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Textual Segmentation in Babylonian Astral Science

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Part of the book series: Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter ((WSAWM,volume 1))

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Abstract

During the first millennium BCE, Babylonian astral science experienced several transformations, each accompanied by the emergence of new textual genres. A novel feature of these texts is that different aspects of astral science such as observation, prediction and procedural knowledge were increasingly dealt with in separate texts. This specialization led to the composition of procedure texts , especially in the field of mathematical astronomy. The aim of this contribution is to explore some aspects of specialization and textual segmentation in Babylonian astral science, with a focus on the procedure texts of mathematical astronomy.

The research leading to this volume has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) /ERC Grant Agreement No. 269804.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For an introduction to Mesopotamian celestial divination , see (Koch-Westenholz 1995; Rochberg 2004).

  2. 2.

    These tablet numbers are only approximate, since there were different versions of the EAE with slightly different tablet numbers (Fincke 2001).

  3. 3.

    Akkadian title: Tāmarāti(IGI.DU8.ME) ša 2 Sîn(30). For Tablets 1–6 of this subseries see Verderame (2002).

  4. 4.

    Akkadian title: Attalê(AN.MI.MEŠ) purussû(EŠ.BAR) attalê(AN.MI) u ḪAR?.MEŠ ša 2 Sîn(d30). The meaning of ḪAR?.MEŠ is unclear. For this title see Weidner (1941–1944); for editions of the tablets of this subseries see Rochberg (1988).

  5. 5.

    In Akkadian : napḫar(ŠU.NIGIN) x ṭup-pi.MEŠ y minûssu(MU.ŠID.BI).

  6. 6.

    For a detailed analysis of the hermeneutical methods underlying celestial divination see Brown (2000), especially Chap. 3, ‘The Enūma Anu Ellil (EAE) paradigm’.

  7. 7.

    The data concern the moon, the planets, weather phenomena, river levels and price developments. For translations of the diaries and an overview of their content, see Sachs and Hunger (1988–1996).

  8. 8.

    That the goal-year method was fully developed by about 600 BCE is suggested by the fact that, from then on, in so-called Lunar Six tablets, observational reports with Lunar Six data, weather related gaps in the observations were completed with predictions that were presumably obtained with that method (Huber and Britton 2007).

  9. 9.

    For content and layout of the goal-year texts, see Hunger (2006: ix–xiii); for that of the almanacs and normal-star almanacs, see Hunger (2014: ix–xvii).

  10. 10.

    U4.1.KAM IGI.DU8.A.MEŠ DIB-qa.MEŠ u AN.MI.MEŠ ša 2 a-na MU.Y.KAM NN LUGAL (Hunger 2006).

  11. 11.

    For a preliminary assessment of the astrological applications of Babylonian astronomy see Ossendrijver (2011).

  12. 12.

    One example is AO 6455, a compendium with goal-year procedures and astrological procedures dating from the third century BCE (Brack-Bernsen and Hunger 2002).

  13. 13.

    The so-called Text S (Aaboe et al. 1991: 68–71), an early lunar table partly preserved in two copies; ACT 820aa and 821, two synodic tables for Jupiter System A (Aaboe and Sachs 1966); Texts G (+) H and I, two synodic tables for Mars System A.

  14. 14.

    On this topic, see Ossendrijver (2012d: 36).

  15. 15.

    See Ossendrijver (2012d: 12).

  16. 16.

    For a detailed discussion of this topic, see Ossendrijver (2012d: 10–12, 58, 122–123).

  17. 17.

    For lunar System A and the meaning of the symbols, see (Ossendrijver 2012d: 121–178).

  18. 18.

    For more details on these procedures, see Ossendrijver (2012a,b,c: 58).

  19. 19.

    Numerous tablets preserve different portions of the full scheme, which comprises thirty-five interpolation rules; for details, see Ossendrijver (2012d: 146–150).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Philosophie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany

    Mathieu Ossendrijver

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  1. Mathieu Ossendrijver
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire SPHERE, UMR 7219, Université Paris Diderot—CNRS, Paris, France

    Florence Bretelle-Establet

  2. Laboratoire SPHERE, UMR 7219, Université Paris Diderot—CNRS, Paris, France

    Stéphane Schmitt

Transliteration of Ossendrijver (2012c) no. 69, Obv. 0–8

Transliteration of Ossendrijver (2012c) no. 69, Obv. 0–8

Obverse

  1. 0

    ina a-mat dEN [u GAŠAN-ia 2 ] liš-lim

  2. 1

    si-man.MEŠ ana DU3-ka ana tar-ṣa 2.13.20 LA 2 2.40 GAR-[an ša 2 al 2.13.20 LA 2 LA 2 ina 2.13.20 NIM]

  3. 2

    ša 2 TAG4 A.RA2 3.22.30 DU ma-lu-uš-šu 2 [17.46.40 GAR-an GAR.GAR-ma KI 2.40 TAB-ma GAR-an]

  4. 3

    ana tar-ṣa 2.10.40 LA 2 2.53.20 GAR-an ša 2 al [2.10.40 LA 2 LA 2 ina 2.10.40 NIM]

  5. 4

    ša 2 TAG4 GAM 9.20 DU KI 2.5[3.20 TAB-ma GAR-an]

  6. 5

    ana tar-ṣa 1.58.31.6.40 LA 2 4.[46.42.57.46.40 GAR-an ša 2 al 1.58.31.6.40 LA 2 LA 2 ina 1.58.31.6.40 NIM ša 2 TAG 4 ]

  7. 6

    A.RA 2 8.20 DU KI 4.46.[42.57.46.40 TAB-ma GAR-an]

  8. 7

    ana tar-ṣa 1.58.13.[20 LA 2 4.49.11.6.40 GAR-an ša 2 al 1.58.13.20 LA 2 LA 2 ina 1.58.13.20 NIM ša 2 TAG 4 ]

  9. 8

    A.R[A 2 7.20 DU KI 4.49.11.6.40 TAB-ma GAR-an]

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Ossendrijver, M. (2018). Textual Segmentation in Babylonian Astral Science. In: Bretelle-Establet, F., Schmitt, S. (eds) Pieces and Parts in Scientific Texts. Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78467-0_4

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