Steele, John M. (Author)
Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences
Volume: 110
Issue: 2
Pages: 292-295
A large number of cuneiform tablets from ancient Babylonia containing astronomical texts are preserved. It is on the basis of these texts that we can attempt to reconstruct the history of Babylonian astronomical practice. In order to do so, the individual astronomical texts themselves must be understood. This essay discusses three different types of explanation of an astronomical text that are part of this process: a philological explanation, a technical explanation, and a historical explanation. It argues that a full understanding of any text can be achieved only once all three types of explanation have been provided.
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