User:MattBarnes22/sandbox

This is a user sandbox of MattBarnes22. You can use it for testing or practicing edits. This is not the sandbox where you should draft your assigned article for a dashboard.wikiedu.org course. To find the right sandbox for your assignment, visit your Dashboard course page and follow the Sandbox Draft link for your assigned article in the My Articles section. Get Help

Babylonian astronomy focused on a select group of stars and constellations known as ziqpu stars^[1]. An object labelled the ivory prism was recovered from the ruins of Nineveh. First presumed to be describing rules to a game, its use was later deciphered to be a unit converter for calculating the movement of celestial bodies and constellations^[2]. Babylonian astronomers also developed zodiacal signs. they are made up of the division of the sky into three sets of thirty degrees and the constellations that inhabit each sector^[3].

MUL.APIN is a collection of two cuneiform tablets (Tablet 1 and Tablet 2) that document aspects of Babylonian astronomy such as the movement of celestial bodies and records of solstices and eclipses^[4]. Each tablet is also split into smaller sections called Lists. It was comprised in the general time frame of the astrolabes and Enuma Anu Enlil, evidenced by similar themes, mathematical principles, and occurrences^[5].

Tablet 1 houses information that closely parallels information contained in astrolabe B. The similarities between Tablet 1 and astrolabe B show that the authors were inspired by the same source for at least some of the information. There are six lists of stars on this tablet that relate to sixty constellations in charted paths of the three groups of Babylonian star paths, Ea, Anu, and Enlil. there are also additions to the paths of both Anu and Enlil that are not found in astrolabe B^[6]. The analysis of each constellation charts its path through the sky, its supposed divine nature and the omens they can cause.

The exploration of the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies affected the development of Mesopotamian culture. The study of the sky led to the development of a calendar and advanced mathematics in these societies. The Babylonians were not the first complex society to develop a calendar globally and in nearby North Africa, The Egyptians developed a calendar of their own. The Egyptian calendar was solar based, while the Babylonian calendar was lunar based. A potential blend between the too that has been noted by some historians is the adoption of a crude leap year by the Babylonians after the Egyptians developed one. The Babylonian leap year shares no similarities with the leap year practiced today. it involved the addition of a thirteenth month as a means to re-calibrate the calendar to better match the growing season.

Babylonian priests were the ones responsible for developing new forms of mathematics and did so to better calculate the movements of celestial bodies. One such priest, Nabu-rimanni, is the first documented Babylonian astronomer. He was a priest for the moon god and is credited with writing lunar and eclipse computation tables as well as other elaborate mathematical calculations. The computation tables are organized in seventeen or eighteen tables that document the orbiting speeds of planets and the moon. His work was later recounted by astronomers during the Seleucid dynasty.

It was a common Mesopotamian belief that gods could and did indicate future events to mankind. This indication of future events The Mesopotamian belief in omens pertains to astronomy and its predecessor astrology because it was a common practice at the time to look to the sky for omens. The other way to receive omens at the time was to look at animal entrails. This method of recovering omens is classified as a producible omen, meaning it can be produced by humans, but sky omens are produced without human action and therefore seen as much more powerful. Both producible and unproducable omens however, were seen as messages from the gods. Just because gods sent the signs didn’t mean that Mesopotamians beleieved their fate was sealed either, the belief during this time was that omens were avoidable. In mathematical terms, the Mesopotamians viewed omens as “if x, then y”, where “X” is the protasis and “Y” is the apodosis^[7]. The relationship Mesopotamians had with omens can be seen in the Omen Compendia, a Babylonian text composed starting from the beginning of the second millennium onwards.^[7] It is the primary source text that tells us that ancient Mesopotamians saw omens as preventable. The text also contains information on Sumerian rites to avert evil, or “nam-bur-bi”. A term later adopted by the Akkadians as “namburbu”, roughly, “[the evil] loosening”. The god Ea was the one believed to send the omens. Concerning the severity of omens, eclipses were seen as the most dangerous.

The Enuma Anu Enlil is a series of cuneiform tablets that gives insight on different sky omens Babylonian astronomers observed^[8]. Celestial bodies such as the sun and moon were given significant power as omens. Reports from Nineveh and Babylon, circa 2500-670 B.C.E., show lunar omens observed by the Mesopotamians. "When the moon disappears, evil will befall the land. When the moon disappears out of its reckoning, an eclipse will take place"^[9].

The astrolabes are one of the earliest documented cuneiform tablets that discuss astronomy and date back to the Old Babylonian Kingom (not to be mistaken for the later astronomical measurement device of the same name). They are a list of thirty-six stars connected with the months in a year. The astrolabes are not complete texts but there is a modern compilation done by Pinches (astrolabe B), assembled from texts housed in the British Museum that is considered excellent. Two other texts concerning the astrolabes that should be mentioned are the Brussels and Berlin compilations. They offer similar information to the Pinches anthology, but do contain some differing information from each other. For the era it was first compiled in, approximately between 1800-1100 B.C.E., it is surprisingly accurate.^[10]

The thirty-six stars that make up the astrolabes are believed to be derived from the astronomical traditions from three Mesopotamian city-states, Elam, Akkad, and Amurru. The stars followed and possibly charted by these cute-states are identical stars to the ones in the astrolabes. Each region had a set of twelve stars it followed, which combined equals the thirty-six stars in the astrolabes. The twelve stars of each region also correspond to the months of the year. The two cuneiform texts that provide the information for this claim are the large star list “K 250” and “K 8067”. Both of these tablets were translated and transcribed by Weidner. During the reign of Hammurabi these three separate traditions were combined. This combining also ushered in a more scentific approach to astronomy as connections to the original three traditions weakened. The increased use of science in astronomy is evidenced by the traditions from these three regions being arranged in accordance to the paths of the stars of Ea, Anu, and Enlil^[10], an astronomical system contained and discussed in the Mul.apin.^[10]

Opening paragraph: cut it, don't equate babylonian astronomy to western astronomy right away Ex. "Textual evidence in the form of cuneiform tablets have been dated as far back as the second millenium that provide information on Babylonian astronomy"?

“earliest Babylonian star catalogues dating from about 1200 BC” Addition: earliest known datable tablets are from the Hammurabi dynasty. Hammurabi dynasty addition could be added to mention of Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa

Above text could also be placed in the planetary theory section of the Wikipedia page

Possible additions could be made to references about the influence Babylonian astronomy had on western astronomy Such as This theory is a newer development dating to the late 2oth century Socrates reference to babylonaian astronomers

Babylonian astronomy developed out of needfor a calendar (make into sub-section if enough info) Based calendar/seasons on movements of stars,sun, and moon Charted eclipses Lunar calendar Can be seen through communications between Mesopotamian rulers Noted planetary movements Celestial bodies given divine properties/seen as gods Differed from Egyptian calendar (solar) Babylonian “priests” developed mathematical principles to more accurately chart stars/eclipses Nabu-Rimanni: first documented Babylonia astronomer -protest of the moon god -write lunar computation/eclipse tables -recounted by Seleucid dynasty -math/elaborate calculation -tables in 17/18 columns

   -each column documenting hw to chart movements

Info can be most common compounding Mary to chart moon can be found in the British museum Measured speed of orbit of planets/moon Leap year in Egypt Adopted by Babylonians -to help keep growing seasons consistent -leap year has a 13th month Cloud observation in winter 600-50BCE: measurements used= cubits and fingers, 1 cubit=24 fingers Did not use horizontal coordinates Use of ecliptical (most likely one they used) or equatorial coordinates questionable Not based on optical effect Babylonian scheme for seasonal variation -accurate -adopted by Hellenistic world Used correct astronomical times 1st astronomical phenomenona Babylonians computed -duration of day and night -rising and setting of the moon -appearance/disappearance of Venus Venus discussed briefly in Enuma Anu Enlil 2systems -old system pre-1000 -younger system Old system had 2:1 approx of day to night during solstice Younger system 3:2 approx of day to night during solstice Math calculations can be seen in omen series (Enuma Anu Enlil) Babylonians divided day and night into 12 parts each Greek adaption of astronomy can be seen on teachings of Socrates -from Babylonian poem by Aratos who wrote about zodiacal symbols Able to commute rising/setting of the moon Greeks got gnomon (sundial) from Babylonians Sometimes documented rain Primary evidence such as a cuneiform diaries (not intact) 2 periods -late 2nd, early 1st millennium BCE -Seleucid period Ziqpu-stars (stars with religious significance) only ones charted No evidence of any kind of a physical cosmic concept Closely related to astrology Use of irregular numbers and reciprocals Other astromical evidence can be found in Uruk Cuneiform tablets dated 380-48 BCE -about process of astronomy Zodiacal symbols is the division of the path of the sun and moon and planets into 12 equal segments of 30 degrees -named after nearby constellations 340 tabular texts on math and astronomy Studiedk movement of Jupite