quiz 5 babylonian

Where were babylions located

modern day Iraq- Mesopotamia

What are babylionans known for developing

sexagesimal number system (base 60) we still use for time and angles

Where were records kept

on stone tablets

What calendar was used by Babylioans

luni-solar which included 12 months of 30 days each and an additional month every few years to match the growing season

Whats special about their star catalogs

among the oldest in the world

Important Astronomers

Nabu-rimanni and Kidinnu

The Mul.Apin

Complied around 1300 BCE, and one of the earliest known compendia of astronomical knowledge

What does Mul.Apin include

lists names of 66 stars and constellations and lays out star maps

What names do we still use from the Babylonians

Constellations and stars

How is the map of the Babylonian Sky divided

The celestial equator is divided into 12 equal parts (ideal months)

What is the Enuma Anu Enlil

a series of tablets where centuries of Babylonian observation of celestial phenomena are recorded in

What’s the importance of the Enuma anu Enlil

70 tablets, substantial collection of omens , 6500 and 7000 which interpret celestial phenomena in terms relevant to the king and state

Whats the 20th tablet in the Enuma Anu Enlil contain

omens inferred from eclipses of the Moon. Eclipses occured between 12th and 15th day,

What was important/bad in the 20th tablet

bad omen if moon set or rise during an eclispe. The movement of shadow ws an important factor in calculating what country would sufferer

What comet did they have records of

Halley’s comet

What is Nabu-Rimanni important for

earliest Babylonian astronomer known by name

calculated synodic month (new moon to new moon)

devised system A

What is Kidinnu important for

described speed of moon's motion , calculated moon’s synodic PERIOD (4.32 seconds longer, solar year calculation only 4 minutes error,described motion of mercury, predicted when eclipses would occur

What is System A

group of tables giving the postions of the Moon, Sun, and planets at any given moment

What did Nabu-Rimanni calculate synodic month to be

29.530614 days , modern caluclation was correct to 3 decimal places

What is System B

created by Kidinnu and superseded System A , (100 years later) a mathematical method for finding celestial positions more accurately