The Heavenly Writing ：Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture

Publication subTitle ：Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture

Author： Francesca Rochberg  

Publisher： Cambridge University Press‎

Publication year： 2004

E-ISBN: 9780511227547

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521830102

Subject： K12 Ancient history (40 BC (c. a.d. 476)

Keyword： 古代史（公元前40世纪~公元476年）

Language： ENG

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The Heavenly Writing

Description

In antiquity, the expertise of the Babylonians in matters of the heavens was legendary and the roots of both western astronomy and astrology are traceable in cuneiform tablets going back to the second and first millennia BC. The Heavenly Writing, first publsiehd in 2004, discusses the place of Babylonian celestial divination, horoscopy, and astronomy in Mesopotamian intellectual culture. Focusing chiefly on celestial divination and horoscopes, it traces the emergence of personal astrology from the tradition of celestial divination and the use of astronomical methods in horoscopes. It further takes up the historiographical and philosophical issue of the nature of these Mesopotamian 'celestial sciences' by examining elements traditionally of concern to the philosophy of science, without sacrificing the ancient methods, goals, and interests to a modern image of science. This book will be of particular interest to those concerned with the early history of science.

Chapter

COVER

HALF-TITLE

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

DEDICATION

CONTENTS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

CHRONOLOGICAL REFERENCES AND AKKADIAN AND ASTRONOMICAL TERMINOLOGY

CHRONOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN HISTORICAL PERIODS

CHRONOLOGY OF MESOPOTAMIAN HISTORY AND THE PERIODIZATION OF CUNEIFORM TABLETS

TYPOGRAPHY OF SUMERIAN AND AKKADIAN WORDS

AKKADIAN MONTHS (STANDARD BABYLONIAN/LATE BABYLONIAN LOGOGRAPHIC SPELLINGS)

NAMES OF ZODIACAL SIGNS (LATE BABYLONIAN SPELLINGS)

AKKADIAN NAMES OF THE PLANETS (STANDARD BABYLONIAN/LATE BABYLONIAN LOGOGRAPHIC SPELLINGS)

THE GREEK LETTER PHENOMENA

Outer Planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars)

Inner Planets (Venus, Mercury)

THE HEAVENLY WRITING

PROLOGUE

1 THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF MESOPOTAMIAN SCIENCE

1.1 THE RECEPTION OF BABYLONIAN ASTRONOMY INTO THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE

1.2 PHILOSOPHICAL INFLUENCES

1.2.1 Practical Knowledge: The Epistemological Problem

1.2.2 Religious Aims: The Pragmatic Problem

2 CELESTIAL DIVINATION IN CONTEXT

2.1 AN INTRODUCTION TO MESOPOTAMIAN SCHOLARLY DIVINATION

2.2 A DESCRIPTIVE SURVEY OF THE “UNPROVOKED” OMEN TEXTS

2.2.1 Celestial Omens (Enmacronma Anu Enlil)

2.2.2 Terrestrial Omens (Summa Alu)

2.2.3 Dream Omens (Ziqiqu)

2.2.4 Physiognomic Omens (Alamdimmu)

2.2.5 Malformed Birth Omens (Summa Izbu)

2.2.6 Medical Diagnostic Omens (SA.GIG/Sakikku)

3 PERSONAL CELESTIAL DIVINATION: THE BABYLONIAN HOROSCOPES

4 SOURCES FOR HOROSCOPES IN ASTRONOMICAL TEXTS

4.1 ASTRONOMICAL ELEMENTS OF THE HOROSCOPES

4.1.1 The Ecliptic

4.1.1.1 The Zodiac

4.1.1.2 Norming of the Zodiac

4.1.2 The Sun

4.1.3 The Moon

4.1.3.1 Daily Motion

4.1.3.2 Synodic Motion

4.1.3.3 Eclipses

4.1.3.4 Latitude

4.1.4 The Planets

4.1.4.1 Synodic Phenomena

4.1.4.2 Daily Motion

4.2 ASTRONOMICAL SOURCES FOR HOROSCOPES

4.2.1 Astronomical Diaries

4.2.2 Goal-Year Texts

4.2.3 Almanacs and Normal Star Almanacs

4.2.4 Ephemerides

5 SOURCES FOR HOROSCOPES IN THE EARLY ASTROLOGICAL TRADITION

5.1 THE IDEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

5.2 CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE PHENOMENA AS SIGNS

5.3 THE AUTHORITATIVE CHARACTER OF THE CELESTIAL SIGNS

5.4 DIVINE–HUMAN RELATIONS

5.5 PERSONAL CELESTIAL DIVINATION

6 THE SCRIBES AND SCHOLARS OF MESOPOTAMIAN CELESTIAL SCIENCE

6.1 THE SCRIBES, SCHOLARSHIP, AND KNOWLEDGE

6.2 THE SCRIBES OF ENUMA ANU ENLIL

7 THE CLASSIFICATION OF MESOPOTAMIAN CELESTIAL INQUIRY AS SCIENCE

7.1 THE EVIDENCE OF TRANSMISSION

7.2 A CONSIDERATION OF CRITERIA

7.3 THE FOUNDATIONS OF MESOPOTAMIAN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE: THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL CRITERION

7.3.1 The Empirical Character of Objects of Mesopotamian Scientific Knowledge

7.3.2 Omens are Not “Observation Statements”

7.3.3 Observables in Mesopotamian Divination

7.3.4 A Brief Look at Babylonian Astronomical Observations

7.4 THE AIM OF PREDICTION: THE PRAGMATIC CRITERION

7.4.1 The Case of Celestial Divination

7.4.2 The Case of Astronomy

7.4.3 Questions About Theory

EPILOGUE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NAME INDEX

Akkadian Personal Names

Divine Names

Geographical Names

SUBJECT INDEX

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