The Book of Astronomy in Antiquity (Concise Edition)

by Ptolemy, Professor Christián Carman (Introduction)

Ptolemy's work in ancient times laid the foundations for our modern understanding of the universe. Now in a digestible, pocket format for the modern reader.

Ptolemy’s great astronomical work, which we know as The Almagest , brought together the ideas of Greek Antiquity, based on Aristotle some 400 years earlier, that the sun and planets revolved around the earth. This geocentric view which was inherited by Byzantine and Islamic scholars until Copernicus’ observations 1400 years later, placed the sun at the focal point of the solar system. For centuries Ptolemy’s methods were sufficient to predict solar and lunar eclipses and his work was translated into Latin in the 12th century, spreading its use across western Europe. This new, accessible edition brings the learning of the past to readers of today.

The FLAME TREE Foundations series features core publications which together have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world, with cutting-edge research distilled into pocket guides designed to be both accessible and informative.

Genres: Science

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2024

About the author

Geocentric model of Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy, who flourished in 2nd century at Alexandria, for the universe dominated cosmological theory until the Renaissance.

Ptolemy compiled Almagest , a comprehensive treatise on astronomy, geography, and mathematics, about 150.

The Ptolemaic system dominated medieval cosmology until Nicolaus Copernicus contradicted it.

Claudius Ptolemy (circa 90 – circa 168), a Roman citizen of Egypt, wrote. As a poet, he composed a single epigram in the Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule. Theodore Meliteniotes proposed possibly correct but late and unsupported birthplace in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the Thebaid circa 1360. No reason exists to suppose that he ever lived anywhere else.

Ptolemy authored at least three works of continuing importance to later Islamic and European science. People first knew originally Μαθηματικὴ Σύνταξις, "Mathematical Treatise"). The second Geography thoroughly discusses the knowledge of the Roman world. In the third, known sometimes as the Apotelesmatika (Ἀποτελεσματικά), more commonly as the Tetrabiblos (Τετράβιβλος, and in Latin as the Quadripartitum or four books, he attempted to adapt horoscopes to the Aristotelian natural philosophy of his day.