'This is the first monograph on parapegmata in some time and the most comprehensive to date. … Lehoux has provided [an] exhaustive study … with an engaging discussion of the historical and intellectual implications of these sources. This work will be essential for anyone working on ancient astronomy, calendrics or related areas.' Journal of the History of Astronomy

'… engagingly written, with occasional comparisons to varieties of popular weather forecasting in twentieth-century rural Canada … This book will deservedly become the fundamental source for its subject.' Metascience

The focus of this book is the interplay between ancient astronomy, meteorology, physics and calendrics. It looks at a set of popular instruments and texts (parapegmata) used in antiquity for astronomical weather prediction and the regulation of day-to-day life. Farmers, doctors, sailors and others needed to know when the heavens were conducive to various activities, and they developed a set of fairly sophisticated tools and texts for tracking temporal, astronomical and weather cycles. Sources are presented in full, with an accompanying translation. A comprehensive analysis explores questions such as: What methodologies were used in developing the science of astrometeorology? What kinds of instruments were employed and how did these change over time? How was the material collected and passed on? How did practices and theories differ in the different cultural contexts of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome?
Les mer
Part I. Parapegmata and Astrometeorology: 1. The rain in Attica falls mainly under Sagitta; 2. Spelt and Spica; 3. De signis; 4. When is thirty days not a month?; 5. Calendars, weather, and stars in Babylon; 6. Egyptian astrometeorology; 7. Conclusion; Part II. Sources: Catalogue of extant parapegmata; Extant parapegmata; Appendix 1. Authorities cited in parapegmata; Appendix 2. Tables of correspondence of parapegmata.
Les mer
This book explains the popular instruments and texts (parapegmata) used in antiquity for astronomical weather prediction.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781107404779
Publisert
2012-07-19
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
920 gr
Høyde
244 mm
Bredde
170 mm
Dybde
30 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
582

Forfatter