Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia

by Hermann Hunger, David Pingree

Astronomy and astrology, or the astral sciences, played an enormous, if not a key role in the political and religious life of the Ancient Near East, and, later, of the Greek and Roman world. This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the origins of the astral sciences in the Ancient Near East. Every type of Sumerian or Akkadian text dealing with descriptive or mathematical astronomy, including many individual tablets are thoroughly dealt with. All aspects, such as the history of discovery, reconstruction, and interpretation come to the fore, accompanied by a full bibliography. At that the reader will find descriptions of astronomical contents, an explanation of their scientific meaning and the place a given genre or tablet has in the development of astronomy both within the Mesopotamian culture and outside of it. Because celestial omens are intimately related to astronomy in Mesopotamian science, these are also discussed extensively. The material is arranged both chronologically and thematically, so as to help make "Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia" a reference work on the subject in its truest sense.

Genres: Astrology

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Hermann Hunger an Austrian Assyriologist, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Vienna, until his retirement (2007). An authority on Babylonian astronomy and celestial omens.
Hunger translated a cuneiform tablet from the Babylonian astronomical diaries that describes the appearance of Halley's Comet in 163 BCE.

Reviews

[Gavin White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full-on academic work on the sources of Babylonian astronomy. I found parts of this book very useful as a research tool as it contains many of the ancient star-lists and texts concerning the stars and planets. This gave me some vital help in my reconstruction of the Babylonian star-map.
There are also extended discussions on various aspects of the major ancient works like Mul.Apin and Enuma Anu Enlil. However, this book does not go into astrological omens or the symbolic lore of the stars but instead focuses on the 'scientific' aspects of Babylonian astrology. Accordingly the final parts of the book deal with the Saros cycle and the basic modes of measuring lunar movements.
To get anything from this book you do need some background in ancient astronomy, Babylonian culture and even a little knowledge of the stars and constellations.