Babylonian Time explores the origins of our modern timekeeping methods, revealing the sophisticated astronomical and mathematical systems of ancient Mesopotamia. It details how the Babylonians ingeniously predicted eclipses and shaped our perception of time. The book highlights the development and application of their sexagesimal system, a base-60 number system, which influenced everything from measuring angles to dividing time into hours, minutes, and seconds – a legacy still present today. It further shows how meticulous observations, recorded on cuneiform tablets, enabled these predictions and advanced their calendar systems.
The book provides historical context, explaining the social and political structure of ancient Mesopotamia and the role of priests and scribes in astronomical observation. It progresses by examining Babylonian mathematical techniques for predicting eclipses, exploring their calendar systems used to regulate agricultural cycles and religious observances, and analyzing the transmission of Babylonian astronomical knowledge to other cultures, including the Greeks.
By examining cuneiform texts and archaeological findings, Babylonian Time demonstrates how echoes of Babylonian thought are still audible in our daily lives.
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