The Keskintos Astronomical Inscription Text and Interpretations
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Archaic Eretria
ARCHAIC ERETRIA This book presents for the first time a history of Eretria during the Archaic Era, the city’s most notable period of political importance. Keith Walker examines all the major elements of the city’s success. One of the key factors explored is Eretria’s role as a pioneer coloniser in both the Levant and the West— its early Aegean ‘island empire’ anticipates that of Athens by more than a century, and Eretrian shipping and trade was similarly widespread. We are shown how the strength of the navy conferred thalassocratic status on the city between 506 and 490 BC, and that the importance of its rowers (Eretria means ‘the rowing city’) probably explains the appearance of its democratic constitution. Walker dates this to the last decade of the sixth century; given the presence of Athenian political exiles there, this may well have provided a model for the later reforms of Kleisthenes in Athens. Eretria’s major, indeed dominant, role in the events of central Greece in the last half of the sixth century, and in the events of the Ionian Revolt to 490, is clearly demonstrated, and the tyranny of Diagoras (c. 538–509), perhaps the golden age of the city, is fully examined. Full documentation of literary, epigraphic and archaeological sources (most of which have previously been inaccessible to an English-speaking audience) is provided, creating a fascinating history and a valuable resource for the Greek historian. Keith Walker is a Research Associate in the Department of Classics, History and Religion at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia. -
Claudius Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY: TETRABIBLOS OR THE QUADRIPARTITE MATHEMATICAL TREATISE FOUR BOOKS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE STARS TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK PARAPHRASE OF PROCLUS BY J. M. ASHMAND London, Davis and Dickson [1822] This version courtesy of http://www.classicalastrologer.com/ Revised 04-09-2008 Foreword It is fair to say that Claudius Ptolemy made the greatest single contribution to the preservation and transmission of astrological and astronomical knowledge of the Classical and Ancient world. No study of Traditional Astrology can ignore the importance and influence of this encyclopaedic work. It speaks not only of the stars, but of a distinct cosmology that prevailed until the 18th century. It is easy to jeer at someone who thinks the earth is the cosmic centre and refers to it as existing in a sublunary sphere. However, our current knowledge tells us that the universe is infinite. It seems to me that in an infinite universe, any given point must be the centre. Sometimes scientists are not so scientific. The fact is, it still applies to us for our purposes and even the most rational among us do not refer to sunrise as earth set. It practical terms, the Moon does have the most immediate effect on the Earth which is, after all, our point of reference. She turns the tides, influences vegetative growth and the menstrual cycle. What has become known as the Ptolemaic Universe, consisted of concentric circles emanating from Earth to the eighth sphere of the Fixed Stars, also known as the Empyrean. This cosmology is as spiritual as it is physical. -
Kepler's Cosmological Synthesis
Kepler’s Cosmological Synthesis History of Science and Medicine Library VOLUME 39 Medieval and Early Modern Science Editors J. M. M. H. Thijssen, Radboud University Nijmegen C. H. Lüthy, Radboud University Nijmegen Editorial Consultants Joël Biard, University of Tours Simo Knuuttila, University of Helsinki Jürgen Renn, Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science Theo Verbeek, University of Utrecht VOLUME 20 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/hsml Kepler’s Cosmological Synthesis Astrology, Mechanism and the Soul By Patrick J. Boner LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 Cover illustration: Kepler’s Supernova, SN 1604, appears as a new star in the foot of Ophiuchus near the letter N. In: Johannes Kepler, De stella nova in pede Serpentarii, Prague: Paul Sessius, 1606, pp. 76–77. Courtesy of the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boner, Patrick, author. Kepler’s cosmological synthesis: astrology, mechanism and the soul / by Patrick J. Boner. pages cm. — (History of science and medicine library, ISSN 1872-0684; volume 39; Medieval and early modern science; volume 20) Based on the author’s doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge, 2007. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-24608-9 (hardback: alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-24609-6 (e-book) 1. Kepler, Johannes, 1571–1630—Philosophy. 2. Cosmology—History. 3. Astronomy—History. I. Title. II. Series: History of science and medicine library; v. 39. III. Series: History of science and medicine library. Medieval and early modern science; v. 20. QB36.K4.B638 2013 523.1092—dc23 2013013707 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. -
UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The science of the stars in Danzig from Rheticus to Hevelius / Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n41x7fd Author Jensen, Derek Publication Date 2006 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO THE SCIENCE OF THE STARS IN DANZIG FROM RHETICUS TO HEVELIUS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History (Science Studies) by Derek Jensen Committee in charge: Professor Robert S. Westman, Chair Professor Luce Giard Professor John Marino Professor Naomi Oreskes Professor Donald Rutherford 2006 The dissertation of Derek Jensen is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2006 iii FOR SARA iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page........................................................................................................... iii Dedication ................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... v List of Figures .......................................................................................................... -
The Age of Aquarius by Don Cerow, NCGR IV
The Age of Aquarius by Don Cerow, NCGR IV Welcome to the Age of Aquarius.* We are a generation that is perched on the dawn of a new epoch, a new vibration. The world is changing. Everything from politics to industry to our mortgages turns on a new pivot, and we are lucky enough to be able to witness the unfolding. There are those who feel as though the Age has already begun. Others believe that the Age is not yet here, and the called for changes have not yet fully unfolded. Both are correct. As we look around us, electricity fills the air. Lights, power, technology, refrigeration, computers, smart phones, microchips, and science are all manifestations of the New Age at work, of a brave new world already (up and running). But the use of fossil fuels, oil, coal, and natural gas, the inability of Congress to get things done due to party allegiances, the growing intensity of storms and the general weather patterns, are all indications Alpha Piscium and Omega Piscium are the stars thought by Don Cerow that the Age of Pisces is not yet over. to observationally “benchmark” the Age of Pisces. We are building to a crescendo with the warming of the planet being the Revelation 22:13 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” When Revelation was written in the first century AD, the substantial catalyst that inaugurates “New Age” (Pisces) stretched out before them, describing what the future would hold. these changes. -
"The Greeks in the History of the Black Sea" Report
DGIV/EDU/HIST (2000) 01 Activities for the Development and Consolidation of Democratic Stability (ADACS) Meeting of Experts on "The Greeks in the History of the Black Sea" Thessaloniki, Greece, 2-4December 1999 Report Strasbourg Meeting of Experts on "The Greeks in the History of the Black Sea" Thessaloniki, Greece, 2-4December 1999 Report The opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 5 Introductory remarks by James WIMBERLEY, Head of the Technical Cooperation and Assistance Section, Directorate of Education and Higher Education.................................................................................................................... 6 PRESENTATIONS -Dr Zofia Halina ARCHIBALD........................................................................11 -Dr Emmanuele CURTI ....................................................................................14 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Dr Constantinos CHATZOPOULOS..........................................................................17 APPENDIX I LIST OF PARTICIPANTS.........................................................................................21 APPENDIX II PROGRAMME OF THE SEMINAR.........................................................................26 APPENDIX III INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION BY PROFESSOR ARTEMIS XANTHOPOULOU-KYRIAKOU.............................................................................30 -
Classics and Ancient Studies 1
Classics and Ancient Studies 1 in Classics and related fields are advised to undertake at least three CLASSICS AND ANCIENT years in both languages as well as to begin acquiring the ability to read scholarship in French, German, or Italian. Study abroad for one semester STUDIES in either Greece or Rome is common and encouraged. 216 Milbank Hall Student Learning Objectives in Classics 212-854-2852 Students successfully completing a major in Classics should be able to 212-854-7491 (fax) attain the following objectives: Department Assistant: Tynisha Rue • Translate a range of Greek or Latin texts at a moderately advanced Greek and Roman Language, Literature, level and demonstrate an understanding of the grammar and syntax of ancient languages. and Culture; Ancient Studies; Modern • Read, analyze, and write about ancient texts persuasively and locate Greek texts in their historical and cultural contexts. Department of Classics and Ancient Studies (see below • Achieve familiarity with the methodologies and critical approaches and research tools deployed in classical scholarship that will be for Modern Greek) demonstrated in the successful completion of a senior research Mission project. The department of Classics and Ancient Studies aims to introduce • Demonstrate familiarity with the work of a variety of ancient writers, students to a knowledge of the languages and an understanding of literary styles, genres, and periods and their later influences. the literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome in a broader Mediterranean context, as well as to develop an appreciation of how The Major in Ancient Studies Greco-Roman antiquity has been used and abused by later eras. -
The Succession of World Ages Jane B
The Succession of World Ages Jane B. Sellers From The Death of Gods in Ancient Egypt © 1992, 2007 by Jane Sellers aking up the challenge laid been the product of a long development, for down in Hamlet’s Mill to find it is not until the fourth century bc that we Tarchaeoastronomical origins for find the first use of signs for these segments. many of humanity’s myths, Jane Sellers But certainly by 700 bc, in a Babylonian text undertook to discover the correlations between known as MUL.APIN the path of the sun was the astronomical knowledge of the ancient divided into 4 parts with the sun spending Egyptians and their mythic structures. In this three months in each. Since the months were selection, she discusses the precession of the usually reckoned to have 30 days, it easily equinoxes, vital to the understanding of the followed that the monthly segments of the Mithraic Mysteries. Hipparchus may have zodiac would be each assigned 30 “degrees.” rediscovered this astronomical phenomenon, Antiquity of the Zodiac however, it is clear that the Egyptians were Many astronomers harbor a belief that aware of it centuries before. the division of the sun’s path into twelve At the moment of the Spring equal segments far predated this text. Equinox the heavens are never in Charles A. Whitney, Professor of Astronomy quite the same position they were at Harvard, in Whitney’s Starfinder, 1986– in the year before, since there is a 89 writes, “Three thousand years ago and very slight annual lag of about 50 perhaps longer—astronomers chose the seconds, which in the course of sun signs according to the corresponding 72 years amounts to 1 degree (50 zodiacal constellations, and they set Aries at seconds x 72 years = 3,600 seconds the spring equinox.”2 = 60 minutes = 1 degree) and in 2,160 years amounts to 30 degrees, which is one “sign” of the zodiac. -
What Plato Expects from Astronomy
The Day, the Month, and the Year: What Plato Expects from Astronomy István M. Bodnár Abstract The Timaeus apparently assigns a different task to astronomy than that in the educa- tional programme set out in the Republic. There is no word about the reorientation re- quired in the Republic that astronomers should ascend to a post-observational study of “the real decorations [of the heavens]—the real movements that these move by true quickness and true slowness in true number and in all true figures in relation to each other, carrying along the things contained in them, which can be grasped by reason and thought, and not by sight.” (Republic 529d) Nevertheless, I argue that—albeit with vastly different theoretical presuppositions about perceptible entities—the Timaeus takes into consideration some of the strictures of the Republic. Similar to the way the reform of as- tronomy required in the Republic, only such observational astronomy can pass muster in the Timaeus whose major aim is to reduce the regularities of the motions of the different celestial objects to components that are connected to the fundamental motions of the World Soul. This enterprise can be claimed—within the confines of this likely story—to integrate in its fully developed form every important intellectual pursuit there is. Keywords Plato – Timaeus – observational astronomy – educational programme – celestial periods – component motions – intellect – unity of science If we compare the account of astronomy in the educational programme of the Republic and in the Timaeus, we see that in the Timaeus astronomy has taken on a central role it was not yet assigned in the Republic. -
M. A. Van Der Sluijs
Phaethon and the Great Year1 Marinus Anthony van der Sluijs 1 The Great Year The Great Year was a widespread concept in classical times. Cicero's spokesman, the Stoic Balbus, defined it as follows: On the diverse motions of the planets the mathematicians have based what they call the Great Year, which is completed when the sun, moon and five planets having all finished their courses have returned to the same positions relative to one another. The length of this period is hotly debated, but it must necessarily be a fixed and definite time.2 It was believed that the horning points of the Great Year were marked by cosmic disruptions. During the Hellenistic period, two such turning points were recognised and interpreted as the 'solstices' of the Great Year: the world would be destroyed in a flood at the onset of the cosmic winter and in a fire at the onset of the cosmic summer. The locus classicus for this belief is an excerpt from the Babyloniaca of the Babylonian priest Berossus, as cited in Seneca: 1 Without the unrelenting support of the Mainwaring Archive Foundation this article could not have been completed. I am also grateful to Ev Cochrane, Keith Hutchison, and Peter James for their very constructive thinking and suggestions. 2 Cicero, de Natura Oeorum, Ð 20 (52), tr. Rackham; cf. Somnium Sdpionis, apud Macrobius, In Somnium Sdpionis Commentanus, Ð112; Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca, Ð 47 6; Pliny, Naturalis Historic, Ð 6 40; Manilius, Astronomica, 1287-8; Censorinus, de Die Natali, 18; Heraclitus, Homeric Allegories, Un 3-4; also Campion 1994. -
Sect in Astrology Slides
Day and Night • One of the most fundamental astronomical cycles. • But what does it mean in astrology? • Concept of sect recently recovered from ancient astrology. • Posits a distinction between day and night charts. • Interpretation of basic chart placements altered. • Broad overview of sect in this talk. The Two Teams or Sects • Greek hairesis: a faction, party, school, or religious sect. • The planets are divided into two teams. • Each team is led by a luminary: giver of light. – Day team led by the Sun – Night team led by the Moon Sect as a Foundational Concept • Sect shows up everywhere in ancient astrology: – Domicile assignments – Joys – Exaltations – Triplicity rulers – Lot calculations (e.g. Lot or Part of Fortune) – Master of the Nativity – Some timing techniques • It is not a minor technique or concept. Domiciles Aspects Receive Emit Exaltations Exaltations, Sect, and Aspects Solar hemisphere: spirit, soul, mind Planetary Joys Lunar hemisphere: fortune, body, matter Calculating the Lot of Fortune • The Arabic Parts are geometrical calculations. • The Lot of Fortune is reversed by day and night. • Has to do with sect light, and light/dark analogy. The Master of the Nativity • The overall ruler of the chart. • To find the Master, you must first find the Predominator. • Three candidates: Sun, Moon, or Ascendant. – Strongest luminary preferred. • Domicile lord of predominator becomes Master. • Interesting implications: – Many born during the day characterized by Sun-sign. – Many born at night characterized more by Moon-sign. • See TAP #205 for more on this. Annual Profections and Sect • Profections is an ancient timing technique. • Count one sign per year from the rising sign. -
Greek: a History of the Language and Its Speakers. by Geoffrey Horrocks
Greek: A history of the language and its speakers. By Geoffrey Horrocks. London & New York: Longmans, 1997. Pp. xxii, 393. Reviewed by BRIAN D. JOSEPH, Ohio State University Greek is one of the most thoroughly studied languages there is, rivalling perhaps only English and Chinese in this regard, and there is an enormous scholarly literature covering all aspects of its grammar and use. Moreover, Greek itself is like a laboratory for historical linguistics, inasmuch as the recorded history of Greek spans some 3500 years, from Mycenaean Greek of the Bronze Age to the present day. Indeed, after roughly the 8th century BC, Greek offers a virtually unbroken documentary record that by any measure is substantial, containing texts, inscriptions, contemporary grammatical accounts, and the like, all grist for the historical linguist’s mill. Scholarship on Greek has been helped somewhat, though some might argue also hindered as well, by the impression/ideology that it is one language, whether one is talking about the Greek of Homer of the 8th century BC and the world of Odysseus the legendary hero, or the Greek of 20th century AD and the world of another notable Odysseus, Nobel Prize winner Elytis. This view has meant that scholarship can simply be about “Greek” and is seemingly relevant to all stages of the language, a luxury that is not available in the same way for Latin and its later instantiations in the Romance group or Russian and its (near) predecessor, Old Church Slavonic. What has happened, however, as a result, as author Horrocks (hereafter H) notes in his Preface (p.xv), is that the unmarked sense of “Greek” has come to be Ancient Greek, so that the latter stages of the language have special descriptors, e.g.