Why Did the Babylonians Watch the Sky?
In short: Babylonian sky-watchers kept a calendar set by the crescent Moon and read signs in the heavens, and over centuries their observations became a long written record whose values later shaped Greek astronomy.
A 2:02 short film in the series “Before Babylon”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), New York University, with the NYU Library's Ancient World Digital Library (article by Peter J. Huber), “Third Millennium BC Chronology and Clock-Time Correction”; Academia.edu (uploaded research paper; DOI via Zenodo), “EARLY MESOPOTAMIAN INTERCALATION SCHEMES AND THE SIDEREAL MONTH”; Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Archaeological Journal; article by David Brown, 2000), “The Cuneiform Conception of Celestial Space and Time | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge Core”; Bryn Mawr Classical Review (review by Eleanor Robson of Francesca Rochberg, The Heavenly Writing, Cambridge University Press, 2004), “Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture – Bryn Mawr Classical Review”; Cuneiform Commentaries Project, Yale University, “CCP 3.1.1.C - Enūma Anu Enlil 1 C”; The British Museum, “tablet | British Museum”; The British Museum, “tablet | British Museum”; Springer (Archive for History of Exact Sciences), “Babylonian astronomy: a new understanding of column Φ”; History of Science Society, Isis journal (University of Chicago Press), hosted by NYU Faculty Digital Archive; article by Alexander Jones, University of Toronto, “The Adaptation of Babylonian Methods in Greek Numerical Astronomy”; Springer (Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, 2007), hosted by the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews, “BEA”; UCL Discovery (University College London repository); Eleanor Robson, 'Who Wrote the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries?', forthcoming in Keeping Watch in Babylon (Brill, 2019), “robson-who-wrote-the-babylonian-astronomical-diaries-2108-09-22.pdf”.
Sources used in this film
- Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), New York University, with the NYU Library's Ancient World Digital Library (article by Peter J. Huber) — Third Millennium BC Chronology and Clock-Time Correction · View →
- Academia.edu (uploaded research paper; DOI via Zenodo) — EARLY MESOPOTAMIAN INTERCALATION SCHEMES AND THE SIDEREAL MONTH · View →
- Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Archaeological Journal; article by David Brown, 2000) — The Cuneiform Conception of Celestial Space and Time | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge Core · View →
- Bryn Mawr Classical Review (review by Eleanor Robson of Francesca Rochberg, The Heavenly Writing, Cambridge University Press, 2004) — Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture – Bryn Mawr Classical Review · View →
- Cuneiform Commentaries Project, Yale University — CCP 3.1.1.C - Enūma Anu Enlil 1 C · View →
- The British Museum — tablet | British Museum · View →
- The British Museum — tablet | British Museum · View →
- Springer (Archive for History of Exact Sciences) — Babylonian astronomy: a new understanding of column Φ · View →
- History of Science Society, Isis journal (University of Chicago Press), hosted by NYU Faculty Digital Archive; article by Alexander Jones, University of Toronto — The Adaptation of Babylonian Methods in Greek Numerical Astronomy · View →
- Springer (Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, 2007), hosted by the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews — BEA · View →
- UCL Discovery (University College London repository); Eleanor Robson, 'Who Wrote the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries?', forthcoming in Keeping Watch in Babylon (Brill, 2019) — robson-who-wrote-the-babylonian-astronomical-diaries-2108-09-22.pdf · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), New York University, with the NYU Library's Ancient World Digital L: Third Millennium BC Chronology and Clock-Time Correction
- Also: Academia.edu (uploaded research paper; DOI via Zenodo): EARLY MESOPOTAMIAN INTERCALATION SCHEMES AND THE SIDEREAL MONTH
- Also: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Archaeological Journal; article by David Brown, 2000): The Cuneiform Conception of Celestial Space and Time | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge Core
- Also: Bryn Mawr Classical Review (review by Eleanor Robson of Francesca Rochberg, The Heavenly Writing, Cambridge University P: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture – Bryn Mawr Classical Review
- Also: Cuneiform Commentaries Project, Yale University: CCP 3.1.1.C - Enūma Anu Enlil 1 C
- Also: The British Museum: tablet | British Museum
- Also: The British Museum: tablet | British Museum
- Also: Springer (Archive for History of Exact Sciences): Babylonian astronomy: a new understanding of column Φ
- Also: Isis (journal of the History of Science Society), 1991 article by Alexander Jones, hosted on the NYU Faculty Digital Arc: The Adaptation of Babylonian Methods in Greek Numerical Astronomy
- Also: Springer (Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, 2007), hosted by the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, Univer: BEA
- Also: UCL Discovery (University College London repository); Eleanor Robson, 'Who Wrote the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries?', : robson-who-wrote-the-babylonian-astronomical-diaries-2108-09-22.pdf
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