The Babylonian Theory of the Planets

N. M. Swerdlow (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

266 Seiten

2014
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-60550-0 (ISBN)

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In the second millennium b.c., Babylonian scribes assembled a vast collection of astrological omens, believed to be signs from the gods concerning the kingdom's political, military, and agricultural fortunes. The importance of these omens was such that from the eighth or seventh until the first century, the scribes observed the heavens nightly and recorded the dates and locations of ominous phenomena of the moon and planets in relation to stars and constellations. The observations were arranged in monthly reports along with notable events and prices of agricultural commodities, the object being to find correlations between phenomena in the heavens and conditions on earth. These collections of omens and observations form the first empirical science of antiquity and were the basis of the first mathematical science, astronomy. For it was discovered that planetary phenomena, although irregular and sometimes concealed by bad weather, recur in limited periods within cycles in which they are repeated on nearly the same dates and in nearly the same locations. N. M.
Swerdlow's book is a study of the collection and observation of ominous celestial phenomena and of how intervals of time, locations by zodiacal sign, and cycles in which the phenomena recur were used to reduce them to purely arithmetical computation, thereby surmounting the greatest obstacle to observation, bad weather. The work marks a striking advance in our understanding of both the origin of scientific astronomy and the astrological divination through which the kingdoms of ancient Mesopotamia were governed. Originally published in 1998. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

PrefaceIntroduction, Planetary Omens, Observations, and CalculationsOminous Phenomena in the Heavens1Observation of Phenomena16Calculation of Phenomena23Pt. 1Periodicity and Variability of Synodic PhenomenaUnits of Distance and Location and of Time and Date34Dates and Locations of Phenomena in the Diaries: Observed and True Dates39Periods and Their Errors57Synodic Arc, Synodic Time, and Their Relation64Pt. 2Derivation of the Parameters for Synodic Arc and Time from the Dates of PhenomenaTheoretical and Empirical Considerations73System B78System A88Mercury: Systems A[subscript 1] and A[subscript 2]104Pt. 3Alignment to the Zodiac, Initial Position, Elongation, Subdivision of the Synodic Arc and TimeAlignment to the Zodiac135Initial Position and Elongation141Elongation and Subdivision of the Synodic Arc and Time147Summary and ConclusionAppAlternative Methods of Deriving ParametersDerivation of System A from the Number of Phenomena183Finding the Synodic Arc from the Direct Measurement of Longitude186TablesFiguresNotation and AbbreviationsReferencesIndex of NamesIndex of Subjects

Erscheint lt. Verlag	14.7.2014
Reihe/Serie	Princeton Legacy Library
Zusatzinfo	47 tables 26 line illus.
Verlagsort	New Jersey
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	369 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Weltraum / Astronomie
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
ISBN-10	0-691-60550-5 / 0691605505
ISBN-13	978-0-691-60550-0 / 9780691605500
Zustand	Neuware