Mesopotamian Mathematics: Some Historical Background 151
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Republic of Iraq
Republic of Iraq Babylon Nomination Dossier for Inscription of the Property on the World Heritage List January 2018 stnel oC fobalbaT Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1 State Party .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Province ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Name of property ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Geographical coordinates to the nearest second ................................................................................................. 1 Center ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 N 32° 32’ 31.09”, E 44° 25’ 15.00” ..................................................................................................................... 1 Textural description of the boundary .................................................................................................................. 1 Criteria under which the property is nominated .................................................................................................. 4 Draft statement -
Gilgamesh Sung in Ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh and the Ancient Near East
Gilgamesh sung in ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh and the Ancient Near East Dr. Le4cia R. Rodriguez 20.09.2017 ì The Ancient Near East Cuneiform cuneus = wedge Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi, Ankara Babylonian deed of sale. ca. 1750 BCE. Tablet of Sargon of Akkad, Assyrian Tablet with love poem, Sumerian, 2037-2029 BCE 19th-18th centuries BCE *Gilgamesh was an historic figure, King of Uruk, in Sumeria, ca. 2800/2700 BCE (?), and great builder of temples and ci4es. *Stories about Gilgamesh, oral poems, were eventually wriXen down. *The Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh compiled from 73 tablets in various languages. *Tablets discovered in the mid-19th century and con4nue to be translated. Hero overpowering a lion, relief from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 721–705 BCE The Flood Tablet, 11th tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Library of Ashurbanipal Neo-Assyrian, 7th century BCE, The Bri4sh Museum American Dad Gilgamesh and Enkidu flank the fleeing Humbaba, cylinder seal Neo-Assyrian ca. 8th century BCE, 2.8cm x 1.3cm, The Bri4sh Museum DOUBLING/TWINS BROMANCE *Role of divinity in everyday life. *Relaonship between divine and ruler. *Ruler’s asser4on of dominance and quest for ‘immortality’. StatuePes of two worshipers from Abu Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure 2’ 6” high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. URUK (WARKA) Remains of the White Temple on its ziggurat. Uruk (Warka), Iraq, ca. 3500–3000 BCE. Plan and ReconstrucVon drawing of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (Warka), Iraq, ca. -
The Theorem of Pythagoras
The Most Famous Theorem The Theorem of Pythagoras feature Understanding History – Who, When and Where Does mathematics have a history? In this article the author studies the tangled and multi-layered past of a famous result through the lens of modern thinking, look- ing at contributions from schools of learning across the world, and connecting the mathematics recorded in archaeological finds with that taught in the classroom. Shashidhar Jagadeeshan magine, in our modern era, a very important theorem being Iattributed to a cult figure, a new age guru, who has collected a band of followers sworn to secrecy. The worldview of this cult includes number mysticism, vegetarianism and the transmigration of souls! One of the main preoccupations of the group is mathematics: however, all new discoveries are ascribed to the guru, and these new results are not to be shared with anyone outside the group. Moreover, they celebrate the discovery of a new result by sacrificing a hundred oxen! I wonder what would be the current scientific community’s reaction to such events. This is the legacy associated with the most ‘famous’ theorem of all times, the Pythagoras Theorem. In this article, we will go into the history of the theorem, explain difficulties historians have with dating and authorship and also speculate as to what might have led to the general statement and proof of the theorem. Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2012 | At Right Angles 5 Making sense of the history Why Pythagoras? Greek scholars seem to be in Often in the history of ideas, especially when there agreement that the first person to clearly state PT has been a discovery which has had a significant in all its generality, and attempt to establish its influence on mankind, there is this struggle to find truth by the use of rigorous logic (what we now call mathematical proof), was perhaps Pythagoras out who discovered it first. -
Marten Stol WOMEN in the ANCIENT NEAR EAST
Marten Stol WOMEN IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Marten Stol Women in the Ancient Near East Marten Stol Women in the Ancient Near East Translated by Helen and Mervyn Richardson ISBN 978-1-61451-323-0 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-1-61451-263-9 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-1-5015-0021-3 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 License. For details go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. Original edition: Vrouwen van Babylon. Prinsessen, priesteressen, prostituees in de bakermat van de cultuur. Uitgeverij Kok, Utrecht (2012). Translated by Helen and Mervyn Richardson © 2016 Walter de Gruyter Inc., Boston/Berlin Cover Image: Marten Stol Typesetting: Dörlemann Satz GmbH & Co. KG, Lemförde Printing and binding: cpi books GmbH, Leck ♾ Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com Table of Contents Introduction 1 Map 5 1 Her outward appearance 7 1.1 Phases of life 7 1.2 The girl 10 1.3 The virgin 13 1.4 Women’s clothing 17 1.5 Cosmetics and beauty 47 1.6 The language of women 56 1.7 Women’s names 58 2 Marriage 60 2.1 Preparations 62 2.2 Age for marrying 66 2.3 Regulations 67 2.4 The betrothal 72 2.5 The wedding 93 2.6 -
Early Sumerian Cities
Y 28 NEAR EASTERN, EGYPTIAN, AND AEGEAN CITIES enjoyed more starus, privileges, and possesions than orhers. Evenrually hierarchy would prevail- CHAPTER 2 Managemenr of food sources seems ro have been responsible for rhis, with excess production, which en be stored and sold or traded, providing accumulared wealch and power for some. Religion may have offered an ideological justification For such inequaliry. These periods were Early Sumerian cities marked in addi¡ion by innovations in technology (wheelmade pottery, sheer meral), rrans- ponarion (boats wirh sails), and agriculture (tree crops). Trade neworks conrinued, as rhe broad distribution of Hdaf and Ubaid pottery indicates, from Medirerrmean Turkey to Inn. Litrle by linle rhe rechnologiel, commerciel, and social wo¡ld of rhe Ancienr Near Easr wæ preparing irself for rhe rise of full-fledged ciries. The Sumerians (firsr period of dominarion): Ubaid period: a. 5000-3500 Bc Proroliterare (Uruk) period: ca.3500-2900 ¡c Early Dynasric period: ca. 2900-2350r;c The Êrs¡ ciries in the Near Easr-Mediletranean basin appeared in souchern Mesoponmia, or Sumer, rhe crearion of a people we call rhe Sumerians (Figure 2.1). \Ve have seen that environrnental changes in south-west fuia during rhe previous 5,000 years led to human control over food production; with this masrery came major social changes, including Êxed setdemen¡s. The socio-economic developmenr of these towns and villages is marked by the gradual appearance ofthe ten criteria proposed by Childe as a mark of rhe rrue ciry. AII ten factors finally emerge in Sumer during the later fourth millennium Bc. This chapter will explore early Sumerian ciries. -
LAW in the ANCIENT WORLD Raymond Westbrook
These course materials are posted as a service to teachers and students. Any commercial use or reproduction is strictly prohibited. Copyright © Raymond Westbrook 2005. All rights reserved. LAW IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Raymond Westbrook Model Syllabus and Sources Revised 2005 General Reference R. Westbrook (ed.), A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law (HANEL). Relevant sections from different chapters for individual assignments. 1. Historical Framework K. Nemat-Nejat, Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, 62-64. 2. The Primary Sources M. Maidman, “Nuzi: Portrait of an Ancient Mesopotamian Provincial Town,” in Civilizations of the Ancient Near East II, 931-946. HANEL 5-16. 3. Law Codes and Legal Science Exodus 21 & 22; J. Bottéro, “The ‘Code’ of Hammurabi,” Mesopotamia, Chicago 1987, 156-184; B. Eichler, “Literary Structure in the Laws of Eshnunna,” Language, Literature, and History: Philological and Historical Studies Presented to Erica Reiner, ed. F. Rochberg-Halton, 71-84. HANEL 16-24. 4. Family and Property L. Stager, “The Archaeology of the Family in Ancient Israel,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 260 (1985) 18-23. 5. Inheritance P. Pestman, “The Law of Succession in Ancient Egypt,” Essays on Oriental Laws of Succession, Studia et Documenta ad Iura Orientis Antiqui Pertinentia 9, 1969, ed. M. David et al., 58-77. HANEL 56-62. 6. Adoption J. Greenfield, “Adi baltu - Care for the Elderly and its Rewards,” Archiv für Orientforschung, Beiheft 19, 1982, 309-316. HANEL 50-54. 7. Marriage and Divorce J. Renger, “Who Are all Those People?” Orientalia N.S. 42 (1973) 259-273; M. Stol, “Women in Mesopotamia,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 38 (1995) 123-144. -
On Old Babylonian Mathematical Terminology and Its Transformations in the Mathematics of Later Periods*
On Old Babylonian Mathematical Terminology and its Transformations in the Mathematics of Later Periods* J ens H 0 yrup ABSTRACT Third-millennium (bce) Mesopotamian mathematics seems to have possessed a very restricted technical terminology. However, with the sudden flourishing of supra-utilitarian mathematics during the Old Babylonian period, in particular its second half (1800-1600 bce) a rich terminology unfolds. This mostly concerns terms for operations and for definition of a problem format, but names for mathematical objects, for tools, and for methods or tricks can also be identified. In particular the terms for operations and the way to structure problems turn out to allow distinction between single localities or even schools. After the end of the Old Babylonian period, the richness of the terminology is strongly reduced, as is the number of known mathematical texts, but it presents us with survival as well as innovations. Apart from analyzing the terminology synchronically and diachronically, the article looks at two long-lived non-linguistic mathematical practices that can be identified through the varying ways they are spoken about: the use of some kind of calculating board, and a way to construct the perimeter of a circle without calculating it - the former at least in use from the 26th to the 5th century bce, the later from no later than Old Babylonian times and surviving until the European 15th century ce. Keywords: Terminology, Mathematical, Old Babylonian mathematics, continuity, Mesopotamian mathematics. First presented as a contribution to Seminar SAW "History of Mathematics, History of Economical and Financial Practices", session of 15 June 2012: Names of operations : Meaning of the terms and sociolinguistic analysis". -
The Plimpton 322 Tablet and the Babylonian Method of Generating
The Plimpton 322 Tablet and the Babylonian Method of Generating Pythagorean Triples Abdulrahman A. Abdulaziz University of Balamand Abstract Ever since it was published by Neugebauer and Sachs in 1945, the Old Babylonian tablet known as Plimpton 322 has been the subject of numerous studies leading to different and often conflicting interpretations of it. Overall, the tablet is more or less viewed as a list of fifteen Pythagorean triplets, but scholars are divided on how and why the list was devised. In this paper, we present a survey of previous attempts to interpret Plimpton 322, and then offer some new insights that could help in sharpening the endless debate about this ancient tablet. 1 Introduction Plimpton 322 is the catalog name of an Old Babylonian (OB) clay tablet held at Columbia University. The tablet is named after New York publisher George A. Plimpton who purchased it from archaeology dealer Edgar J. Banks in the early nineteen twenties. In the mid thirties, the tablet, along with the rest of Mr. Plimpton collection, was donated to Columbia University. arXiv:1004.0025v1 [math.HO] 31 Mar 2010 According to Banks, the tablet was found at Tell Senkereh, an archaeological site in southern Iraq corresponding to the ancient Mesopotamian city of Larsa [Robson, 2002]. The preserved portion of the tablet (shown in Figure 1) is approximately 13 cm wide, 9 cm high and 2 cm deep. As can be seen from the picture, a chunk of the tablet is missing from the middle of the right-hand side. Also, the tablet had (before it was baked for preservation) remnants of modern glue on its damaged left-hand side suggesting that it might be a part of a larger tablet, the discovery of the remainder of which, if it ever existed, might settle many of the questions we try to answer in this paper. -
El Teorema De Pitàgores a Les Tauletes Matemàtiques Paleobabilòniques
Estudis sobre Història i Civilització del Pròxim Orient i la Mediterrània Antiga (EPOMA) TREBALL FINAL DE CURS (TFC) El Teorema de Pitàgores a les tauletes matemàtiques paleobabilòniques Assignatura: Cultura i Civilització del Pròxim Orient antic Autor: Jaume Bartrolí Brugués Arqueonet Cultura, S.L.N.E. | Llibertat, 6 – 08380 Malgrat de Mar | Tfn. 667 013 352 www.arqueonet.net | [email protected] Curs Estudis sobre Història i Civlització del P.Orient i la Mediterrània antiga (EPOMA) Assignatura Cultura i Civilització del Pròxim Orient antic Títol El Teorema de Pitàgores a les tauletes matemàtiques paleobabilòniques Autor/a Jaume Bartrolí Brugués ÍNDEX DE CONTINGUTS INTRODUCCIÓ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1. PRIMERA PART 1.1. EL SISTEMA DE NUMERACIÓ SEXAGESIMAL --------------------------------------------------- 5 1.2. IDENTIFICACIÓ DE NUMERALS EN UNA TAULETA ------------------------------------------- 6 1.3. EL PROBLEMA DEL ZERO------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 1.4. NOMBRES FRACCIONARIS, ELS SEXAGESIMALS ---------------------------------------------- 8 1.5. AMBIGÜETATS EN LA NUMERACIÓ ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9 1.6. EINES BÀSIQUES DE CÀLCUL ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 1.6.1. Sumes i restes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 1.6.2. Multiplicacions i taules de multiplicar -
Mesopotamian Legal Traditions and the Laws of Hammurabi
Chicago-Kent Law Review Volume 71 Issue 1 Symposium on Ancient Law, Economics and Society Part II: Ancient Rights and Wrongs / Article 3 Symposium on Ancient Law, Economics and Society Part II: Ancient Near Eastern Land Laws October 1995 Mesopotamian Legal Traditions and the Laws of Hammurabi Martha T. Roth Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Martha T. Roth, Mesopotamian Legal Traditions and the Laws of Hammurabi, 71 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 13 (1995). Available at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol71/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons @ IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Chicago-Kent Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarly Commons @ IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. MESOPOTAMIAN LEGAL TRADITIONS AND THE LAWS OF HAMMURABI MARTHA T. ROTH* I find myself, more and more frequently in recent years, asking the questions: "What are the Mesopotamian law collections?" and more broadly, "What is Mesopotamian law?" For twenty years I have wrestled with these issues, ever since my first graduate school class with Professor Barry Eichler at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 opened my eyes to the intrigue and the soap opera of Nuzi family law. And in the last few years, as I have worked to complete new transla- tions of all the law collections, I have found my own opinions -
Louis Pasteur and the Rabies Virus
RABIES - WHAT'S in a NAME? 0. RABIES - WHAT'S in a NAME? - Story Preface 1. RABIES - WHAT'S in a NAME? 2. RABIES in ANCIENT TIMES 3. WHAT IS RABIES? 4. LOUIS PASTEUR - EXPERIMENTER 5. LOUIS PASTEUR MEETS JOSEPH MEISTER 6. A TEEN HERO NAMED JEAN-BAPTISTE JUPILLE 7. LOUIS PASTEUR - WORLDWIDE BENEFACTOR 8. RABIES as a 21st-CENTURY PROBLEM 9. RABIES and ZOMBIES This medieval illustration depicts an outdoor scene where a mad dog is biting a man; the calligrapher is Abdallah ibn al-Fadl. Created circa 1224, the illustration—an opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper—is a folio from an Arabic translation of the Materia Medica by Pedanius Dioscorides. It is currently maintained at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art. Click on the image for a much-larger view. Rabies is a greatly feared disease which has afflicted mankind since ancient times. Its very name describes the dread it inspires, not to mention the raging behavior it causes: Ancient Sanskrit uses “rabhas,” for rabies. It’s a word meaning “to do violence.” Ancient Greeks called rabies “lyssa.” That’s the same word they used for an extreme sort of murderous hate or animal rage (which seizes Hector in The Illiad and Herakles in Euripides’s tragedy of the demigod who kills his own family). Ancient Romans used the Latin word “rabere,” which means “to rave” (and the related Latin adjective “rabidus,” meaning “furious, raging” leads to the English word “rabid”). French speakers call it “La Rage.” English speakers use the word “rabid” to also describe wrenching agitation. -
Trade in the Ancient Near East: Lagaš, Ur, Larsa, Mari
Journal of Management and Marketing Research Volume 19, July, 2015 Trade in the Ancient Near East: Lagaš, Ur, Larsa, Mari M. Wayne Alexander Minnesota State University Moorhead William Violet Minnesota State University Moorhead ABSTRACT Whether trading for the palace, temple, other merchants, or on one’s own account, Mesopotamian merchants traveled to distant cities in search of profitable dealings. Sumerian Lagaš, Ur, and Larsa, and Akkadian Mari merchants transported goods by donkey caravan, river boat, and sea-going ship. They reached Tilmun in the Persian Gulf, Magan in present day Oman, Meluḫḫa in the Indus Valley, Emar, Ebla, and Aleppo far to the north, Ešnunna and Ugarit on the Mediterranean Sea, and Elam in the east. Damkara imported and exported building materials, precious stones, edible oils, ivory, tin, large quantities of copper, woolen garments and cloth, barley, and other grains. Palaces acquired food for their citizens and copper and tin to manufacture tools and weapons of war. Temples obtained the goods needed to conduct both scared rites and secular commercial operations. Merchants grew wealthy and influential. Kings made war on each other, and they and their city-states rose and eventually declined. But without extensive trading activities a king’s success and the success of his city-state would have been unlikely. Keywords: Trade in the ANE, ANE Traders, Damkara, Lagaš, Ur, Larsa, Mari Copyright statement: Authors retain the copyright to the manuscripts published in AABRI journals. Please see the AABRI Copyright Policy at http://www.aabri.com/copyright.html Trade in the ancient, Page 1 Journal of Management and Marketing Research Volume 19, July, 2015 INTRODUCTION “As soon as people need more than they themselves, their family, or their community can provide, they go in search of the articles they need and aim to acquire them by the exchange of articles of equal value.