Babylonian astronomy

A Mesopotamian tradition of systematic celestial observation and mathematical prediction recorded in cuneiform. It combined long-running records of celestial phenomena with numerical methods for forecasting them.

Babylonian lunar theory: A set of numerical methods for predicting the Moon’s position, phases, and visibility. Its arithmetic schemes exemplify how Babylonian astronomers forecast lunar phenomena.
Sexagesimal: A positional numeral system based on powers of sixty. Babylonian astronomical calculations used this system to express fractions and large quantities.
Enūma Anu Enlil: A Babylonian compendium of celestial omens linking observed sky phenomena with predicted events on Earth. Its omen tradition preceded and coexisted with systematic astronomical records.
Greek astronomy: The mathematical and observational study of celestial phenomena developed by ancient Greek scholars. Greek astronomers drew on Babylonian observations and numerical techniques.
Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa: A cuneiform tablet listing dates of the first and last visibility of Venus during the reign of Ammisaduqa. It is an early surviving record of repeated planetary observations.
Goal-year method: A forecasting technique that predicts a celestial event by consulting observations from a prior year with the same calendar pattern. Astronomers used earlier records to predict recurring planetary phenomena.
Babylonian calendar: A lunisolar calendar of twelve lunar months, with occasional intercalary months to keep pace with the seasons. Its dates anchored observations and predictions to a recurring civil schedule.
MUL.APIN: A Babylonian astronomical compendium listing stars, constellations, calendar rules, and celestial cycles. It preserves an early synthesis of Mesopotamian observational knowledge.
Hipparchus: A Greek astronomer of the second century BCE known for mathematical astronomy and a star catalogue. His work reflects the transmission of Babylonian eclipse and planetary data into Greek astronomy.
Babylonian Eclipse Catalogue: A collection of Babylonian records of lunar eclipses spanning several centuries. Its dated eclipse observations reveal the scale of the tradition’s archival practice.

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