Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus

Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus PDF Author: Alexander Jones
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
ISBN: 9780871692337
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 890

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Book Description
Presents 200 hitherto unpub. astronomical texts & horoscopes written in Greek on papyrus, which were excavated 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 accomp. by facing translations & explanatory & philological commentaries. The intro. provides the first comprehensive treatment of astronomical papyri, explaining their contents & purpose, the underlying astronomical theories, & strategies for analyzing & dating them. Tables & graphs.

Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus

Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus PDF Author: Alexander Jones
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
ISBN: 9780871692337
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 890

Get Book Here

Book Description
Presents 200 hitherto unpub. astronomical texts & horoscopes written in Greek on papyrus, which were excavated 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 accomp. by facing translations & explanatory & philological commentaries. The intro. provides the first comprehensive treatment of astronomical papyri, explaining their contents & purpose, the underlying astronomical theories, & strategies for analyzing & dating them. Tables & graphs.

Episodes From the Early History of Astronomy

Episodes From the Early History of Astronomy PDF Author: Asger Aaboe
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461301092
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Phenomena in the heavens are of great importance to many, and much of the lore of astronomy and astrology dates back to the earliest days of civilisation. The astronomy of the ancients is thus of interest not only as history but also as the basis for much of what is known or believed about the heavens today. This book discusses important topics in Babylonian and Greek astronomy.

Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean

Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean PDF Author: Victor J. Katz
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069125768X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 721

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Book Description
An invaluable reference book on the mathematics of Greek antiquity Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius are familiar names to many of us, and their contributions have shaped mathematical practice up to modern times. Yet the mathematical activity of Greek antiquity extended far beyond their achievements and was furthered by diverse individuals in different contexts. Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean brings together an extensive collection of primary source materials that document the extraordinary breadth of mathematical ideas developed in the Eastern Mediterranean from 500 BCE to 500 CE, a millennium in which Greek cultural influence spanned the ancient world. Weaving together ancient commentaries with the works themselves, Victor Katz and Clemency Montelle present a wealth of newly translated texts along with sources difficult to find elsewhere, from writings by the great mathematical thinkers of Greek antiquity to those by practitioners who used mathematics in everyday life. This comprehensive and wide-ranging sourcebook includes lesser-known authors who made critical contributions, sometimes in languages other than Greek, as well as accounts of technical instrumentation, papyri by anonymous authors designed for teaching purposes, and evidence of hand computations and numerical tables. An essential resource for anyone interested in the mathematical achievements of this remarkable intellectual culture, Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean encompasses disciplines that illustrate the important role of mathematics in ancient Greek society more broadly, from astronomy, music, and optics to philosophy, literature, and theater.

Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination

Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination PDF Author: Noel M. Swerdlow
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262194228
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
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

Scientific Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East

Scientific Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East PDF Author: Sofie Schiødt
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479823155
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
Comparative insights on astronomy, divination, and medicine from ancient texts Scientific Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East presents a collection of articles by leading scholars on scientific practices in the ancient world, with emphasis on the fields of medicine, astronomy, astrology, and other forms of divination. The essays engage with a wide variety of textual sources in many different languages and scripts from Egypt and the Near East spanning more than a millennium, including some texts that are edited and discussed here for the first time. The contributors to this volume were tasked with approaching their texts not only as specialists, but also from a cross-cultural perspective, and the resulting body of work reveals new and exciting evidence for the transfer of scientific knowledge across cultural borders in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. This book will be of interest primarily to specialists in the history of medicine, science, divination, and magic, as well as to papyrologists, Egyptologists, and Assyriologists.

The Social Worlds of Ancient Jews and Christians

The Social Worlds of Ancient Jews and Christians PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900452486X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
This volume honors L. Michael White, whose work has been influential in exploring the “social worlds” of ancient Jews and Christians. Fifteen original essays highlight his scholarly contributions while also signaling new directions in the study of ancient Mediterranean religions.

Religion and Outer Space

Religion and Outer Space PDF Author: Eric Michael Mazur
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000904695
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Religion and Outer Space examines religion in and on the final frontier. This book offers a first-of-its-kind roadmap for thinking about complex encounters of religion and outer space. A multidisciplinary group of scholarly experts takes up some of the most intriguing scientific, spiritual, trade/commercial, and even military dimensions of the complex entanglements of religion and outer space. Attending to the historical reality that the interconnections between religion and the heavens are as old as religions themselves, the volume starts with an examination of "outer space" elements in the most sacred writings of the world’s religions. It then explores some of the religious questions inevitable in this encounter, analyzing cultural constructions (both literary and actual) of religion and outer space. It ends with examinations of the role of religion in the very real and very present business of space exploration. What might motivate the spread of religion (or at least fantasies of religion in its myriad possibilities) into new interior and exterior dimensions of the cosmos? Only the future will tell. Religion and Outer Space is essential reading for students and academics with an interest in religion and space, religion and science, space exploration, religion and science fiction, popular culture, and religion in America.

Jewish and Christian Scripture as Artifact and Canon

Jewish and Christian Scripture as Artifact and Canon PDF Author: Craig A. Evans
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 056764703X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Jewish and Christian Scripture as Artifact and Canon constitutes a collection of studies that reflect and contribute to the growing scholarly interest in manuscripts as artifacts and witnesses to early stages in Jewish and Christian understanding of sacred scripture. Scholars and textual critics have in recent years rightly recognized the contribution that ancient manuscripts make to our understanding of the development of canon in its broadest and most inclusive sense. The studies included in this volume shed significant light on the most important questions touching the emergence of canon consciousness and written communication in the early centuries of the Christian church. The concern here is not in recovering a theoretical "original text" or early "recognized canon," but in analysis of and appreciation for texts as they actually circulated and were preserved through time. Some of the essays in this collection explore the interface between canon as theological concept, on the one hand, and canon as reflected in the physical/artifactual evidence, on the other. Other essays explore what the artifacts tell us about life and belief in early communities of faith. Still other studies investigate the visual dimension and artistic expressions of faith, including theology and biblical interpretation communicated through the medium of art and icon in manuscripts. The volume also includes scientific studies concerned with the physical properties of particular manuscripts. These studies will stimulate new discussion in this important area of research and will point students and scholars in new directions for future work.

The History of Celestial Navigation

The History of Celestial Navigation PDF Author: P. Kenneth Seidelmann
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030436314
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
This edited volume charts the history of celestial navigation over the course of five centuries. Written by a group of historians and scientists, it analyzes how competing navigation systems, technologies, and institutions emerged and developed, with a focus on the major players in the US and the UK. The history covers the founding of the Royal Observatory; the first printing of a Nautical Almanac; the founding of the US and UK Nautical Almanac Offices; the creation of international standards for reference systems and astronomical constants; and the impact of 20th century technology on the field, among other topics. Additionally, the volume analyzes the present role and status of celestial navigation, particularly with respect to modern radio and satellite navigation systems. With its diverse authorship and nontechnical language, this book will appeal to any reader interested in the history of science, technology, astronomy, and navigation over the ages.

From Alexandria, Through Baghdad

From Alexandria, Through Baghdad PDF Author: Nathan Sidoli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642367364
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
This book honors the career of historian of mathematics J.L. Berggren, his scholarship, and service to the broader community. The first part, of value to scholars, graduate students, and interested readers, is a survey of scholarship in the mathematical sciences in ancient Greece and medieval Islam. It consists of six articles (three by Berggren himself) covering research from the middle of the 20th century to the present. The remainder of the book contains studies by eminent scholars of the ancient and medieval mathematical sciences. They serve both as examples of the breadth of current approaches and topics, and as tributes to Berggren's interests by his friends and colleagues.