Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination

Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination
Author: Noel M. Swerdlow
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780262194228

This volume presents recent work on Babylonian celestialdivination and on the Greek inheritors of the Babyloniantradition.In the ancient world, the collection and study of celestial phenomena and the intepretation of their prophetic significance, especially as applied to kings and nations, were closely related sciences carried out by the same scholars. Both ancient sources and modern research agree that astronomy and celestial divination arose in Babylon. Only in the late nineteenth century, however, did scholars begin to identify and decipher the original Babylonian sources, and the process of understanding those sources has been long and difficult. This volume presents recent work on Babylonian celestial divination and on the Greek inheritors of the Babylonian tradition. Both philological and mathematical work are included. The essays shed new light on all of the known textual sources, including the omen series Enuma Anu Enlil, which contains omens from as far back as the early second or even third millennium, and the earliest personal horoscopes, from about 400 B.C., as well as the Astronomical Diaries, ephemerides, and other observational and mathematical texts. One essay concerns astronomical papyri that confirm the extensive transmission of Babylonian methods into Greek; a study of Ptolemy's lunar theory suggests that Ptolemy relied more on his own observations than previously thought; and an analysis of Theon's commentary on Ptolemy's Handy Tables shows that Theon explicated their meaning both conscientiously and competently.ContributorsAsger Aaboe, Alan C. Bowen, Lis Brack-Bernsen, John P. Britton, Bernard R. Goldstein, Gerd Graßhoff, Hermann Hunger, Alexander Jones, Erica Reiner, F. Rochberg, N. M. Swerdlow, Anne Tihon, C. B. F. Walker

Worlds in Collision

Worlds in Collision
Author:
Publisher: Paradigma Ltd
Total Pages: 437
Release:
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1906833710

With this book Immanuel Velikovsky first presented the revolutionary results of his 10-year-long interdisciplinary research to the public, founded modern catastrophism - based on eyewitness reports by our ancestors - shook the doctrine of uniformity of geology as well as Darwin's theory of evolution, put our view of the history of our solar system, of the Earth and of humanity on a completely new basis - and caused an uproar that is still going on today. Worlds in Collision - written in a brilliant, easily understandable and entertaining style and full to the brim with precise information - can be considered one of the most important and most challenging books in the history of science. Not without reason was this book found open on Einstein's desk after his death. For all those who have ever wondered about the evolution of the earth, the history of mankind, traditions, religions, mythology or just the world as it is today, Worlds in Collision is an absolute MUST-READ!

Science Awakening II

Science Awakening II
Author: H. van der Waerden
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 374
Release: 1973-12-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789001931032

Whoever wants to understand the genesis of modern Science has to follow three lines of development, all starting in antiquity, which were brought together in the work of ISAAC NEWTON, namely 1. Ancient Mathematics => DESCARTES 2. Ancient Astronomy => COPERNICUS : ~~~~ I=> NEWTON 3. Ancient Mechanics => GALILEO => HUYGENS In Science Awakening I (Dutch edition 1950, first Eng1ish edition 1954, second 1961, first German edition 1956, second 1965) I have followed the first 1ine, giving an outline of the development of Mathematics in Egypt, Babylonia, and Greece. Volume II, dealing with Egyptian and Baby1onian Astronomy first appeared in German under the title 'Die Anfänge der Astronomie' (Noordhoff, Groningen 1965 and Birkhäu ser, Basel 1968). The volume was written in collaboration with PETER HUBER (Swiss Federal School of Technology, Zürich). HUBER has written considerable parts of Chap ters 3 and 4, in particular all transcriptions of cuneiform texts in these chapters. I also had much help from ERNST WEIDNER (Graz), MARTIN VERMASEREN (Amsterdam), JOSEF JANSEN (Leiden) and MANU LEUMANN (Zürich).

A Slice Through Time

A Slice Through Time
Author: M.G.L. Baillie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2012-10-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1136226915

The dramatic development of European oak chronologies over the last ten years parallels and supplements the bristlecone-pine chronology in the United States. Dendrochronologists can now provide a wood sample - a time capsule of biological material - for any calender date over the last seven millennia from two continents. For archaeologists, resigned to the imprecision of radiocarbon dating, the implications are profound. For the first time it is possible to establish precise dates for prehistoric events. Similarly, we have an independent and scientifically objective way of testing historical accounts, such as the traditional Egyptian chronology. Equally fundamental are the insights provided by the related disciplines of dendroecology and dendroclimatology. The Bronze Age eruption of Santorini and the AD 540 `event' are explored as fascinating case studies. Drawing on a further decade of research by himself and others, Mike Baille not only brings the pre-1980 story up to date, but demonstrates the wide and exciting applications of this comparatively new science.

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome, 2 Volume Set

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome, 2 Volume Set
Author: Georgia L. Irby
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1111
Release: 2019-12-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1119100704

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome brings a fresh perspective to the study of these disciplines in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives. Brings a fresh perspective to the study of science, technology, and medicine in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives Begins coverage in 600 BCE and includes sections on the later Roman Empire and beyond, featuring discussion of the transmission and reception of these ideas into the Renaissance Investigates key disciplines, concepts, and movements in ancient science, technology, and medicine within the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of Greek and Roman society Organizes its content in two halves: the first focuses on mathematical and natural sciences; the second focuses on cultural applications and interdisciplinary themes 2 Volumes

Transforming Literature into Scripture

Transforming Literature into Scripture
Author: Russell Hobson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-09-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317544986

Transforming Literature into Scripture examines how the early textual traditions of ancient Israel - stories, laws, and rituals - were transformed into sacred writings. By comparing evidence from two key collections from antiquity - the royal library at Nineveh and the biblical manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls - the book traces the stabilisation of textual traditions in the ancient Near East towards fixed literary prototypes. The study presents a new methodology which enables the quantification, categorisation and statistical analysis of texts from different languages, writing systems, and media. The methodology is tested on wide range of text genres from the cuneiform and biblical traditions in order to determine which texts tend towards stabilised forms. Transforming Literature into Scripture reveals how authoritative literary collections metamorphosed into fixed ritualised texts and will be of interest to scholars across Biblical, Judaic and Literary Studies.

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome
Author: Georgia L. Irby
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1112
Release: 2016-01-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1118373049

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome brings a fresh perspective to the study of these disciplines in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives. Brings a fresh perspective to the study of science, technology, and medicine in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives Begins coverage in 600 BCE and includes sections on the later Roman Empire and beyond, featuring discussion of the transmission and reception of these ideas into the Renaissance Investigates key disciplines, concepts, and movements in ancient science, technology, and medicine within the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of Greek and Roman society Organizes its content in two halves: the first focuses on mathematical and natural sciences; the second focuses on cultural applications and interdisciplinary themes 2 Volumes

Conversing with the Planets

Conversing with the Planets
Author: Anthony Aveni
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2012-05-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0307816540

An award-winning professor takes readers on a guided tour of the stunning celestial discoveries of past cultures. Interweaving the astronomy, mythology, and anthropology of ancient peoples, Aveni shows how to discover the harmony between their beliefs and their study of the sky through naked-eye observations. From CHAPTER ONE: "My tales of Venus and Mars, squash and corn, are designed to entice the reader away from some of the widely held notions about the discovery and exploration of nature that are ingrained in modern culture. I want us to walk some worthwhile paths that are not so well trod."