Article ID: CBB820929403

Bisecting the Trapezoid: Tracing the Origins of a Babylonian Computation of Jupiter’s Motion (2018)

unapi

Between ca. 400 and 50 BCE, Babylonian astronomers used mathematical methods for predicting ecliptical positions, times and other phenomena of the moon and the planets. Until recently these methods were thought to be of a purely arithmetic nature. A new interpretation of four Babylonian astronomical procedure texts with geometric computations has challenged this view. On these tablets, Jupiter’s total distance travelled along the ecliptic during a certain interval of time is computed from the area of a trapezoidal figure representing the planet’s changing daily displacement along the ecliptic. Moreover, the time when Jupiter reaches half the total distance is computed by bisecting the trapezoid into two smaller ones of equal area. In the present paper these procedures are traced back to precursors from Old Babylonian mathematics (1900–1700 BCE). Some implications of the use of geometric methods by Babylonian astronomers are also explored.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB820929403/

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Authors & Contributors
Steele, John M.
Jean-Eudes Arlot
Degroot, Dagomar
Francaviglia, Mauro
Matthew T. Rutz
Zackary Wainer
Concepts
Astronomy
Jupiter
Moons of other planets
Solar system; planets
Cuneiform inscriptions
Cosmology
Time Periods
20th century, late
19th century
17th century
Early modern
Modern
Ancient
Places
Ancient Near and Middle East: Egypt, Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Persia
Babylon (extinct city)
Uruk (extinct city)
Mesopotamia
Assyria
Italy
Institutions
Observatoire de Paris
Royal Society of London
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