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Babylonian Civilization• Babylonia is an ancient country of
Mesopotamia ( nowadays Iraq). • Urbanized country based on
agriculture. • Babylonia consisted of cities, and
small villages. • Ruled by a king who had absolute
power.• Babylonians were polytheistic:
believed in many gods.• Babylonian civilization lasted 1200
years, from 18th century BC to 6th century BC.
• Babylonians had a great impact on both, ancient and modern world.
Map of Babylonia
Science of Babylonia
• Babylonians were quite advance when it comes to science.
• They recorded their knowledge on clay tablets known as cuneiform.
• They left their signature in many sciences such as astronomy/ astrology, mathematics, medicine, art and architecture etc.
• In addition, they were the first to develop the early form of writing.
Babylonian Clay Tablet
Purpose of Astronomy in Babylonia
. Astronomy was practiced as astrology.
. Among Babylonians, astronomical events have a religious meaning.
. Astronomers predicted events in people’s lives based on the movements of the planets.
. To many Babylonians, the Sun, planets, and stars were gods and goddesses who controlled their lives.
. Location of constellations helped them identifying seasons for planting and harvesting crops.
. The yearly rising and setting times of some constellations, acted as a time measurement tool.
Shamash- Sun God
Astronomical Achievements of Babylonians
. Because Babylonians believed that there was a purpose behind the creation of the universe , the position of planets and stars, they watched the heavens and predicted astronomical events.
. They predicted solar and lunar eclipses.
. Established a simple model based on observations.
. Babylonians mapped venue's cycle and were able to calculate its lengths.
Venus the Moon and the Sun
Astronomical Achievements of Babylonians(continue)
. Babylonians acknowledged the 18 years of Saros cycle.
. Records show that from 8th century BC, Babylonians started to contemplate the origin of the cosmos with corresponds to astronomical observations.
. The first to form the familiar contemporary zodiac of the 12 constellations and brightest stars which the sun passes through.
. These constellations and bright stars followed the annual path of the sun.
Babylonian Star Map
Astronomical Achievements of Babylonians(continue)
. Babylonian constellations: Gemini, Cancer, Libra, the goat-fish Capricorn. Taurus with bright star Aldebaran, Leo with Regulus. Scorpius with Antares. Virgo with Spica.
. Planets included the moon were measured relatively to the bright stars in the zodiac constellations.
. Measured the sky in degrees.
. Knew the exact path of sun through the zodiac constellations.
Babylonian Ecliptic
Babylonian Mathematics. Babylonians developed
mathematics to understand astronomy.
. Understood fractions squares, and square roots.
. Founded a place value system, where the position of the sign in the number determines its value.
. Place-value system is similar to our modern decimal system.
. Naburimanni 490 B.C. and Kidinu 480 B.C famous astronomers and mathematicians, developed “System B”: Babylonian theory describes the speed of the moon's motion around the zodiac.
Babylonian Mathematics Continue• The place value is a sexagessimal
system, based on 60.
• A place value system helped Babylonia astronomers to work easily with fractions, reciprocals, multiplication and division.
• Plimpton 322, a Babylonian mathematical tablet from 1900 B.C., contains a table of Pythagorean triples.
• Came up with the 360 degree circle and the 60 minute hour.
• Babylonian numeration system began about 5,000 years ago.
• An early numeration system was developed and based on 10.
• There was also a system based on 60.
• “The system first started with tally marks just like most of the ancient math systems did.”
• The Babylonian system contained 60 characters.
• Their symbols for their numbers were wedge shaped.
Babylonian Numbers
Sexigesimal system
Babylonian Numbers continue
• They used instrument and pressed it into wet clay. Then, they dried it. This writing known as cuneiform ="wedge shape".
• Any number less than 10 had a wedge that pointed down.
• The number 10 was symbolized by a wedge pointing to the left.
. Numbers less than 60 were made by combing the symbols of 1 and 10.
• The Babylonian system also had units.
.
. No symbol for zero, but the idea of zero was used.
. To express zero. they left a blank space between the number they were writing.
Plimpton 322
Babylonian Calendar. The year began on spring equinox.. Based on 12 lunar months a year.. Each month beginning when a new
crescent moon was observed.. Months consist of 29-30 days.. To keep the year 352 days, a month
was added every 3 years or so.. Months were divided into weeks.. Each week had 7 days. . Each day consisted of 24 hours.. Each hour consisted fro 60 minutes.. Each minute consisted of 6o
second.. The 60 bases system still in uses.
Babylonian Calendar
References http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/08408/sample/9780521808408ws.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonia
http://www.euclides.org/menu/articles/article3004.htm
http://history-world.org/babylonia.htm
http://hsci.ou.edu/images/images/mov/Babylon.pdf
http://ircamera.as.arizona.edu/NatSci102/text/babylonian.htm
http://www.livius.org/k/kidinnu/kidinnu.htm
http://www.math.wichita.edu/history/topics/num-sys.html#babylonian
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=369437&direct=1
http://visav.phys.uvic.ca/~babul/AstroCourses/P303/mesopotamia.html
http://visav.phys.uvic.ca/~babul/AstroCourses/P303/mesopotamia.html
http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-ancient.html#anchor-babylonian