Chasing shadows
Subtitle: mathematics, astronomy, and the early history of eclipse reckoning
By: Clemency Montelle
Series: Johns Hopkins studies in the history of mathematics; Johns Hopkins studies in the history of mathematics
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Baltimore, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 408
ISBN-13: 9780801896910
Subjects: Eclipses; History
Description: "Lunar and solar eclipses have always fascinated human beings. Digging deep into history, Clemency Montelle examines the ways in which theoretical understanding of eclipses originated and how ancient and medieval cultures shared, developed, and preserved their knowledge of these awe-inspiring events. Eclipses were the celestial phenomena most challenging to understand in the ancient world. Montelle draws on original research--much of it derived from reading primary source material written in Akkadian and Sanskrit, as well as ancient Greek, Latin, and Arabic--to explore how observers in Babylon, the Islamic Near East, Greece, and India developed new astronomical and mathematical techniques to predict and describe the features of eclipses. She identifies the profound scientific discoveries of these four cultures and discusses how the societies exchanged information about eclipses. In constructing this history, Montelle establishes a clear pattern of the transmission of scientific ideas from one culture to another in the ancient and medieval world. Chasing Shadows is an invitingly written and highly informative exploration of the early history of astronomy."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 383-391) and index.
Table of contents: title: Heavenly hide and seek: an introduction to eclipse reckoning in early times; title: The rudiments of alignment: Basic eclipse theory; title: An accountancy of appearances: Mesopotamian eclipse reckoning; title: Beyond the appearances: Greek eclipse reckoning; title: Recipient and remodeler: Indian eclipse reckoning; title: A science of configuration: Arabic eclipse reckoning.