Mathematical Methods in Ancient Astronomy
نویسنده
چکیده
1. Chronological remarks. The main source for our knowledge of ancient astronomy is Ptolemy. His Mathematical composition, commonly known as the Almagest, quotes observations of his own ranging from 127 to 142 A.D. [35; 36; 37]. This work seems to be the earliest of a whole series of fundamental works, such as his Geography [41 ], the Tetrabiblos [39; 40], and so on, whose influence on mediaeval thought cannot be overrated. Questions of historical priority will not be discussed here. Nevertheless it must be emphasized that Ptolemy relied heavily on methods developed by his predecessors, especially Hipparchus. Indeed, almost all our information about the latter's work is based on references in the Almagest. However fragmentary our knowledge of Hipparchus' astronomy may be, it is evident that it represents a milestone in the development of mathematical astronomy. Observations of Hipparchus quoted by Ptolemy extend from 162 to 127 B.C. Finally, we have original Babylonian ephemerides for the moon and the planets covering, with only minor gaps, the years from 227 to 48 B.C. (Kugler [19; 20], Schnabel [47], Schaumberger [20], Neugebauer [3l]). Nothing is known about the exact date or origin of the Babylonian methods though it might be a fair guess to assume a date between 400 and 250 B.C. To our knowledge, Egypt exercised no positive influence on the development of mathematical astronomy. This is in perfect accord
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