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Writing Science Before the Greeks: A Naturalistic Analysis of the Babylonian
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Writing Science Before the Greeks: A Naturalistic Analysis of the Babylonian Astronomical Treatise Mul.Apin Hardcover - 2011

by Rita Watson; Wayne Horowitz


From the rear cover

The beginnings of written science have long been associated with classical Greece. Yet in ancient Mesopotamia, highly-sophisticated scientific works in cuneiform script were in active use while Greek civilization flourished in the West. The subject of this volume is the astronomical series MUL.APIN, which can be dated to the seventh century BCE and which represents the crowning achievement of traditional Mesopotamian observational astronomy. "Writing Science before the Greeks" explores this early text from the perspective of modern cognitive science in an effort to articulate the processes underlying its composition. The analysis suggests that writing itself, through the cumulative recording of observations, played a role in the evolution of scientific thought.

Details

  • Title Writing Science Before the Greeks: A Naturalistic Analysis of the Babylonian Astronomical Treatise Mul.Apin
  • Author Rita Watson; Wayne Horowitz
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 252
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Brill
  • Date 2011-03
  • ISBN 9789004202306 / 9004202307
  • Weight 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.7 in (24.64 x 16.51 x 1.78 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Ancient (To 499 A.D.)
  • Library of Congress subjects Akkadian language, Astronomy, Assyro-Babylonian
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2010051431
  • Dewey Decimal Code 520.935

Media reviews

Citations

  • Reference and Research Bk News, 06/01/2011, Page 214

About the author

Rita Watson holds the Abraham Schiffman Chair in Education at the Hebrew University and has published primarily on the relation of language and literacy to human cognitive development. Her most recent book is an edited collection on the Toronto School of Communication Theory.

Wayne Horowitz is Professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University, and has published extensively in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Assyriology, and Mesopotamian astronomy. His books include Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography and a new volume on the Astrolabes.