A study of Babylonian records of planetary stations

IF 0.7 2区 哲学 Q2 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
J. M. Steele, E. L. Meszaros
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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Late Babylonian astronomical texts contain records of the stationary points of the outer planets using three different notational formats: Type S where the position is given relative to a Normal Star and whether it is an eastern or western station is noted, Type I which is similar to Type S except that the Normal Star is replaced by a reference to a zodiacal sign, and Type Z the position is given by reference to a zodiacal sign, but no indication of whether the station is an eastern or western station is included. In these records, the date of the station is sometimes preceded by the terms in and/or EN. We have created a database of station records in order to determine whether there was any pattern in the use of these notation types over time or an association with any bias in the station date or the type of text the station was recorded in. Predictive texts, which include Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs, almost always use Type Z notation, while the Diaries, compilations, and Goal-Year Texts use all three types. Type Z records almost never include in or EN, while other types seem to include these interchangeably. When compared with modern computed station dates, the records show bias toward earlier dates, suggesting that the Babylonians were observing dates when the planets appeared to stop moving rather than the true station. Overlapping reports, where a station on the same date was recorded in two or more texts, suggest that predicted station dates were used to guide observations, and that the planet’s position on the predicted stationary date was the true point of the observation rather than the specific date of the stationary point.

Abstract Image

对巴比伦行星站记录的研究
巴比伦晚期的天文学文本包含了使用三种不同符号格式的外行星静止点的记录:S型,其中给出了相对于正常恒星的位置,并注明了它是东方站还是西方站,I型与S型相似,只是正常恒星被黄道带符号所取代,和类型Z,位置是通过参考黄道符号给出的,但不包括该站是东方站还是西方站的指示。在这些记录中,电台的日期之前有时会出现In和/或EN。我们创建了一个电台记录数据库,以确定随着时间的推移,这些符号类型的使用是否有任何模式,或者是否与电台日期或电台记录的文本类型有任何偏差有关。预测性文本,包括年鉴和常星年鉴,几乎总是使用Z型符号,而日记、汇编、,和目标年文本使用这三种类型。Z型记录几乎从不包含在或EN中,而其他类型似乎可以互换地包含这些记录。与现代计算的台站日期相比,这些记录显示出对更早日期的偏见,这表明巴比伦人观察到的是行星停止移动的日期,而不是真正的台站。重叠报告中,同一日期的一个台站被记录在两个或多个文本中,表明预测的台站日期被用来指导观测,行星在预测的静止日期上的位置是观测的真实点,而不是静止点的具体日期。
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来源期刊
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
Archive for History of Exact Sciences 管理科学-科学史与科学哲学
CiteScore
1.30
自引率
20.00%
发文量
16
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: The Archive for History of Exact Sciences casts light upon the conceptual groundwork of the sciences by analyzing the historical course of rigorous quantitative thought and the precise theory of nature in the fields of mathematics, physics, technical chemistry, computer science, astronomy, and the biological sciences, embracing as well their connections to experiment. This journal nourishes historical research meeting the standards of the mathematical sciences. Its aim is to give rapid and full publication to writings of exceptional depth, scope, and permanence.
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