Brack-Bernsen, Lis (Author)
Steele, John M. (Author)
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Volume: 47
Pages: 181--206
The Saros cycle of 223 synodic months played an important role in Late Babylonian astronomy. It was used to predict the dates of future eclipse possibilities together with the times of those eclipses and underpinned the development of mathematical lunar theories. The excess length of the Saros over a whole number of days varies due to solar and lunar anomaly between about 6 and 9 h. We here investigate two functions which model the length of the Saros found in Babylonian sources: a simple zigzag function with an 18-year period presented on the tablet BM 45861 and a function which varies with the month of the year constructed from rules found on the important procedure text TU 11. These functions are shown to model nature very well and to be closely related. We further conclude that these functions are the likely source of the Saros lengths used to calculate the times of predicted eclipses and were probably known by at latest the mid-sixth-century BC.
...MoreSimilar Citations
Book
David Brown;
Jonathan Ben-Dov;
(2018)
The Interactions of Ancient Astral Science
(/isis/citation/CBB920028822/)
Essay Review
Van Brummelen, Glen;
(2013)
[Essay review]
(/isis/citation/CBB001566547/)
Article
Steele, John M.;
(2000)
Eclipse Prediction in Mesopotamia
(/isis/citation/CBB000740289/)
Thesis
Williams, Clemency J.;
(2005)
Eclipse Theory in the Ancient World
(/isis/citation/CBB001561886/)
Book
Montelle, Clemency;
(2010)
Chasing Shadows: Mathematics, Astronomy, and the Early History of Eclipse Reckoning
(/isis/citation/CBB001031330/)
Article
Stephenson, F. R.;
Steele, J. M.;
(2006)
Astronomical Dating of Babylonian Texts Describing the Total Solar Eclipse of S.E. 175
(/isis/citation/CBB000670067/)
Article
Stern, Sacha;
(2008)
The Babylonian Month and the New Moon: Sighting and Prediction
(/isis/citation/CBB000930117/)
Article
Kolev, Rumen;
(2001)
Witnessing the Heliacal Rise of Sirius and Procyon; Babylonian Horoscope MLC 1870
(/isis/citation/CBB000102735/)
Book
Steele, John M.;
(2007)
Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient Near East
(/isis/citation/CBB000830863/)
Article
Steele, J.M.;
(2010)
A New Scheme from Babylon for the Synodic Arc of Saturn
(/isis/citation/CBB001021158/)
Article
Gray, J. M. K.;
Steele, J. M.;
(2009)
Studies on Babylonian Goal-Year Astronomy II: The Babylonian Calendar and Goal-Year Methods of Prediction
(/isis/citation/CBB000932305/)
Book
Kurtik, Gennadii;
(2007)
Zvezdnoe nebo drevnei Mesopotamii: Shumero-akkadskie nazvaniia sozvezdii i drugikh svetil
(/isis/citation/CBB000900066/)
Article
Britton, John P.;
(2007)
Studies in Babylonian Lunar Theory: Part I. Empirical Elements for Modeling Lunar and Solar Anomalies
(/isis/citation/CBB000771461/)
Book
Huber, Peter J.;
De Meis, Salvo;
(2004)
Babylonian Eclipse Observations from 750 BC to 1 BC
(/isis/citation/CBB000741009/)
Article
Gautschy, Rita;
(2012)
Directions of Obscuration in Babylonian Eclipse Records
(/isis/citation/CBB001250821/)
Article
Steele, J. M.;
(2007)
Celestial Measurement in Babylonian Astronomy
(/isis/citation/CBB000772410/)
Essay Review
Steele, John M.;
(2001)
Babylonian Astronomy Reassessed
(/isis/citation/CBB000102749/)
Chapter
Verderame, Lorenzo;
(2002)
Enuma Anu Enlil Tablets I-XIII
(/isis/citation/CBB000550746/)
Article
Hollywood, Louise;
Steele, John M.;
(2004)
Acronycal Risings in Babylonian Astronomy
(/isis/citation/CBB000751109/)
Article
Rita Gautschy;
(2017)
Astronomical Time versus Social Time: A Case Study from Ancient Egypt
(/isis/citation/CBB080809396/)
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
Journal of Skyscape Archaeology
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Annals of Science: The History of Science and Technology
Aestimatio: Critical Reviews in the History of Science
Be the first to comment!