (), nr 12 pp. 378-434 Paris: Ernest Leroux
Hymne au soleil, à texte primitif accadien, avec version assyrienne
journal
Journal asiatique
journalsubtitle
ou recueil de mémoires, d’extraits et de notices relatifs à l’histoire, à la philosophie, aux sciences, à la littérature et aux langues des peuples orientaux
\cite{gent2004mesopotami} [Mesopotamian Astronomy \& Astrology (Shorter Studies)] [[\#ERR] van Gent tells journaltitle “Asiatic Researches or Transactions of the Society, instituted in Bengal for inquiring into the History and Antiquities, the Arts, Sciences, and Literature of Asia”, but Asiat.Res. vol 9 is from 1809 and does not include this article, compare \url{http://elibron.com/cgi-bin/pview_pdf.php?fpt=L3UwOC91c3IvdXBsb2FkL2NvbnRlbnQwMDMvMTAwMjg5ODQvMTAwMjg5ODQ=}.]
XVII. Deutscher Orientalistentag vom 21. bis 27. Juli 1968 in Würzburg: Vorträge; ed. by Voigt; pt. 3 [=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, Supplementa [ZDMG Supplementa], nr 1] pp. 957-983 Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag
Vorläufige Berichte über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka [UVB], vol. 18: XVIII. Vorläufiger Bericht über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka (Winter 1959/1960) [UVB 18]; ed. by Lenzen et al. [=Abhandlungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft, nr 7] pp. 16-17; pl.33 Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag
XVIII. Vorläufiger Bericht über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka (Winter 1959/1960)
shortbooktitle
UVB 18
maintitle
Vorläufige Berichte über die von dem Deutschen Archäologischen Institut und der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft aus Mitteln der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft unternommenen Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka
Notizen über Kometenerscheinungen in früheren Jahrhunderten
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 89 (), iss. 5 pp. 767-801 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Notizen über Kometenerscheinungen in früheren Jahrhunderten
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
89
issue
5
pages
767-801
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond covers planetary research from the time of the Babylonians and Ancient Greeks through those of Kepler, Galileo and Newton to the modern era of space exploration. It outlines the key observational discoveries and theoretical developments in their historical context, covering not only the numerous successes but also the main failures. Planetary astronomy has come a long way since the Babylonians used their extensive numerical skills to predict the positions of the moon and planets. That progress is the story of this book, ending, as it does, with the considerable discoveries of the space age, and the discoveries of planets around other stars. This account will appeal to both amateur and professional astronomers, as well as those with an interest in the history of science. – Covers planetary research from ancient times up until more recent years - A scholarly account of progress in understanding our solar system and its constituent bodies – Includes extensive footnotes and glossary
Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger on His Seventy-fifth Birthday, April 21, 1963 [Fs Landsberger (AS 16)]; ed. by Güterbock et al. [=Assyriological Studies [AS], nr 16] pp. 273-282 Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Canonical and Official Cuneiform Texts: Towards an Understanding of Assurbanipal’s Personal Tablet Collection
Lingering over words: Studies in Ancient near Eastern Literature in Honor of William Moran [Fs Moran]; ed. by Abusch et al. [=Harvard Semitic Studies [HSS], nr 37] pp. 305-336 Atlanta: Scholars Press
L’organisation de quelques fêtes mensuelles à l’époque néo-sumérienne
Actes de la XVIIe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Universit Libre de Bruxelles, 30 juin-4 juillet 1969 [RAI 17 Proceedings]; ed. by Finet [=Publications du Comité Belge de Recherches Historiques, Epigraphiques et Archeologiques en Mesopotamie, nr 1] pp. 59-74 Ham-sur-Heure: Comité Belge de Recherches en Mesopotamie
Sinn und Herkunft der Planetennamen (1976), Eilers W [Review]
Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire [RBPH], vol. 57 (), nr 2 pp. 457-458 Bruxelles: Société pour le progrès des études philologiques et historiques
61. — Astronomie orientale. — Sur ce sujet, B. L. van der Waerden nous a donné un livie qui paraît remarquable : Anfänge der Astronomie, Erwachende Wissenschaft II (Noordhoff, Groningen, s.d.). On lui saura gré d’avoir communiqué au public cultivé les résultats qu’ont obtenu les chercheurs dans un domaine très important, mais d’accès difficile. Les documents cunéiformes qui touchent à ces questions sont horriblement compliqués. En outre, l’astronomie “chaldéenne” était fondée sur l’arithmétique, à la différence de l’astronomie grecque plutôt géométrique. Aussi les données fournies par les savants mésopotamiens ne livrent-elles leurs secrets qu’à de bons mathématiciens. C’est dire que le lecteur profane ne se sent pas très à l’aise devant de nombreuses pages de ce livre; néanmoins de larges parties de l’exposé restent claiies, se lisent même agréablement et, surtout, avec le plus grand profit. L’ouvrage est presque entièrement réservé à l’astronomie babylonienne pour deux raisons. D’abord elle est mieux connue: attestée avec certitude dès l’époque de la 1re dynastie de Babylone, elle était bien représentée aussi dans la fameuse bibliothèque d’Assuibanipal; elle a atteint un développement remarquable sous les Séleucides ; à ce moment, des observations et des calculs relatifs à la lune et aux planètes furent consignés sur les tablettes. D’autre part, B. van der Waerden explique que, dès ses débuts, elle contenait les éléments d’une évolution et d’un progrès, tandis que l’astronomie égyptienne, peut-être plus ancienne, est arrivée très tôt à un palier qu’elle n’a pas pu dépasser. Il n’est pas possible de détailler ici les aperçus fort intéressants que l’on trouve dans cet ouvrage. Qu’il suffise de signaler le chapitre consacré à l’influence de l’astronomie babylonienne sur celles des autres peuples anciens, et en particulier sur l’astronomie grecque, qui ont bénéficié, grâce à elle, d’une base solide, constituée par des données rigoureuses et abondantes. — H. Limet.
Uruk: Siegelabdrücke auf hellenistischen Tonbullen und Tontafeln
shorttitle
AUWE 20
series
Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka, Endberichte
shortseries
AUWE
number
20
pagetotal
XXI+234
location
Mainz
publisher
Philipp von Zabern
institution
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Berlin, Außenstelle Bagdad der Orient-Abteilung
year
2003
abstract
Die vorliegende Arbeit dient im Rahmen der von Prof. Dr. Rainer Michael Boehmer betriebenen Aufarbeitung der Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka als Endpublikation. Eine detaillierte Analyse der Baubefunde im ersten Teil der Arbeit sowie ihr Ergebnis, die Grundrißrekonstruktion, sind Grundlage des zweiten Teils, in dem eine baugeschichtliche Analyse der hier vorliegenden, zeittypischen Form eines babylonischen Heiligtums unternommen wird. Fragen nach den planerischen Grundlagen und ihrer konstruktionstechnischen Umsetzung wird am Beispiel des Eanna-Heiligtums in Uruk sowie im Vergleich mit anderen, zeitgleichen Heiligtümern nachgegangen und versucht, ein übergeordnetes Konzept bzw. die Bauidee dieser Heiligtümer zu erfassen.
The Temple Ritual Texts as Evidence for Hellenistic Cult Practices
sorttitle
Cults of Uruk and Babylon, The
series
Cuneiform Monographs
shortseries
CM
number
25
pagetotal
xvi+343
location
Leiden and Boston
publisher
Brill-Styx
year
2004
url
http://books.google.de/books?id=71uJKgz7C58C
urldate
2014-05-19
abstract
This volume deals with temple ritual texts from ancient Mesopotamia, in particular from the cities Uruk and Babylon. Key question is whether they are a reliable source of information on the cult practices in Uruk and Babylon during the Hellenistic period. In the book an extensive description is presented of the festivals, rituals, ceremonies and offerings in Hellenistic Mesopotamia. The appendix consists of a selection of the most important temple ritual texts, which are presented in transliteration, translation and with philological comments. Four plates with so far unpublished text fragments are also included. The evidence clearly shows how important the public cults were in Hellenistic times, at least until the first century B.C., and how active the Mesopotamians were in matters of religion and cult during this period.
timestamp
2014-05-19
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual]
Ancient Magic and Divination, vol. 1: Mesopotamian Magic: Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives; ed. by Abusch et al. pp. 131-137 Groningen: Styx Publications
Englund, Robert K. and May, Rudolph and Heimpel, Wolfgang and Molina, Manuel and Pomponio, Franco and Sallaberger, Walther and Stol, Marten and van Lerberghe, Karel and Westenholz, Aage
series
Cornell University Studies in Assyriology and Sumerology
Analysis of the introduction of the horse into the ancient Near East on the basis of scientific, archaeological, artistic, and documentary evidence. Hemerologies from ancient Mesopotamia, including lucky days, Babylonian almanac, and eclipse, prostration, bread, moon, and 7th month hemerologies.
Babylonian Mathematics in the Context of Babylonian Thought
Intellectual Life in the Ancient Near East: Papers Presented at the 43rd Rencontre assyriologique internationale [RAI 43 Proc.]; ed. by Prosecký [=Proceedings of the Rencontres Assyriologiques Internationales [RAI Proc.], nr 43] pp. 215-219 Praha: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic/Oriental Institute
Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works of Assyrian and Babylonian Scholars
edition
1
location
Oxford
publisher
Clarendon Press
year
1986
abstract
The cuneiform literature of ancient Mesopotamia is vast, ranging from economic texts, other sorts of record-keeping documents, and letters through texts that modern readers consider literary, including one category that is often considered esoteric. The latter works appear to be attempts on the part of the ancient scribe-scholars to explain parts of their own culture, to elucidate their own traditions. In the mid-1980s, Alasdair Livingstone studied these texts and then published the collection he had gathered. These texts demonstrate that the Assyrian and Babylonian scholars responsible for their creation had their own distinctive ideas about the function of myth and ritual.
Philosophical Perspectives on Greek and Chinese Science and Culture
pagetotal
222
publisher
Oxford University Press
year
2004
url
https://books.google.de/books?id=mi45IxwNt0kC
urldate
2017-06-07
abstract
Geoffrey Lloyd engages in a wide-ranging exploration of what we can learn from the study of ancient civilisations that is relevant to fundamental problems, both intellectual and moral, that we still face today. How far is it possible to arrive at an understanding of alien systems of belief? Is it possible to talk meaningfully of “science” and of its various constituent disciplines, “astronomy”, “geography”, “anatomy”, and so on, in the ancient world? Are logic and its laws universal? Is there one ontology – a single world - to which all attempts at understanding must be considered to be directed? When we encounter apparently very different views of reality, how far can that be put down to a difference in conceptions of what needs explaining, or of what counts as an explanation, or to different preferred modes of reasoning or styles of inquiry? Do the notions of truth and belief represent reliable cross-cultural universals? In another area, what can ancient historyteach us about today’s social and political problems? Are the discourses of human nature and of human rights universally applicable? What political institutions do we need to help secure equity and justice within nation states and between them? Lloyd sets out to answer all these questions, and to convince us that the science and culture of ancient Greece and China provide precious resources to advance modern debates.
timestamp
2015-01-23
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual] (indirectly)
A version of this later given, on invitation by Liu Dun, as Zhu Kezhen Lecture in the Institute for the History of Natural Science in Beijing at September 2001
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astrologyo} [The Substitute King Ritual]
The tablet and the scroll: Near Eastern Studies in Honor of William W. Hallo [Fs Hallo]; ed. by Cohen et al. pp. 146-151 Bethesda, MD: Capital Decisions Limited Press
A Scheme of Babylonian Chronology from the Flood to the Fall of Ninevah: With Notes thereon, including Notes on Egyptian and Biblical Chronology [A Scheme of Babylonian Chronology]
The object of this article is to point out, analyzing chiefly the administrative tablets from Lagash, some characteristics of agricultural production in ancient Sumer and to explain how closely these characteristics were related to the collective labor-system. This paper consists of three parts. In the first chapter, I illustrated the productivity of the fields in Lagash. 6 gur-sag-gál 49 sìla per bùr (2179.1l per ha) and 76.1-fold of sowing amount, the figures which I gained from RTC71 and DP574 written in the same year, can be regarded as the average land and seed-productivity of barley in Lagash at the end of the Early Dynastic Period. But fertility declined greatly by the time of the Third Dynasty of Ur. My estimate of 30 gur-lugal per bùr (1193.2l per ha) was obtained from RTC407 in which were written the total area of directly-controled fields of barley in Lagash at that time, the amount of barley expected to be yielded from this area and lastly the amount actually yielded. As 1.5 gur-lugal of barley was sowed per bùr, seed-productivity was 20-fold. Th. Jacobsen and R. M. Adams think salinization of soil to be the cause of decline in fertility. But what brought about salinization still remains unsolved. At any rate, 20-fold at the period of the Third Dynasty of Ur is still higher than the figures reported about Italy in the Roman period. And 76.1-fold at the end of the Early Dynastic Period shows clearly the extraordinary fertility of Sumer. This was possible, of course, only by the elaborate irrigation-system. In the second and third chapter, I discussed the character of irrigating-works in Sumer. To begin with, I dealed with the so-called “Farmers’ Almanac” in which were described various advices for a good harvest given by a farmer to his son. The farmer gives his son many, sometimes too trifle, advices about the agricultural activities at the time of preparing land, sowing and harvesting. To irrigate three or four times according to the growth of barley is, however, the only one instruction by him about the period between sowing and harvesting. That is to say, a good harvest could be expected in ordinary years only by doing such works during the interval period. Naturally it was chiefly between sowing and harvesting that people were engaged in the collective irrigating-labor. In fact, we know from CT III 18343, a large Lagash-tablet of the Third Dynasty of Ur, that erìn-people worked exclusively at the ditches of various fields and canals from the seventh month to the twelfth, roughly between sowing and harvesting. A further study must be made about the interrelations between agricultural production and collective labor-organization, because “the pattern of despotism in Sumer” will be defined by these two fundamental factors of sumerian society.
Ad Radices: Festband zum 50jährigen Bestehen des Instituts für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften der J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main; ed. by von Gotstedter (edn: 1) pp. 125-142 Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag
Astronomy in the East and West: 3 examples: parallax, precession, geometry
Dall’Europa alla Cina: contributi per una storia dell’astronomia; ed. by Iannaccone et al. pp. 129-139 Napoli: Università degli studi “Federico II”, Istituto universitario orientale
Selected Papers on its Cultural and Scientific History
series
COLLECTANEA
number
44
pagetotal
xi+561
year
2003
timestamp
2013-06-21
comment
“Yasukatsu Mayeama hat den Versuch unternommen, die historische Entwicklung der Astronomie in der allgemeinen Sprache der fundamentalen Prinzipien der Astronomie zu klären. In dem Band sind 25 ausgewählte Arbeiten zusammengestellt worden, die zwischen 1974 und 2000 erschienen sind. Den besonderen Schwerpunkt bilden zwei grundlegende Elemente der Astronomie – Zeitmessung und Beobachtung der Position von Himmelskörpern - unabhängig von Epochen und Kulturkreisen. The volume consists of 25 selected papers previously published in periodicals, conference proceedings, festschrifts, books, etc. between 1974 and 2000. The studies treat specific quantitative problems of positional astronomy from China to Babylonia and from Greece to Central Europe during a period of over 3000 years. The author’s efforts to clarify the historical developments of astronomy, at different times and in diverse cultural milieus, are rendered intelligible in terms of the fundamental principles of astronomy.” \url{http://www.olms.de/artikel_12319.ahtml}
Ancient Stellar Observations: Timocharis, Aristyllus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy -; the Dates and Accuracies
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 27 (), nr 3 pp. 280-310 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
Timocharis, Aristyllus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy -; the Dates and Accuracies
journal
Centaurus
journalsubtitle
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
27
number
3
pages
280-310
location
København
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
year
1984
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1984.tb00782.x
urldate
2014-10-10
abstract
By means of the method of least mean square error the epochs and accuracies of the stellar observations made by Timocharis, Aristyllus, Hipparchus and Ptolemy are deduced. The results obtained are new and seem to contribute to clarifying the development of positional astronomy in antiquity.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete: Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft [ZA], vol. 1 () [Jahresband 1886] pp. 447-449 Strasbourg, Alsace: Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete
journalsubtitle
Fachzeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
shortjournal
ZA
volume
1
issuetitle
Jahresband 1886
pages
447-449
location
Strasbourg, Alsace
publisher
Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
institution
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften and Josefine-und-Eduard-von-Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst
Hilprecht Anniversary Volume: Studies in Assyriology and Archaeology, Dedicated to Hermann v. Hilprecht upon the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of His Doctorate and His Fiftieth Birthday (July 28) by His Colleagues, Friends and Admirers. With 85 Pictures and 76 Text-Illustrations; ed. by Cook et al. pp. 1-13 Leipzig and London and Paris and Chicago: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung and Luzac & Co. and Librairie Paul Geuthner and The Open Court Publishing Co.
Cook, Richard and de Calry, V. M. and Carus, Paul and Coxe, Eckley B. Junior, and Bey, Hamdy and McClellan, George and Milani, Luigi A. and Ramsay, Wm. M. and Smith, David Eugene and zu Ysenburg und Büdingen, Friedrich Wilhelm
editortype
collaborator
booktitle
Hilprecht Anniversary Volume
booksubtitle
Studies in Assyriology and Archaeology, Dedicated to Hermann v. Hilprecht upon the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of His Doctorate and His Fiftieth Birthday (July 28) by His Colleagues, Friends and Admirers
booktitleaddon
With 85 Pictures and 76 Text-Illustrations
pages
1-13
location
Leipzig and London and Paris and Chicago
publisher
Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung and Luzac \& Co. and Librairie Paul Geuthner and The Open Court Publishing Co.
Astronomische Untersuchungen über in hebräischen Schriften erwähnte Finsternisse, I. Theil: Die biblischen Finsternisse
[]
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung IIa (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 92 (), iss. 3 pp. 939-966 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über in hebräischen Schriften erwähnte Finsternisse, I. Theil
subtitle
Die biblischen Finsternisse
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung IIa (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
92
issue
3
pages
939-966
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über in hebräischen Schriften erwähnte Finsternisse, II. Theil: Die prophetischen Finsternisse
[]
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung IIa (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 92 (), iss. 4 pp. 1102-1121 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchungen über in hebräischen Schriften erwähnte Finsternisse, II. Theil
subtitle
Die prophetischen Finsternisse
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung IIa (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
92
issue
4
pages
1102-1121
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Zur Chronologie der Babylonier: Vergleichungstabellen der babylonischen und christlichen Zeitrechnung von Nabonassar (747 v.Ch.) bis 100 v.Ch.
Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien [DÖAW math.naturw. Kl.] (), nr 62 pp. 641-664 Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Commission bei C. Gerold’s Sohn
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa], vol. 101 () pp. 337-353 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa
volume
101
pages
337-353
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung IIa [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. IIa], vol. 101 () pp. 1685-1693 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 95 (), nr 2 pp. 299-306 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
95
number
2
pages
299-306
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchung über die in der Bibel erwähnte ägyptische Finsterniss
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie) [SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II], vol. 91 () pp. 987-1001 Vienna: Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
Astronomische Untersuchung über die in der Bibel erwähnte ägyptische Finsterniss
journal
Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, Abtheilung II (Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Mechanik, Meteorologie und Astronomie)
shortjournal
SÖAW math.naturw. Kl. II
volume
91
pages
987-1001
location
Vienna
publisher
Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, in Commission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Eclipses in Biblical (Old Testament) Sources]
gent_note
interprets the 9th plague inflicted by the god of the Hebrews on the Egyptians (Exodus 10:21-23) as a solar eclipse which he dates to 13 March 1335 BC.
Babylonian Algebra: Form vs. Content: Vorlesungen über Geschichte der antiken mathematischen Wissenschaften, Band I: Vorgriechische Mathematik. Second, unrevised printing, Springer-Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 1969 (First published, 1934)
[]
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science [Stud. Hist. Phil. Sci.], ser. Part A, vol. 1 (), nr 4 pp. 369-380
Vorlesungen über Geschichte der antiken mathematischen Wissenschaften, Band I: Vorgriechische Mathematik. Second, unrevised printing, Springer-Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 1969 (First published, 1934)
sorttitle
Vorgriechische Mathematik (1969), Neugebauer O [Review]
Positions stellaires et éclipses au service de l’histoire
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 32-35 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Positions stellaires et éclipses au service de l’histoire
editor
Charpin, Dominique and Durand, Jean-Marie
journal
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie
volume
191
issuetitle
Astrologie en Mésopotamie
issuesubtitle
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
L’Astronomie, science de la position des astres et de la détermination du temps, est l’un des nombreux acteurs au service de l’Histoire. Elle ne fait que contribuer à la compréhension de celli-ci, notamment dans le domaine de la chronologie. Sans le travail de l’épigraphiste, du philologue, de l’historien, elle ne pourrait s’y investir.
Les constellations du ciel mésopotamien au 13e siècle avant J.-C.
sorttitle
constellations du ciel mésopotamien au 13e siecle avant J.-C., Les
location
Paris
howpublished
unpublished dissertation
year
1997
timestamp
2014-02-20
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}
walker_note
[see NABU 1997 p 77 (\url{http://sepoa.fr/wp/go.php?http://sepoa.fr/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1997-2.pdf}): “Le Samedi 7 Juin 1997, B. MANEVEAU a soutenu à la IVe Section de l’Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris) devant un jury composé de MM. J.-M. DURAND (EPHE IVe Section, Rapporteur), H. HUNGER (Université de Vienne), F. JOANNèS (Université Paris 8), et M. VERDET (Observatoire de Paris, Président), une thèse intitulée “Les constellations du ciel babylonien”.”]
À propos de “ana me-e-a” – À basse époque, “ana me-e-a” est abondamment attesté dans les textes astronomiques, et se traduit par “opposition” s’il affecte les planètes supérieures, par “lever crépusculaire” s’il s’agit de Sirius. Dans la tablette AO 17630, copiée par J. Nougayrol et publiée dans la RA 73 (p. 78), on notera dans le deuxième § de la face une suite de relevés que voici (la face concerne Jupiter et Vénus, le revers, Mercure): 4: mu 42 kam μár-tak-ßat-su lugal ßu 3 múl babbar us 5: kin 5 ana me-e-a apin 8 ina kun uß 6: se ina 21 ina sag.ki hun.gá ana me-e-a 42e année d’Artaxerxès, roi; le 3 tammuz (IV), Jupiter était stationnaire; le 5 ulûlu (VI): en opposition; le 8 arahsamnu (VIII), il était stationnaire dans l’ouest Poissons; autour du 21 addar (XII), dans le front du Bélier: en conjonction. Il y a ci-dessus la trilogie habituelle: 1er point stationnaire-opposition - 2e point stationnaire – à laquelle s’ajoute un second “me-e-a”; les calculs indiquent ici la “conjonction”. Pour le moment, je ne connais pas d’autres attestations de “me-e-a = conjonction”. B. Maneveau (29-04-94) Fac. Mirande B.P. 138 21004 Dijon Cedex 04
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 16-17 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Following a summary of the situation involving the suggested identification of Comet Swift-Tuttle with an object observed in 1737 and the prediction that the comet might return in 1992, a rediscussion is made of the orbital linkage of the observations in 1862 and 1992. In addition to the problem of the Cape observations in October 1862, it is suggested that systematic effects remain in the residuals of prerecovery observations in January 1992 and in the observations in July 1862. Investigation of the comet’s motion prior to 1737 makes it very probable that the comet was seen in + 188 and -68 and that it passed no closer than 0.66 \{AU\} from the Earth between + 188 and 1737. Extrapolation to the future suggests that there will be no danger that the Earth will collide with P/Swift-Tuttle during the next millennium, although the persistent small distance between the orbits of the two objects makes it necessary to consider P/Swift-Tuttle as a possible eventual threat. Rereduction of the Cape observations confirms the systematic residuals discussed previously.
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Possible Early Returns of other Periodic Comets]
International Astronomical Union Circular [IAUC] (), nr 5670 Cambridge: International Astronomical Union, Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Marsden, Brian G. and Yeomans, Donald K. and Haver, R. and Boattini, A. and Tombelli, M. and Forti, G. and Kohoutek, L. and Waddington, W.G. and Kronk, Gary W.
sortkey
Marsden.B:1992_PeriodicCometSwift
title
Periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle (1992t)
journal
International Astronomical Union Circular
shortjournal
IAUC
number
5670
location
Cambridge
publisher
International Astronomical Union, Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
IAUC 5670: 1992t This International Astronomical Union Circular may be linked-to from your own Web pages, but must not otherwise be redistributed. Available at Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
timestamp
2015-04-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004cometsmete} [Possible Early Returns of other Periodic Comets] [[\#ERR] faulty url]
Mémoire sur cette question: La précession des équinoxes a-t-elle été connue des Égyptiens ou de quelque autre peuple avant Hipparque?
Mémoires présentés par divers savants à l’Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres [MAIBL], ser. 1, vol. 8 (), nr 1 pp. 303-523 Paris: Imprimerie Nationale
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004zigguratsa} [Astronomical Orientation and Function of Mesopotamian Temples] #and# \url{http://katalog.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/cgi-bin/titel.cgi?katkey=1766498}
Manche Phantasien über frühgeschichtlichen Besuch unserer Erde aus fernen Welten finden gläubige Leser. Hier nimmt ein Berliner Altertumswissenschaftler ein konkretes Beispiel beim Wort und unterzieht es kritsich eier fachgerechten Untersuchung (Autorenreferat).
Sonnenfinsternisse in Assyrien: Eine Bedrohung der Weltordnung
»Stürmend auf finsterem Pfad ... «: Ein Symposion zur Sonnenfinsternis in der Antike; ed. by Köhler et al. [=Heidelberger Forschungen, nr 33] pp. 1-12 Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag
How the Babylonians Protected Themselves against Calamities Announced by Omens
Ancient Magic and Divination, vol. 1: Mesopotamian Magic: Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives; ed. by Abusch et al. Groningen: Styx Publications
Wisdom, Gods and Literature: Studies in Assyriology in Honour of W.G. Lambert [Fs Lambert]; ed. by George et al. pp. 389-420 Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns
Reports on Field Work Carried out at Mohenjo-Daro Pakistan 1982-1983
volume
1
pages
159-170
location
Aachen and Roma
institution
German Research Project Mohenjo-daro, Aachen and IsMEO (Istituto Italiano Per Il Medio Ed Estremo Oriente), Roma
year
1984
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA; e-mail: jjmchugh72164@comcast.net
title
How Cuneiform Puns Inspired Some of the Bizarre Greek Constellations and Asterisms
journal
Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies
volume
4
number
2
pages
69-100
year
2016
url
http://aaatec.org/art/a_jmh1
urldate
2017-06-07
abstract
Many of the Greek constellations catalogued in Claudius Ptolemy‟s mid-second century Almagest originated in Mesopotamia. Yet numerous other Greek constellations and asterisms do not correspond to Mesopotamian prototypes, and simultaneously display bizarre or incongruous features. This is especially apparent in Pegasus, a winged Horse severed at the navel; Crater, the “Wine-Bowl” stationed upon the back of Hydra, the “Water-Snake”; Cancer, a “Crab” that carries a “Manger” and “Donkeys” upon its shell; and Argo, the “Swift” Ship that sails backwards through the night sky without a prow. Because the aforementioned star-figures cannot be traced to Mesopotamian originals most historians of astronomy have assumed they are either indigenous Greek inventions or the creations of seafaring civilization that had direct contact with Greece. This article presents seminal research that offers a more elegant possibility, namely, that the origin of the aforementioned constellations and asterisms was indeed Mesopotamia, and can be traced to arcane precepts that informed the astronomers of that land. Cuneiform texts confirm that Mesopotamian astronomers were literally “writers” who envisioned the starry sky as “heavenly writing” that divulged inviolable truth through the medium of wordplay. In Mesopotamia the Pegasus Square was known as the “Field,” and puns encrypted in its cuneiform spellings divulged that the Field be “changed into” a “flying horse severed at the navel”; wordplay in Hydra’s cuneiform title disclosed that a “wine-bowl” be “placed upon the back of the “water-snake”; double entendre in Cancer’s cuneiform appellative imparted that a “manger” and “two donkeys” be “placed between the shoulders of the crab”; and punning in the Mesopotamian prototype for Argo divulged that these stars were a “divine ship named ’Swift’” which had its “prow cut off” and sailed “backward” through the southern sky. Circumstantial evidence implies that the Mesopotamian perception of the stars as a divine “text” that divulged enlightenment via puns had been transmitted directly to the Hellenic world at the inception of Greek alphabetic writing in the mid-eighth century BC. And it was this Mesopotamian celestial wisdom that inspired Greek astronomer-poets to reconfigure the preceding star-figures into the irrational images described by the puns.
Table of Contents Some Symbols and Abbreviations 5 1. Hints and Tips 7 2. About Accuracy 15 3. Interpolation 23 4. Curve Fitting 35 5. Iteration 47 6. Sorting Numbers 55 7. Julian Day 59 8. Date of Easter 67 9. Jewish and Moslem Calendars 71 10. Dynamical Time and Universal Time 77 11. The Earth’s Globe 81 12. Sidereal Time at Greenwich 87 13. Transformation of Coordinates 91 14. The Parallactic Angle 97 15. Rising, Transit and Setting 101 16. Atmospheric Refraction 105 17. Angular Separation 109 18. Planetary Conjunctions 117 19. Bodies in a Straight Line 121 20. Smallest Circle Containing Three Celestial Bodies 127 21. Precession 131 22. Nutation and the Obliquity of the Ecliptic 143 23. Apparent Place of a Star 149 24. Reduction of Ecliptical Elements from One Equinox to Another One 159 25. Solar Coordinates 163 26. Rectangular Coordinates of the Sun 171 27. Equinoxes and Solstices 177 28. Equation of Time 183 29. Ephemeris for Physical Observations of the Sun 189 30. Equation of Kepler 193 31. Elements of the Planetary Orbits 197 32. Positions of the Planets 217 33. Elliptic Motion 223 34. Parabolic Motion 241 35. Near-Parabolic Motion 245 36. The Calculation of some Planetary Phenomena 249 37. Pluto 263 38. Planets in Perihelion and Aphelion 269 39. Passages through the Nodes 275 40. Correction for Parallax 279 41. Illuminated Fraction of the Disk and Magnitude of a Planet 283 42. Ephemeris for Physical Observations of Mars 287 43. Ephemeris for Physical Observations of Jupiter 293 44. Positions of the Satellites of Jupiter 301 45. The Ring of Saturn 317 46. Positions of the Satellites of Saturn 323 47. Position of the Moon 337 48. Illuminated Fraction of the Moon’s Disk 345 49. Phases of the Moon 349 50. Perigee and Apogee of the Moon 355 51. Passages of the Moon through the Nodes 363 52. Maximum Declinations of the Moon 367 53. Ephemeris for Physical Observations of the Moon 371 54. Eclipses 379 55. Semidiameters of the Sun, Moon and Planets 389 56. Stellar Magnitudes 393 57. Binary Stars 397 58. Calculation of a Planar Sundial 401 Appendix I Constants 407 Appendix II Some Astronomical Terms 409 Appendix III Planets: Periodic Terms 413 Appendix IV Coefficients for the Heliocentric Coordinates of Jupiter to Neptune, 1998-2025 455 Index
abstract
In the field of celestial calculations, Jean Meeus has enjoyed wide acclaim and respect since long before microcomputers and pocket calculators appeared on the market. When he brought out his Astronomical Formulae for Calculators in 1979, it was practically the only book of its genre. It quickly became the “source among sources,” even for other writers in the field. Many of them have warmly acknowledged their debt (or should have), citing the unparalleled clarity of his instructions and the rigor of his methods. And now this Belgian astronomer has outdone himself yet again with Astronomical Algorithms! Virtually every previous handbook on celestial calculations (including his own earlier work) was forced to rely on formulae for the Sun, Moon, and planets that were developed in the last century — or at least before 1920. The past 10 years, however, have seen a stunning revolution in how the world’s major observatories produce their almanacs. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., have perfected powerful new machine methods for modeling the motions and interactions of bodies within the solar system. At the same time in Paris, the Bureau des Longitudes has been a beehive of activity aimed at describing these motions analytically, in the form of explicit equations. Yet until now the fruits of this exciting work have remained mostly out of reach of ordinary people. The details have existed mainly on reels of magnetic tape in a form comprehensible only to the largest brains, human or electronic. But Astronomical Algorithms changes all that. With his special knack for computations of all sorts, the author has made the essentials of these modern techniques available to us all. The second edition contains new chapters about the Jewish and Moslem Calendars, and on the satellites of Saturn, and a new Appendix giving expressions (polynomials) for the heliocentric coordinates of the giant planets Jupiter to Neptune from 1998 to 2025.
Canon of Lunar Eclipses -2002 to +2526/Canon der Mondfinsternisse -2002 bis +2526
edition
2nd
location
Vienna
publisher
Astronomisches Büro
year
1983
abstract
This catalogue, first published in 1979, is destined mainly for astronomical phenomenology. The data concerning the 10936 lunar eclipses are based upon Newcomb’s theory of the Sun, and on the improved lunar theory of Brown. The instants are given to the nearest minute of time. This edition has been increased with a diagram, which enables to show the course of the eclipse with respect to the lunar limb or also, approximately, with respect to features on the Moon’s surface; and with a set of 792 small maps of the Earth to determine the area of visibility of each eclipse.
origdate
1979
timestamp
2013-09-24
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# Ossendrijver’s notes #and# \cite{gent2004astronomyr} [Astronomical Tables and Ephemerides relevant for Ancient Near Eastern Studies]
An astronomical analysis of the occultations: published by Hermann Hunger
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes [WZKM], vol. 97 () [Festschrift für Hermann Hunger zum 65. Geburtstag: gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern [Fs Hunger]] pp. 121-136 Vienna: Verlag des Instituts für Orientalistik
Il Planetarium Babylonicum di G.V. Schiaparelli: Problematiche astronomiche
Giovanni Schiaparelli: Storico della astronomia e uomo di cultura. Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera; ed. by Panaino et al. pp. 63-80 Milano and Roma: Mimesis and Istituto italiano per l’Africa et l’Oriente
Atti del seminario di studi organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano 12-13 Maggio 1997 Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
pages
63-80
location
Milano and Roma
publisher
Mimesis and Istituto italiano per l’Africa et l’Oriente
shortpublisher
Mimesis and IsIAO
year
1999
crossRef
panaino1999giovannisc
eventdate
1997-05-12/1997-05-13
venue
Milano
organization
Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Istituto di Fisica Generale (IsIAO)
timestamp
2014-04-30
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004fixedstars} [Stars and Constellations]
Astronomical Dating of Sargon II letters and an Esarhaddon Inscription
journal
Archiv für Orientforschung
shortjournal
AfO
volume
50
pages
346-347
location
Vienna
publisher
Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik
year
2003
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41668632
urldate
2013-11-06
language
english
abstract
A series of astronomical inconsistencies have been remarked on several occasions by V. Turnan concerning supposed Babylonian observations of planetary phenomena. However many more have been pointed out by S. Iwaniszewski and deserve further consideration.
A propos d’occultations de planètes par la Lune dans des textes babyloniens
sorttitle
occultations de planetes par la Lune dans des textes babyloniens, A propos d’
journal
L’Astronomie
journalsubtitle
Revue mensuelle de la Société Astronomique de France
volume
105
number
6
pages
1-3
location
Paris
publisher
Gauthier-Villars
year
1991
month
June
language
english
timestamp
2013-12-01
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004astronomic} [Secular Acceleration of the Lunar Motion and the Lengthening of the Day deduced from Ancient Reports of Lunar and Solar Eclipses] and \url{http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1991LAstr.105....1D}
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel 2.2.1: Natur, Mythus und Geschichte als Grundlagen babylonischer Zeitordnung nebst Untersuchungen der älteren Sternkunde und Meteorologie (1912), Kugler F [Review]
Theologische Literaturzeitung: Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft [ThLZ], vol. 38 (), iss. 22 pp. 675-676 Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel 2.2.1: Natur, Mythus und Geschichte als Grundlagen babylonischer Zeitordnung nebst Untersuchungen der älteren Sternkunde und Meteorologie (1912), Kugler F [Review]
editor
Emil Schürer and von Harnack, Adolf
editortype
founder
journal
Theologische Literaturzeitung
journalsubtitle
Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft
\cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on Mesopotamian Civilisation]
walker_note
[with a plan of the Babylonian sky at the end of the volume]
gent_note
[chapters 15, 18 \& 21 give summaries on Mesopotamian cosmology and astrology, also includes a map of the Babylonian constellations drawn for the epoch -2200 by E.F. Weidner]
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on the History, Culture \& Literature of Mesopotamia]
walker_note
[pp. 380-418, with a plan of the Babylonian sky at the end of the volume]
gent_note
[chapters 15, 18 \& 21 give summaries on Mesopotamian cosmology and astrology, also includes a map of the Babylonian constellations drawn for the epoch -2200 by E.F. Weidner]
\cite{gent2004generallit} [General Overviews on Mesopotamian Civilisation]
walker_note
[with a plan of the Babylonian sky at the end of the volume]
gent_note
[chapters 15, 18 \& 21 give summaries on Mesopotamian cosmology and astrology, also includes a map of the Babylonian constellations drawn for the epoch -2200 by E.F. Weidner]
Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, vol. 6 (), nr 4 pp. 20 College Park, Md.: Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland
Die ältere Chronologie Babyloniens, Assyriens und Ägyptens. Nachtrag zum ersten Bande der Geschichte des Altertums
Geschichte des Altertums: Die ältesten geschichtlichen Völker und Kulturen bis zum sechszehnten Jahrhundert, vol. 1 (edn: 2., erweiterte Aufl.) Stuttgart and Berlin: J.G. Cotta
Zikir Šumim: Assyriological Studies Presented to F. R. Kraus on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday [Fs Kraus]; ed. by van Driel et al. [=NINO Studia Francisci Scholten memoriae dicata, nr 5] pp. 271-278 Leiden: Brill
Orientalismus?: Die Rolle des Alten Orients in der deutschen Altertumswissenschaft und Altertumsgeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts (ca. 1785-1910)
Getrennte Wege?: Kommunikation, Raum und Wahrnehmung in der Alten Welt; ed. by Rollinger et al. [=Oikumene: Studien zur antiken Weltgeschichte, nr 2] pp. 501-594 Frankfurt a.M.: Verlag Antike e.K.
Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, vol. 191 () [Astrologie en Mésopotamie: Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes] pp. 36-43 Dijon: Éditions FATON
Les presages astrologiques; carte du ciel et eclipses au sevice de l’histoire; division du temps et premiers calendriers; l’origine du zodiaque/ les premiers horoscopes
Dans une société si marquée par la présence des dieux, il était normal que même les astres et les planètes parlent du monde divin. Le ciel apparaissait alors comme le reflet de la terre , un lien fondamental existant entre eux.
La chronologie du début du IIe millénaire revue à l’ombre d’une éclipse de soleil
[]
Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch genootschap Ex Oriente Lux: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux” / Annuaire de la société orientale “Ex Oriente Lux” [JEOL], vol. 35/36 () pp. 111-126 Leiden
We are concerned with the interpretation of second millennium Babylonian texts in the light of experimental constraints and later astronomical measurements. We show that water weight data referring to night and day length at different period of the year, as constantly provided for about a millennium by Babylonians, cannot be taken literally; we suggest an interpretation of the numerals attached to the use of the water clock. An experimental procedure is also proposed in order to interpret the rather short time measurements as revealed through the earliest Babylonian data on moon eclipse phases.
keywords
BM 17175 + BM 17284, K 2164 + K 2195 + K 3510, BM 85194
The activities of merchants in the Ur III period have been studied extensively, especially in the recent monograph by D. Snell. The prime source for that study is a group of texts called “balanced accounts.” These are the records of merchants that list commodities on hand, expenditures, and the balance (positive or negative). Although they are of extreme importance for reconstructing merchants’ activities, they do not provide a detailed record of day to day affairs. The latter have to be reconstructed from legal and administrative texts that mention merchants. Unfortunately,the existing documents from the large Ur III archives from Puzris-Dagan, Umma, Lagae, Ur, and Nippur only rarely mention this profession, and not one of the known merchants is attested in a significant number of texts. Thus a small archive in the Yale Babylonian Collection is so far unique in that it records the activities of a single merchant, named Tiiram-ili.
This volume contains a score-type edition of all known Eponym Lists and Eponym Chronicles from the Neo-Assyrian period and includes hand copies of all known tablets plus a catalog of as many eponym-dated texts as could be collected. It contains explanatory material describing the manuscripts of the lists and chronicles and the functioning of the eponym system including a chapter on the post-canonical eponyms by R. Whiting. The book contains indices of the names and titles found in the lists and of the excavation, museum, and publication numbers of the texts cited in the catalog of eponym-dated texts. It is expected to serve as a standard chronological handbook for the period.
The Importance of Experts: Agents in the Transfer of Astral Knowledge between Hellenistic Mesopotamia and the Greek-speaking World
“The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg; ed. by Crisostomo C. Jay et al. [=Ancient Magic and Divination, nr 13] pp. 317-332 Leiden: Brill
The establishment of an absolute chronology for the ancient Near East depends essentially upon identifying the recorded observations of ancient astronomers. In this paper, Wayne Mitchell undertakes a comprehensive review of these records, starting with the ancient texts themselves. He concludes that astronomical data can form the basis of an absolute Near Eastern chronology, but that there are other solutions at least as acceptable as those previously proposed. These new solutions result from a reinvestigation of the observations, using a computer program capable of accommodating various theories on the long term deceleration of the Earth’s rate of rotation. The date range of the computer run was extended to take in the new radically low chronology proposed in JACF 1. As a result, there emerges the strong possibility of revising the accession of king Ammizaduga of the 1st Dynasty of Baby/on down by c. 163 years to 1419 BC.
timestamp
2015-06-01
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{gent2004astronomic} [Other Reports and General Discussions]
In Chase of an Origin for the Mean Planetary Motions in Ptolemy’s Almagest
From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics: Essays on the Exact Sciences Presented to Asger Aaboe on His 65. Birthday, 26 April 1987 [Fs Aaboe]; ed. by Berggren et al. [=Acta Historica Scientiarum Naturalium et Medicinalium, nr 39] pp. 43-54 København: University Library
In Chase of an Origin for the Mean Planetary Motions in Ptolemy’s Almagest
editor
Berggren, John Lennart and Goldstein, Bernhard R.
booktitle
From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics
booksubtitle
Essays on the Exact Sciences Presented to Asger Aaboe on His 65. Birthday, 26 April 1987
shortbooktitle
Fs Aaboe
series
Acta Historica Scientiarum Naturalium et Medicinalium
number
39
pages
43-54
location
København
publisher
University Library
year
1987
crossRef
berggren1987fsaaboe
timestamp
2013-09-24
bibmas_src
Ossendrijver’s notes #and# Ossendrijver’s collection #and# \cite{gent2004influenceo} [Transmission to the Eastern Mediterranean] #and# \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Babylonian Astronomy in Seleucid Times: How naked eye observations by court astrologers led to high precision theories
D’Imhotep à Copernic: Astronomie et mathématiques des origines orientales au moyen age. Actes du Colloque International; ed. by Mawet et al. [=Lettres orientales et Classiques, nr 2] pp. 69-74 Leuven: Peeters
The Full Moon Serpent: A Foundation Stone of Ancient Astronomy?
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 24 (), nr 1 pp. 51-96 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine
volume
24
number
1
pages
51-96
location
København
publisher
Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
year
1980
doi
10.1111/j.1600-0498.1980.tb00366.x
urldate
2013-06-21
abstract
In 19 years the moon will approach the place of the Normal Stars where it approached before. Where there was a lunar eclipse, it takes place (again). If (the moon) passed by (a Normal Star) high, or if it passed by low, it will repeat this in your year.[Cuneiform Text, British Museum 41004, rev. 18-19; translation by Neugebauer and Sachs: 17, 205].
The Bright Stars of the Zodiac: A Catalogue for Historical Use
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 20 (), nr 2 pp. 129-158 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
The Micro-Zodiac in Babylon and Uruk: Seleucid Zodiacal Astrology
The Circulation of Astronomical Knowledge in the Ancient World; ed. by Steele [=Time, Astronomy, and Calendars, nr 6] ch.: 5, pp. 119-138 Leiden: Brill
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 180, pp. 1909-1916 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
title
Islamic Mathematical Astronomy
editor
Ruggles, Clive L.N.
editora
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
180
pages
1909-1916
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_202
language
english
contents
Introduction 1909 Transmission and Transformation 1910 The Zij 1912 The Role of Observation 1914 Legacy 1915 Cross-References 1915 References 1915
abstract
A short survey on Islamic mathematical astronomy practiced during the period running from the eight century until the fifteenth is presented. Various pertinent themes, such as the translation of foreign scientific works and their impact on the tradition; the introduction, assimilation, and critique of the Ptolemaic model; and the role of observations, will be covered. In addition, the zıj, the dominant format for astronomical works, will be briefly explained as well as the legacy of the Islamic tradition of astral sciences to other cultures.
Lunar and solar eclipses have always fascinated human beings. Digging deep into history, Clemency Montelle examines the ways in which theoretical understanding of eclipses originated and how ancient and medieval cultures shared, developed, and preserved their knowledge of these awe-inspiring events. Eclipses were the celestial phenomena most challenging to understand in the ancient world. Montelle draws on original research—much of it derived from reading primary source material written in Akkadian and Sanskrit, as well as ancient Greek, Latin, and Arabic—to explore how observers in Babylon, the Islamic Near East, Greece, and India developed new astronomical and mathematical techniques to predict and describe the features of eclipses. She identifies the profound scientific discoveries of these four cultures and discusses how the societies exchanged information about eclipses. In constructing this history, Montelle establishes a clear pattern of the transmission of scientific ideas from one culture to another in the ancient and medieval world. Chasing Shadows is an invitingly written and highly informative exploration of the early history of astronomy.
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament [ANET]; ed. by Pritchard (edn: 3rd edition with supplement) pp. 626 [ABL 629] Princeton: Princeton University Press
History in the Service of astronomy: Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (2000), Steele J / Historical Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation (1997), Stephenson FR [Review]
Journal for the History of Astronomy [JHA], vol. 32 () pp. 160-162 London: Science History Publications Ltd
Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (2000), Steele J / Historical Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation (1997), Stephenson FR [Review]
sorttitle
Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (2000), Steele J / Historical Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation (1997), Stephenson FR [Review]
Acta Historica Astronomiae [Acta Hist. Astron.], vol. 3: The Message of the Angels: Astronomy from 1789 to 1998; ed. by Brosche et al. pp. 100-113 Frankfurt: Harri Deutsch
Ancient Babylonian clay tablets buried for centuries beneath the sands of the desert are part of an extensive historical archive which contains vital information about the rotation of the Earth. Many are preserved, and using these seemingly crude ancient and medieval observations of eclipses, variations in the Earth’s rotation can be traced back over the past 2500 years. The tidal torque exerted by the Moon (and to a lesser extent, the Sun) is the predominant mechanism in reducing the Earth’s spin. It is known that by this mechanism, the length of the day is increasing by 2.3 milliseconds per century. By analysing observations of eclipses, the actual measured change in the length of the day is +1.7 milliseconds per century, from which it is concluded that besides the tidal contribution there is another long-term component acting to decrease the length of the day by 0.6 milliseconds per century. This component, which is thought to result from the decrease of the Earth’s oblateness following the last ice age, is consistent with recent measurements made by artificial satellites.
eventtitle
International Spring Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft
Highlights of Astronomy, vol. 12: XXIVth General Assembly: As presented at the XXIVth General Assembly of the IAU. Manchester, UK, August 7-18, 2000; ed. by Rickman; pt. IAU Joint Discussion 6 pp. 9 San Francisco, CA: Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Morrison, Leslie V. and Stephenson, Francis Richard
sortkey
Morrison.L:2002_Ancienteclipsesand
title
Ancient Eclipses and the Earth’s Rotation
editor
Hans Rickman
booktitle
XXIVth General Assembly
booksubtitle
As presented at the XXIVth General Assembly of the IAU
booktitleaddon
Manchester, UK, August 7-18, 2000
maintitle
Highlights of Astronomy
volume
12
part
IAU Joint Discussion 6
pages
9
location
San Francisco, CA
publisher
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
year
2002
url
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002HiA....12..338M
urldate
2017-06-07
abstract
Observations of ancient and medieval eclipses are compared with predictions to measure changes in the Earth’s rotation over the past 2500 years. The observations are treated in two broad categories: untimed and timed. An untimed observation must have the place and date, but not the time, as the special geometry of the eclipse path essentially supplies this. A timed observation requires the time of day of the eclipse as well as the date and place. In the period 700BC to AD1600 we have found 106 reliable untimed and 343 timed observations of solar and lunar eclipses recorded by the ancient/medieval civilizations of Babylon, China, the Arab Dominions and Europe. Analyses of these two independent datasets lead to the conclusion that the rate of rotation is decreasing, such that the length of the day (lod) is increasing on the average by 1.8 milliseconds per century (ms/cy). This is consistent to within the accuracy of measurement with the resultant sum of a tidal increase of 2.3 ms/cy and a decrease of 0.5 ms/cy due to post-glacial uplift following the end of the last ice-age. Besides these secular changes, there is clear evidence of fluctuations in the lod of several ms on a timescale of centuries.
Science of the Past Ser., Look What Came from ser. New York: Grolier Publishing and Scholastic Library Publishing and Franklin Watts and Turtleback Books
Grolier Publishing and Scholastic Library Publishing and Franklin Watts and Turtleback Books
year
1988
language
english
abstract
Describes the enormous accomplishments of the Sumerians and Babylonians of ancient Mesopotamia in every scientific area, a heritage which affects our own everyday lives.
Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas [UF], vol. 4 () pp. 79-96 Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer: Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon & Bercker GmbH
Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas
shortjournal
UF
volume
4
pages
79-96
location
Neukirchen-Vluyn and Kevelaer
publisher
Neukirchener Verlag and Butzon \& Bercker GmbH
year
1972
timestamp
2013-06-21
comment
“Wenn man die einzelnen Texte außer CTA l-6 isoliert betrachtet, ergibt sich kein unmittelbarer Beweis für das Begehen der Sonnenwende. Zusammengenommen unterstützen sie jedoch zumindest eine solche Annahme. Die neu veröffentlichten Texte haben wieder die Bedeutung von SapSu in der ugarit. Religion hervorgehoben. Sie haben auch die Vermutung unterbaut, daß man in Ugarit eine Sonnenwendfeier begangen hat.” ZATW 86.1 (1972) \url{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zatw.1974.86.1.94}
The Accelerations of the Earth and Moon from Early Astronomical Observations
Growth rhythms and the history of the earth’s rotation. Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary Winter Conference on Biological Clocks and Changes in the Earth’s Rotation: Geophysical and Astronomical Consequences; ed. by Rosenberg et al. pp. 459-534 London: Wiley Interscience
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., United States and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
title
The Accelerations of the Earth and Moon from Early Astronomical Observations
sorttitle
accelerations of the earth and moon from early astronomical observations
editor
Rosenberg, Gary David and Runcorn, Stanley Keith
booktitle
Growth rhythms and the history of the earth’s rotation
booktitleaddon
Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary Winter Conference on Biological Clocks and Changes in the Earth’s Rotation: Geophysical and Astronomical Consequences
pages
459-534
location
London
publisher
Wiley Interscience
year
1975
abstract
An investigation has compiled a very large amount of data on central or near central solar eclipses as recorded in four principal ancient sources (Greek and Roman classics, medieval European chronicles, Chinese annals and astronomical treatises, and Late Babylonian astronomical texts) and applied careful data selectivity criteria and statistical methods to obtain reliable dates, magnitudes, and places of observation of the events, and thereby made estimates of the earth acceleration and lunar acceleration. The basic conclusion is that the lunar acceleration and both tidal and nontidal earth accelerations have been essentially constant during the period from 1375 B.C. to the present.
eventtitle
Growth rhythms and the history of the earth’s rotation
eventsubtitle
Interdisciplinary Winter Conference on Biological Clocks and Changes in the Earth’s Rotation: Geophysical and Astronomical Consequences
Aramäische Beschwörungen und astronomische Omina in nachbabylonischer Zeit: Das Fortleben mesopotamischer Kultur im Vorderen Orient
Babylon: Focus Mesopotamischer Geschichte: Wiege früher Gelehrsamkeit, Mythos in der Moderne [CDOG 2]; ed. by Renger [=Colloquien der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft [CDOG], nr 2] pp. 427-443 Berlin: Saarbrücker Druckerei und Verlag
Historia Scientiarum: international journal of the History of Science Society of Japan, vol. 34 () pp. 11-19 Tokyo: Japan publication Trading Co., Ltd.
international journal of the History of Science Society of Japan
volume
34
pages
11-19
location
Tokyo
publisher
Japan publication Trading Co., Ltd.
institution
History of Science Society of Japan
year
1988
month
March
url
http://historyofscience.jp/?page_id=500
urldate
2014-01-23
abstract
Through some Babylonian mathematical texts we can catch a glimpse of the aspects of the succession to property in the Old-Babylonian period (around 1700 B.C.). In these texts silver or land is distributed among a number of brothers according to a condition. This condition is in most cases that the difference between the allotments of the brothers is constant, namely the allotments of them make a decreasing arithmetic progression whose first term is that of the eldest brother. Thus the condition of “inheritance problem” of Babylonian mathematics is pretty simple as compared with, for example, al-Kwarizmi’s algebra. Probably the problems are written for the purpose of mathematical education and so involve somewhat artificial conditions. Therefore we can understand the texts without a knowledge of the provisions in the law of those days, which is indispensable in case of the al-Kwarizmi’s algebra.
The Sky from the High Terrace: Study on the Orientation of the Ziqqurat in Ancient Mesopotamia
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry [MAA], vol. 16 (), nr 4 [Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures (November 2015 – Rome, Italy)] pp. 103-108
Study on the Orientation of the Ziqqurat in Ancient Mesopotamia
sorttitle
Sky from the High Terrace
editor
Hernandez, Jean Paul and González-García, A. César and Magli, Giulio and Nadali, Davide and Polcaro, Andrea and Verderame, Lorenzo
journal
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry
shortjournal
MAA
volume
16
number
4
issuetitle
Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures (November 2015 – Rome, Italy)
pages
103-108
year
2016
doi
10.5281/zenodo.220907
abstract
The ziqqurat is the symbol of the Mesopotamian sacred architecture in the western thought. This monument, standardized at the end of the III millennium BC by the kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur, has changed during the history of Mesopotamia its shape and architecture, but remained till the end of the Neo-Babylonian Period in the I millennium BC the highest structure of the city. The ziqqurat is the only monument visible over the settlements wall with a strong visual impact around the urban and the countryside landscape. Despite its simple structural function, a high mud brick platform to sustain an upper temple, the ziqqurat appears in the Mesopotamian art and literature as a structure of primary importance, a connection between the earth, domain of the god Enlil, with the sky, domain of the god Anu. The ideological function to connect the earth and the sky was related also with the rituals performed in the high temples built above these monuments, usually linked with important seasonal royal rituals. The paper will analyze this particular aspect of ziqqurat, looking also to their orientations and to the changing in the relationship between these monuments and the urban landscape through the centuries.
crossRef
hernandez2016medarcharc
eventtitle
Société Européenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture (SEAC 2015) Conference – Astronomy in Past and Present Cultures
Since 1955 when von Soden proposed a new interpretation of some of the most relevant texts, our picture of the Babylonian akltu festival has been greatly modified. Yet, in some of the latest books on Mesopotamian history, the old viewpoints concerning this festival still appear. It is our intention here to review some of the major features of the festival and to examine whether the akitu was, in fact, the New Year festival or not.
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, vol. 3: Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3; ed. by Ruggles; pt. XI, Ancient Near East ch.: 184, pp. 1941-1948 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London: Springer Science
Steele, John M. and McCluskey, Stephen C. and Sun, Xiaochun and Martín López, Alejandro
booktitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy 3
maintitle
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy
volume
3
part
XI, Ancient Near East
chapter
184
pages
1941-1948
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg and Dordrecht and London
publisher
Springer Science
year
2015
date
2014/2015
doi
10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_201
language
english
contents
Introduction 1941 Cultural Context 1942 Timing of Water Shares 1943 Methods of Star Use for Time Reckoning 1943 Star Names 1946 Issues Raised and Future Directions 1947 Cross-References 1947 References 1947
abstract
For centuries, if not millennia, the farmers of Oman have used the stars and sun for timing their share of water from gravity-fed irrigation systems (aflaj). When wristwatches became widely available in the late 1960s, many communities abandoned the traditional methods. Today, the use of stars for this purpose survives in eight communities. This contribution focuses on the near extinct system of time reckoning with stars.
Studies in Civilization by University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference (1941) / Studies in the History of Science by University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference (1941) [Review]
[]
Ethics, vol. 52 (), nr 3 pp. 385-386 Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Studies in Civilization by University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference (1941) / Studies in the History of Science by University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference (1941) [Review]
Estratto da Mesopotamia. A cura dell’Instituto di Archeologia dell’Università di Torino, vol. 15 () pp. 109-134 Firenze: Liberia Commissionaria Sansori
In 1958 A. Koyré spoke about “l’abandon de l’équant, ce haut titre de gloire de l’astronomie copernicienne”, adding that in the lunar theory “Copernic réussit la simplification la plus grande en la débarassant de l’équant (ce qui nous donne la mesure de son génie mathématique).”1
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Le monde grec: Pensée, littérature, histoire, documents. Hommages a Claire Preaux [Fs Préaux]; ed. by Bingen et al. pp. 312-317 Bruxelles: Éditions de l’Universite’ de Bruxelles
Jean Bingen and Nachtergael, Georges and Cambier, Guy
booktitle
Le monde grec
booksubtitle
Pensée, littérature, histoire, documents
booktitleaddon
Hommages a Claire Preaux
shortbooktitle
Fs Préaux
pages
312-317
location
Bruxelles
publisher
Éditions de l’Universite’ de Bruxelles
year
1975
language
english
abstract
It was only by accident that I came in contact with a group of illustrations in Byzantine manuscripts recently studied by A. Tihon. In an article Les scolies des Tables Faciles de Ptoléméé 1 she discussed a collection of fifteen notes, more or less concerned with the use of the Handy Tables and related topics. In her introduction Dr. Tihon remarked that in several manuscripts the text of the scholia were followed by a group of diagrams among which she listed also une carte géographique. Since I had never seen a geographical map in a Greek manuscript I began to investigate this group of illustrations, using films I had at hand and several prints kindly put at my disposal by Dr. Tihon. I found this material of sufficient general interest to make it available for further study.
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Babylonian Astronomy: Arithmetical Methods for the Dating of Babylonian Astronomical Texts [Arithmetical Methods for the Dating of Babylonian Astronomical Texts]
Studies and Essays Presented to R. Courant on His 60th Birthday, Jan. 8, 1948 [Fs Courant]; ed. by Friedrichs et al. pp. 265-275 New York: Interscience Publishers
A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs [Fs Sachs]; ed. by Leichty et al. [=Occasional publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, nr 9] pp. 301-304 Philadelphia: University Museum
Astronomical and Calendrical Data in the Tres Riches Heures. Appendix C
French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry, Part 3: The Limbourgs & Their Contemporaries. I: Text Volumed; ed. by Meiss [=The Franklin Jasper Wall Lectures, nr 2] New York: George Braziller, The Pierpont Morgan Library
Astronomical and Calendrical Data in the Tres Riches Heures
titleaddon
Appendix C
editor
Millard Meiss
editora
Off Dunlap Smith, Sharon and Beatson, Elizabeth H.
booktitle
French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry, Part 3: The Limbourgs \& Their Contemporaries. I: Text Volumed
series
The Franklin Jasper Wall Lectures
number
2
location
New York
publisher
George Braziller, The Pierpont Morgan Library
year
1974
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_41
urldate
2013-12-06
abstract
It is not surprising that a work of the artistic excellence displayed in the Très Riches Heures also shows competence on the part of the makers of the calendar which precedes in traditional fashion the devotional sections. What “competent” means in this line of work in the early 15th century is perhaps not obvious to historians of art. We therefore hope to contribute a little to the appreciation of the Très Riches Heures when we draw attention to some aspects of medieval astronomy embedded in the tables and miniatures which open the book.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The “Metonic Cycle” in Babylonian astronomy: Studies in Ancient Astronomy IV
Studies and Essays in the History of Science and Learning Offered in Homage to George Sarton: on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, 31 August 1944 [Fs Sarton]; ed. by Montagu pp. 435-448 New York: Henry Schuman
Untersuchungen zur antiken Astronomie III: Die babylonische Theorie der Breitenbewegung des Mondes [UUA III]
Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik, Astronomie und Physik [QS], ser. B, vol. 4 () pp. 193-346 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik, Astronomie und Physik [QS], ser. B, vol. 4 (), nr 1 pp. 29-33 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
Untersuchungen zur antiken Astronomie II: Datierung und Rekonstruktion von Texten des Systems II der Mondtheorie [UUA II]
[]
Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik, Astronomie und Physik [QS], ser. B, vol. 4 (), nr 1 pp. 34-91 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel: Ergänzungen zum I. und II. Buch, Heft 3 (1935), Kugler F & Schaumberger
Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik, Astronomie und Physik [QS], ser. B, vol. 3 () pp. 271-286 New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
\cite{walker1993bibliograp} [[\#ERR] The ToC of Vol. 1 at \url{http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=acls;idno=heb02191.0004.001} does not feature this article, however, it can be found in \url{http://books.google.de/books?id=WLfRMxlUPpoC} and G. Sarton’s review at \url{http://www.jstor.org/stable/226353} mentions it as well.]
Speiser, Ephraim Avigdor and Neugebauer, Otto Eduard and Ranke, Hermann and Sigerist, Henry E. and Shryock, Richard H. and Graham, Evarts A. and Singer, Edgar A. and Weyl, Hermann
booktitle
Studies in the history of science
series
University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference
Studies in Civilization; ed. by Wace [University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Conference ser.] pp. 23-31 Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
The Aegean and the Near East: Studies presented to Hetty Goldman on the occasion of her seventy-fifth birthday [Fs Goldman]; ed. by Weinberg et al. pp. 292-296 Locust Valley, NY: J.J. Augustin
Studies presented to Hetty Goldman on the occasion of her seventy-fifth birthday
shortbooktitle
Fs Goldman
pages
292-296
location
Locust Valley, NY
publisher
J.J. Augustin
year
1956
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_26
urldate
2013-12-06
abstract
Even the most casual discussion of ancient astronomy will not fail to call Hipparchus of Nicaea in Bithynia “the greatest astronomer of antiquity.” It is obvious enough that classifications of greatness are usually void of any precise meaning, though it is equally evident that they will remain a stock phrase in the histories of science. It is perhaps not useless, however, to underline how little we actually know about Hipparchus’ astronomy and its relation to his predecessors and followers.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
[Summary] In retrospect we must stress the extremely fragmentary character of our information. Nevertheless it cannot be doubted that an important parameter of Babylonian lunar theory remained in perpetual use into the calendrical structure of Renaissance works of art. We can also be certain that its astronomical significance was still fully understood in Roman Egypt, even outside the schools of professional astronomers like Ptolemy or Theon and we know that a Hebrew version existed during the same period but probably reduced to simple calendrical usage. We know that it survived in this form into the late Middle Ages in Muslim Egypt but we cannot say how this version reached the computists of the Renaissance. Our inquiry has stretched over at least sixteen centuries. If we compare the two endpoints of our voyage, Fig. 1 on p. 394 and Fig. 6 on p. 401, we can only note a dramatic decline from high competence and accuracy to simple incompetence in the handling of a purely arithmetical pattern. But history is a very complex phenomenon: only two centuries later, Kepler and Galileo initiated the “Astronomia Nova” which left far behind all the ingenious procedures developed in Hellenistic Babylon or Roman Egypt.
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Sitzungsberichte der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse: Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Geschichte der Mathematik, Naturwissenschaften und Medizin [SÖAW phil.-hist. Kl.], vol. 347,22 () Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
“Easter” being defined as the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox would require, if taken astronomically seriously, not only the determination of the length of the tropical year but also a solution of the highly complex problem of predicting the moments of the full moons.
\cite{gent2003aperpetual} #and# \cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences
volumes
3
number
1
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
1975
doi
10.1007/978-3-642-61910-6
contents
pt. 1: The Almagest and its direct predecessors, Babylonian astronomy; pt. 2: Egypt. Early Greek astronomy, Astronomy during the Roman Imperial period and late antiquity; pt. 3: Appendices and indices.
ONE of the most frequently made statements about the outstanding personalities in the development of scientific ideas is the assertion that their contemporaries were not able to appreciate their ideas. To subsequent generations, however, is somehow granted a deeper insight after the initial shock has been absorbed during the intervening years. This may be so in some, or even in many cases. In two famous instances, however, namely with Copernicus and Kepler, a careful reading of their fundamental works without assuming Kepler’s results in the study of Copernicus, or Newton’s for the reading of Kepler, will do much more justice to the contemporary scholars who cannot be blamed too much for not introducing immediately upon reading a freshly published work, the radical modification to which Brahe and Kepler subjected the cumbersome eccenter and epicyclic machinery of a pseudo-heliocentric model based on utterly insufficient empirical data, or for not replacing Kepler’s theological astrophysics by a rational dynamics. With this background in mind, I wish to give in this note some examples of those rather trivial obstacles which every careful reader of Kepler’s publications had to meet on practically every page. If Kepler ever did make any attempt to give a final polish to his writings, one can only say that he was not very successful. The number of trivial computing errors is enormous, parameters are changed without explanation (usually belonging to different stages of investigation, e.g. concerning the motion of the apsidal line of Mars), references to observations accessible to no one else are quoted sometimes in an incomplete form, sometimes for no evident reason, and so forth. To the historian of astronomy, this way of presentation is a blessing as great as a real disaster that leaves a city in total shambles is to the archaeologist. But contemporaries cannot be blamed if their reaction was different from ours. [..]
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
In the “Computus” of the Ethiopic church an important role for the determination of the dates of the movable festivals is assigned a number t, called tentyon or tentêwon. It presents the weekday of the first day of the year (Maskaram 1), using the norm Wednesday = 1, Thursday = 2, etc. until Tuesday = 7. Obviously to given t the weekday of any day in the year is easily found since the Ethiopic calendar is based on a “julian” pattern, inherited from the Alexandrian calendar, with 12 times 30 days plus 5, or 6, intercalary days at the end.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The two treatises On the Rotating Sphere and On Risings and Settings by Autolycus are famous because they represent the oldest Greek mathematical works (written in the second half of the fourth century B.C.) that have come down to us in a fairly complete condition. The Teubner edition by Hultsch of 1885 (with Latin translation) was replaced in 1950 by an excellent edition (without translation) by Mogenet who went far beyond Hultsch in the study of the manuscript tradition and gave us for the first time proper information about the actual appearance of the figures in the manuscripts. Since Czwalina’s (often careless) German translation in the “Ostwald’s Klassiker” (1931) was based on Hultsch, a new (English) translation, using Mogenet, was a reasonable project, recently undertaken by Bruin and Vondjidis.1 Unfortunately the result is a disastrous combination of incorrect rendering of the Greek, of impossible English, and of misinterpretation of the contents. [..]
keywords
Autolycus
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Some eight years ago a “Symposium on Cuneiform Studies and the History of Civilization” was held at a meeting of this Society. As one of the speakers on that occasion I presented a paper on “The Survival of Babylonian Methods in the Exact Sciences of Antiquity and Middle Ages” in which I tried to distinguish as far as possible between those areas of ancient astronomy in which Babylonian influence was decisive and those which represent an independent development. In the present paper some sections of this earlier study will be amplified. Its main purpose, however, is methodological. The progress of modern astronomy since Brahe and Kepler is inextricably connected with the ever-increasing accuracy and range of observational techniques and it therefore has seemed plausible to assume that a similar trend existed also in the first phase of astronomical development in the Greek world, that is, in the period from the beginnings in the fifth century b.c. to the crowning achievement, Ptolemy’s “Almagest” in the second century a.d.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
On the Allegedly Heliocentric Theory of Venus by Heraclides Ponticus
sorttitle
Allegedly Heliocentric Theory of Venus by Heraclides Ponticus, On the
journal
The American Journal of Philology
shortjournal
AJP
volume
93
number
4
pages
600-601
location
Baltimore
publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press
year
1972
date
1972-10
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/294352
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_32
urldate
2013-12-06
language
english
abstract
The locus classicus for ascribing to Heraclides Ponticus (and by implication to Plato) an epicyclic and heliocentric theory for the motion of Venus is a sentence in Chalcidius (ch. 110, ed. Wrobel, p. 176, 22-5) where it is said that Venus is located interdum superior, interdum inferior sole. This indeed seems to imply a variation of geocentric distance of the planet and hence to represent, in combination with the limited elongation from the sun, a heliocentric motion of Venus. In fact, however, this interpretation ignores the existence of a corresponding terminology in early Greek spherical astronomy. The Greek original of superior / inferior is, of course, xxxx / xxxx which in the spherical astronomy of Theodosius¹ denotes positions in the ecliptic, equivalent to later xxxx / xxxx. Any variation in depth is excluded by the very nature of spherical astronomy which exclusively concerns appearances on the celestial sphere. Hence the proper rendering of these terms is “ahead” and “behind” (in the ecliptic), not “nearer” or “farther.” Applying this terminology to the chapter in Chalcidius we may now translate the beginning as follows: “Heraclides Ponticus, when describing the circle (circulum) of Venus as well as that of the sun, and giving the two circles the same centre (unum punctum) and the same mean motion (unam medietatem), showed that Venus is sometimes ahead (superior), sometimes behind (inferior) the sun.” What follows is a lengthy discussion of this variable elongation, reaching 50? on each side of the sun. The topic of the whole chapter thus becomes a rather trivial discussion of the shift between the morning-star and the evening-star phase of the planet and has nothing to do with any heliocentric cinematic model. Whether Chalcidius himself used as illustration an epicyclic model or not (four centuries after Apollonius) is of no interest. The reference to Heraclides contains no such element.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
confer 1st edition \cite{neugebauer1951theexactsc}; Hungarian edition: Egzakt tudományok az ókorban, Budapest 1984; with bibliographical additions by P. Vargyas; Russian edition: Moscow 1968
Vorlesungen über Geschichte der antiken mathematischen Wissenschaften, vol. 1 [=Die Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften in Einzeldarstellungen, nr 43] New York and Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer Science
Vorlesungen über Geschichte der antiken mathematischen Wissenschaften
series
Die Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften in Einzeldarstellungen
volume
1
number
43
pagetotal
xii+212
location
New York and Berlin and Heidelberg
publisher
Springer Science
year
1969
doi
10.1007/978-3-642-95095-7
language
german
abstract
Die Geschichte der antiken Mathematik ruht auf zwei zeitlich weit getrennten Fundamenten: es sind dies einerseits die Werke der klassischen griechischen Mathematik: Euklid, Archimedes und Apollonius, die dem vierten und dritten vorchristlichen Jahrhundert angehören, andererseits die ägyptischen und babylonischen Texte, die wenigstens in ihrer Hauptmasse mehr als ein Jahrtausend älter sind. Will man die Entstehungsgeschichte des antiken mathematischen Denkens verfolgen, so muß man von diesen beiden einigermaßen festen Stützpunkten ausgehen. Es ergeben sich dann vor allem zwei Problemgruppen. Die eine betrifft die geschichtlichen Vorbedingungen, unter denen die altorientalische Mathematik entstanden ist, die andere richtet sich auf die Rekonstruktion der Entstehung der eigentlich griechischen Mathematik, für die uns ja fast alle direkten Quellen fehlen, d. h. auf die Herstellung der Brücke zum Vorgriechischen.
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, vol. 12 (), nr 4 pp. 209-214 København: Munksgaard International Publishers (Blackwell)
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
In preparing a short survey of Greek astronomical papyri (1), to my great surprise I found in a Ptolemaic papyrus on weather prognostics, published in 1900 by C. Wessely, a short table for the determination of the hours from shadow lengths (not recognized as such in the original publication) which is the antecedent of a whole class of similar texts from the Byzantine period. These tables are of extreme simplicity: the (seasonal) hours of the day are associated with the length of the human shadow, measured in feet, under the assumption that the increment of the length of the shadow during the first hour before or after noon is always 1 foot, 2 feet for the next hour, then 3, then 4, and finally 10 feet. The noon shadow itself is supposed to vary linearly with a difference of 1 foot per month between a minimum value of 2 feet at the summer solstice and a maximum of 8 feet at the winter solstice (2). There are good reasons to suppose that this primitive scheme originated in Athens in the fifth century B.C. and was transmitted, without essential modifications, to Alexandria whence it spread not only to mediaeval Byzantine and Latin treatises but also up the Nile, being attested in an inscription on a Nubian Temple on the tropic (in Taphis), perhaps written around A.D. 600.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
In rereading E. Norden’s excellent monograph Die Geburt des Kindes 1 I felt that it might be useful to amplify a little the note on p. 61 which concerns the above-quoted famous passage from Vergi’s Fourth Eclogue, line 61. Norden rightly says that “viel Ungereimtes” has been said about it and that its meaning is simply the statement that “das Kind war voll ausgetragen.”
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The Survival of Babylonian Methods in the Exact Sciences of Antiquity and Middle Ages. Read April 19, 1963, in the Symposium on Cuneiform studies and the History of Civilization
[]
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society [PAPS], vol. 107 (), nr 6 [Cuneiform Studies and the History of Civilization] pp. 528-535 Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society
The Survival of Babylonian Methods in the Exact Sciences of Antiquity and Middle Ages
titleaddon
Read April 19, 1963, in the Symposium on Cuneiform studies and the History of Civilization
sorttitle
Survival of Babylonian Methods in the Exact Sciences of Antiquity and Middle Ages, The
journal
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
shortjournal
PAPS
volume
107
number
6
issuetitle
Cuneiform Studies and the History of Civilization
pages
528-535
location
Philadelphia
publisher
American Philosophical Society
year
1963
date
1963-12-20
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/986109
urldate
2014-10-10
language
english
abstract
Among the many parallels between our own times and the Roman imperial period could be mentioned the readiness to ascribe to the “Chaldeans” discoveries whenever their actual origin was no longer known. The basis for such assignments is usually the same: ignorance of the original cuneiform sources, excusable in antiquity but less so in modern times. Given this situation, it seems to me equally important to establish what we can say today about knowledge which the Babylonians did have and to distinguish this clearly from methods and procedures which they did not have. In other words, it seems to me that it is high time that an effort is made to eliminate historical clichés, both for the Mesopotamian civilizations and their heirs, and to apply common sense to the fragmentary but solid information obtained from the study of the original sources during the last hundred years.
keywords
/
eventtitle
Symposium on Cuneiform studies and the History of Civilization
Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics [Comm. on Pure & App. Math], vol. 14 (), nr 3 [K. 0. Friedrichs anniversary issue [Fs Friedrichs]] pp. 593-597 New York: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
year
1961
doi
10.1002/cpa.3160140330
urldate
2013-12-06
abstract
One of the most frequently made statements about outstanding personalities in the development of scientific ideas is the assertion that their contemporaries were not able to appreciate their ideas. To subsequent generations, however, is somehow granted a deeper insight after the initial shock has been absorbed during the intervening years. This may be so in some, or even in many cases. In two famous instances, however, namely with Copernicus and Kepler, a careful reading of their fundamental works without assuming Kepler’s results in the study of Copernicus, or Newton’s for the reading of Kepler, will do much more justice to the contemporary scholars who cannot be blamed too much for not introducing immediately upon reading a freshly published work, the radical modification to which Brahe and Kepler subjected the cumbersome eccenter and epicyclic machinery of a pseudo-heliocentric model based on utterly insufficient empirical data, or for not replacing Kepler’s theological astrophysics by a rational dynamics. With this background in mind, I wish to give in this note some examples of those rather trivial obstacles which every careful reader of Kepler’s publications had to meet on practically every page. If Kepler ever did make any attempt to give a final polish to his writings, one can only say that he was not very successful. The number of trivial computing errors is enormous, parameters are changed without explanation (usually belonging to different stages of investigation, e.g. concerning the motion of the apsidal line of Mars), references to observations accessible to no one else are quoted sometimes in an incomplete form, sometimes for no evident reason, and so forth. To the historian of astronomy, this way of presentation is a blessing as great as a real disaster that leaves a city in total shambles is to the archaeologist. But contemporaries cannot be blamed if their reaction was different from ours. [..]
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
A New Greek Astronomical Table (P. Heid. Inv. 4144 + P. Mich. 151)
sorttitle
new Greek astronomical table, A (P. Heid. Inv. 4144 + P. Mich. 151)
series
Kongelige danske videnskabernes selskab, historisk-filosofiske meddelelser
shortseries
KDVSHM
number
39,1
location
København
publisher
Munksgaard
year
1960
language
english
timestamp
2013-12-06
bibmas_src
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
walker_note
[On a scheme for Mars related to the Babylonian System A scheme]
The Equivalence of Eccentric and Epicyclic Motion According to Apollonius
sorttitle
Equivalence of Eccentric and Epicyclic Motion According to Apollonius, The
journal
Scripta Mathematica
volume
24
location
New York
publisher
Yeshiva Univ.
year
1959
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_28
urldate
2013-12-06
abstract
WE HAVE from antiquity several short references to astronomical investigations of Apollonius of Perga, and all of them specifically refer to the moon. Ptolemaeus Chennus (about 100 A.D.) says1 “Apollonius, who lived in the time of Philopator,2 became most famous as an astronomer; he was called ∈ since the figure of ∈ is related to the figure of the moon which he investigated most accurately.” Then Vettius Valens, who wrote about 160 A.D.,3 says4 that he used the tables “of Hipparchus for the sun, of Sudines, Kidenas, and Apollonius for the moon, and also Apollonius for both types (of eclipses).” Finally the “Refutation of all Heresies” (written about 230 A.D.) quotes a figure for the distance from the surface of the earth to the moon proposed by Apollonius.5
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
In carrying out an enterprise of such large dimensions as the “Catalogus Codicum Astrologorum Graecorum” it was, in practice, necessary to draw sharp lines somewhere for the detailed investigation of manuscripts. It is therefore not surprising to find occasionally within otherwise purely astronomical texts sections which actually belong to the material of the CCAG. This is the case with a table entitled πεϱί μελ ω~ ν ζωδίων “On the limbs of the zodiacal signs” contained in Cod. Vat. gr. 208 fol. 129v, 130r and Cod. Palat. gr. 137 fol. 83 (1). Since the doctrine which is presented by this table does not otherwise seem to have come to light, it is of some interest to make this text available.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
year
1959
date
1959-03
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/226535
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_27
urldate
2014-10-10
language
english
abstract
AT the end of Book VII of Ptolemy’s “Geography” one finds the discussion of a representation of the terrestrial globe in the plane as seen by an observer who is placed in the plane of the parallel of latitude which passes through Syene. The text is difficult to understand and - at least to my knowledge – has been discussed in detail only twice: by Johannes Werner in 1514 (Latin translation and commentary) and by Mollweide, who presented a German paraphrase and an extensive discussion in his article “Mappierungskunst des Claudius Ptolemaeus” in Zach’s Monatliche Correspondenz for 1805. Delambre, Histoire de l’astronomie ancienne II, (Paris 1817) p. 530, speaks about “d’inutiles efforts” of Werner to reconstruct the text though Werner had reached a much better understanding than Delambre, who was always ready to consider a work of Ptolemy as bungled. Mollweide’s excellent publication seems to have remained unknown to Delambre. Halma’s French translation (Paris, 1828) does not go beyond Delambre. The English translation given by E. L. Stevenson in his monumental work (New York Public Library, 1932) is still worse since its author did not understand, even remotely, what he was translating.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
year
1959
date
1959-12
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/226433
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_37
urldate
2013-12-06
language
english
abstract
FRANZ Cumont (in Isis, 1936, 26: 8-12) discussed under this title a passage which the monk Hilduin had inserted in his biography of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. Dionysius (who probably lived in the early 6th century1) is supposed to have consulted, in connection with a solar eclipse, “regulam Philippi Aridaei.” Cumont is, of course, right in taking regula as the Latin equivalent for κανων in the technical sense of “astronomical table.” I also follow Cumont in rejecting suggestions of Fabricius and Böckh to emend the text and to ascribe the tables to Plato’s pupil Philip of Medma, or Opus, instead of to Philip Arrhidaeus. Cumont himself thought of tables dedicated to Philip Arrhidaeus, the half-witted puppet king chosen to be Alexander’s successor as a compromise in the struggle for power between Alexander’s generals.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Original edition: \cite{neugebauer1951theexactsc}; also published in Harper Torchbooks, Harper \& Bros., New York, 1962; then slightly corrected reprint \cite{neugebauer1969theexactsc}); Hungarian edition: Egzakt tudományok az ókorban, Budapest 1984; with bibliographical additions by P. Vargyas; Russian edition: Moscow 1968
Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics [Comm. on Pure & App. Math], vol. 8 (), nr 4 pp. 641-648 New York: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
year
1955
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_25
urldate
2013-12-06
abstract
Ptolemy’s “Almagest”, written about 140 A.D. and itself a work of great mathematical skill, has preserved interesting references to investigations of Apollonius, three centuries earlier, on the cinematics of eccentric and epicyclic motion. After Eudoxus, about 360 B.C., had succeeded in giving a qualitative explanation of the apparent planetary orbits by means of concentric spheres, rotating about inclined axes1, Apollonius seems to have been the first geometer to utilize plain circular motion. What we know, through Ptolemy, about his theory seems to indicate that the theory was not far enough developed to account, e.g., for the dependence of the arcs of retrogradation on the longitude. Indeed, the complexity of the empirical data is so great that Hipparchus (about 150 B.C.) refrained from formulating a consistent planetary theory, a task finally accomplished by Ptolemy. To us the relative merit of Apollonius’ or Ptolemy’s theories for the representation of empirical data is no longer of great interest. Apollonius’ discussion, however, of the appearance of stationary points in the planetary motion seems to me worthy of being remembered for its intrinsic mathematical elegance.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
Astronomical Cuneiform Texts: Babylonian Ephemerides of the Seleucid Period for the Motion of the Sun, the Moon, and the Planets. Published for the Institute for Advanced Study [ACT] [3 vol.s]
Sources in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, nr 5 London and New York: Lund Humphries and Springer Science+Business Media
The Transmission of Planetary Theories in Ancient and Medieval Astronomy
Scripta Mathematica: A Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Philosophy, History, and Expository Treatment of Mathematics, vol. 22 () pp. 165-192 New York: Yeshiva Univ.
The Transmission of Planetary Theories in Ancient and Medieval Astronomy
sorttitle
transmission of planetary theories in ancient and medieval astronomy, The
journal
Scripta Mathematica
journalsubtitle
A Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Philosophy, History, and Expository Treatment of Mathematics
volume
22
pages
165-192
location
New York
publisher
Yeshiva Univ.
year
1955
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_6
urldate
2013-06-22
abstract
“The fourth of a series of lectures under the provisions of the Emanuel Stern Fund. Delivered before the Forum of the Society of Friends of Scripta Mathematica at Teachers Colleges, Columbia University, Thursday, April 12, 1955.” In Toledo in the year A.D. 1068 Abū’l-Qāsim Sā’id ibn Ahmad, also known as Qādi Sā’id, wrote a book entitled The Categories of Nations.1 In this work he discusses the people of the world from the viewpoint of their interest in scientific research, stating that “the category of nations which have cultivated the sciences forms the élite and the essential part of the creations of Allah.”2 Eight nations belong to this class: “the Hindus, the Persians, the Chaldeans, the Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, and the Arabs.”3 Taking into account some terminological differences, this list can still be considered fairly complete. What Sā’id calls “the Romans” and “the Egyptians” in part coincides with what we would call the Byzantines and the Alexandrian School, while Rome and Egypt in our sense of these words could not compare in importance with India and the Hellenistic or Muslim contributions. But it is wise not to forget that the existence of the Roman Empire was an essential condition for the transmission of Hellenistic science to the Muslim world.
THIS paper concerns astronomical texts from Mesopotamia, written during the last three centuries B.C. The discussion is restricted to texts which concern the mathematical theory of the planetary motion, either in the form of “procedure texts” or as “ephemerides.” The former can be characterized as collections of rules for the computation of the latter, which contain chronologically arranged predictions for planetary phenomena,more or less comparable to a modern “Nautical Almanac.” I disregard contemporary observational texts and texts which utilize (in a fashion not yet fully understood in detail) the results of the theoretically computed ephemerides for calendaric and other purposes. I also make no attempt to reconstruct the historical development which culminated in the theoretical texts as known to us mainly from the third century B.C. onwards. I do not think that the material available today is sufficient to justify such an attempt. All that we can do at present is to consider the procedure texts and ephemerides as a completed system of astronomical knowledge containing very few traces of its prehistory. The situation is thus about the same as in the case of the “Ptolemaic System” represented by the Almagest in A.D. 150 or the Old-Babylonian mathematical texts of the seventeenth or eighteenth century B.C. [..]
FEW astronomical theories have exercised so deep and lasting an influence on human thought as the discovery of Eudoxus that the motion of the planets can be explained, at least qualitatively, as the combination of uniform rotations of concentric spheres about inclined axes. The sphericity of the universe, the fundamental importance of uniform circular motion, must have appeared from then on as an established fact. Combined with Aristotle’s idea of the “prime mover” the universe could be understood as one great system, truly geocentric. No wonder that this theory held its fascination for almost two thousand years over the minds of philosophers and even astronomers, in spite of the fact that serious difficulties were apparent almost from the start. The theories developed by specialized astronomers, like Hipparchus or Ptolemy, had to their credit a far superior agreement with the observational data. Nevertheless, the deeply rooted human conviction that simplicity and beauty are criteria of truth kept the hope alive that the homocentric spheres, albeit in some modification, may represent correctly the plan of the creator.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
In 1894 Theodor Mommsen suggested1 that Ceionius Rufius Albinus was the person to whom the horoscope contained in the second book of the Mathesis of Firmicus Maternus referred. Circumstantial evidence led Mommsen to the conclusion that it was the praefectus urbi of the year 336/337 A.D. whose horoscope is discussed in detail by Firmicus. Mommsen did not, however, submit his thesis to the final test: whether or not the astronomical data agree with his hypothesis. It is the purpose of the present note to fill this gap. At the same time I wish to point out how easily problems of this type can be solved without going into a great many unnecessary details which are usually invoked in the dating of horoscopes by professional astronomers who are not familiar with the techniques of ancient astronomy and astrology, techniques which by their approximative character make quite meaningless the application of modern high precision tools.
\cite{neugebauer1983astronomya}, sections 4 and 5, according to \cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The “rising time” of a zodiacal sign, for a given geographical latitude, is the time which is required for that sign of the zodiac to rise, i.e., to cross in its entirety the horizon. This concept plays an important role in ancient astronomy. For example, suppose that for a certain moment of the year the sun is known to be at the beginning of a zodiacal sign. Thus with sunrise this sign begins to cross the horizon, and is then followed by the next sign and so forth untjl the sixth sign has completely risen. At that moment six signs or 180? have crossed the eastern horizon; consequently the sun, which is located at the head of this semicircle, is now exactly in the western horizon, i.e., it is setting. The length of time which elapsed between sunrise and sunset is therefore equal to the sum of the rising times of the six consecutive signs which carry the sun at their western endpoint. Hence we see that the problem of the variation of the length of daylight during the year, or the variation of the length of daylight as function of the geographical location, and many similar problems, can be solved if the rising times are known. It is, of course, irrelevant whether the rising times are measured in hours or, as in Greek astronomy, in “time degrees” (speaking modernly, right ascension) such that a complete rotation is counted either as 24 hours or as 360 degrees. [..]
University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
year
1952
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/301816
doi
10.1007/978-1-4612-5559-8_36
urldate
2013-12-06
language
english
abstract
In 1825 Lieutenant Colonel John Warren published a book of over 500 quarto pages entitled Kala Sankalita with the subtitle A Collection of Memoirs on the various modes according to which the nations of the Southern Parts of India divide time (1). This truly remarkable work was compiled over a period of eleven years from information from natives, “originally intended for the sole use of the Honorable Company’s College of Fort. St. George,” but ultimately extended to a far-reaching study of Indian calendariography and astronomy. Though it was repeatedly consulted by Burgess, Thibaut, and others, its contents have by far not been adequately exploited for our knowledge of the development of Hindu astronomy. The present discussion of a single short chapter, pp. 334 to 348, will demonstrate this fact.
\cite{walker2013bibliograp}: “Appendix (other publications by authors cited above, and various marginally relevant items) [NB. This list does not include all the articles in Astronomy before the Telescope]”
The Babylonian method for the computation of the last visibility of Mercury
sorttitle
Babylonian method for the computation of the last visibility of Mercury, The
journal
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
shortjournal
PAPS
volume
95
number
2
pages
110-116
location
Philadelphia
publisher
American Philosophical Society
year
1951
url
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3143328
urldate
2013-06-22
language
english
abstract
IN THE following I shall try to give a summary of a series of recent discoveries in connection with cuneiform tablets which were written between 300 B.C. and 50 B.C. in Uruk or Babylon and which deal with the risings and settings of Mercury. This speedily moving and hard-to-observe planet presents great difficulties for predictions of its appearance as morning star just before sunrise, its disappearance some weeks later, and its reappearance and vanishing as evening star. The investigation of the Babylonian theory of these phenomena is therefore an important problem in the history of ancient astronomy. But aside fromits purely historical aspects, the problem also concerns modern astronomy. The treatment phenomena near the horizon depends on empirical data, and such data have been extracted from historical records for the purpose of compiling tables for first and last visibility of the planets and the moon. A complete understanding of the texts used for such purposes is obviously an important requirement for the reliability of modern tables. [..]
keywords
CT 301 = BM 45980 = SH 81-7-6.423 + SH 81-7-6.434, CT 302 = BM 34585 = Sp 11.57 + Sp 11.59 + Sp 11.97, CT 303 = BM 33618 = Rm 4.174, CT 304 = BM 35277 = Sp 11.846, CT 300 = A 3424 + A 3436, CT 800a = A 3409, CT 800b = U 169, CT 800d = U 151 + U 164, CT 800e = Warka X 40, ACT 801= AO 6477, A 3405, A 3456
timestamp
2013-06-22
bibmas_file
bibmas_src
\cite{walker1993bibliograp,walker2013bibliograp} #and# \cite{gent2004planetarym} [Observations and Theories of the Motion of Mercury]
confer 2nd edition: \cite{neugebauer1957theexactsc}; then also published in Harper Torchbooks, Harper \& Bros., New York, 1962; then slightly corrected reprint \cite{neugebauer1969theexactsc}); Hungarian edition: Egzakt tudományok az ókorban, Budapest 1