Babylonian Astronomy. III. The Earliest Astronomical Computations
@article{Waerden1951BabylonianAI,
title={Babylonian Astronomy. III. The Earliest Astronomical Computations},
author={B. L. van der Waerden},
journal={Journal of Near Eastern Studies},
year={1951},
volume={10},
pages={20 - 34}
}SHE first astronomical phenomena which the Babylonians learned to compute were (1) the duration of day and night, (2) the rising and setting of the moon, and (3) the appearance and disappearance of Venus. The Venus computations, contained in one copy of the sixty-third tablet of the great omen series EnAma Anu Enlil, have already been discussed by Kugler1 and in the first paper of this series.2 The underlying assumption is that Venus is visible during eight months and five days, and invisible… CONTINUE READING