Search Results (15)

The need to choose appropriate and meaningful names for the objects of scientific inquiry, in the spirit of Michael Faraday and, on a different level, of the ancient Chinese doctrine of rectification of names (正名, Zhèngmíng), is illustrated here in the case of the so-called Planet Nine. Since before the discovery of Neptune, the fascinating hypothesis of the possible existence of a new, distant planet in the solar system, yet to be discovered, has regularly surfaced in the pages of astronomy journals in various guises. Its most recent incarnations have been tentatively given names such as Planet X, Planet Y, and, most famously, Planet Nine. Such labels are unsatisfactory because they reveal no significant physical or orbital properties of the object which they are attributed to. I propose here the name Telisto, from the ancient Greek word τήλɩστoς for ‘farthest, most remote’ which captures a feature common to all versions of this scenario that seems destined to remain at the forefront of astronomical research for a long time to come: its supposedly great heliocentric distance, estimated at several hundred astronomical units. By exploring the history of astronomy, I also respond to some criticisms that might be leveled at this proposal. Among other things, I also draw a comparison with the naming of the so-called axions, which are hypothetical elementary particles proposed almost fifty years ago and which continue to be an active object of research. Full article

Chen Zhixu (陳致虛), a prominent Taoist master of the Yuan Dynasty, significantly contributed to aspects such as the creation of Taoist genealogy and the theoretical interpretation of Neidan (内丹 internal alchemy studies). Astronomy of different aspects served as an important intellectual resource for him. Chen Zhixu not only explained the correlative cosmological model in traditional internal alchemy theories, but also introduced systematic calendrical knowledge to broaden the astronomical foundation of his theoretical propositions, thereby strengthening the connection between internal alchemy practices and astronomical research. The model of the cosmic structure based on the Hun Tian theory (渾天說 the Spherical Heaven Theory, a major ancient Chinese cosmological theory that regards the sky as a sphere and encloses the earth in it) that he constructed is not merely a correlative illustration but also laid a solid mathematical foundation for his theoretical system. Nonetheless, Chen Zhixu’s methodological exposition of the hierarchy between internal alchemy practices and astronomical research reveals that his application of astronomical knowledge was selective and ultimately subordinated to, and constrained by, his Taoist transcendental goals. Therefore, Chen Zhixu’s work, to some extent, reveals a structured relationship between Taoism cultivation practices and ancient Chinese science. Full article

The rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) is responsible for the creation of roughly half of the elements heavier than iron, including precious metals like silver, gold, and platinum, as well as radioactive elements such as thorium and uranium. Despite its importance, the nature of the astrophysical sites where the r-process occurs, and the detailed mechanisms of its formation, remain elusive. The key to resolving these mysteries lies in the study of chemical signatures preserved in ancient, metal-poor stars. These stars, which formed in the early Universe, retain the chemical fingerprints of early nucleosynthetic events and offer a unique opportunity to trace the origins of r-process elements in the early Galaxy. In this review, we explore the state-of-the-art understanding of r-process nucleosynthesis, focusing on the sites, progenitors, and formation mechanisms. We discuss the role of potential astrophysical sites such as neutron star mergers, core-collapse supernovae, magneto-rotational supernovae, and collapsars, that can play a key role in producing the heavy elements. We also highlight the importance of studying these signatures through high-resolution spectroscopic surveys, stellar archaeology, and multi-messenger astronomy. Recent advancements, such as the gravitational wave event GW170817 and detection of the r-process in the ejecta of its associated kilonovae, have established neutron star mergers as one of the confirmed sites. However, questions remain regarding whether they are the only sites that could have contributed in early epochs or if additional sources are needed to explain the signatures of r-process found in the oldest stars. Additionally, there are strong indications pointing towards additional sources of r-process-rich nuclei in the context of Galactic evolutionary timescales. These are several of the outstanding questions that led to the formation of collaborative efforts such as the R-Process Alliance, which aims to consolidate observational data, modeling techniques, and theoretical frameworks to derive better constraints on deciphering the astrophysical sites and timescales of r-process enrichment in the Galaxy. This review summarizes what has been learned so far, the challenges that remain, and the exciting prospects for future discoveries. The increasing synergy between observational facilities, computational models, and large-scale surveys is poised to transform our understanding of r-process nucleosynthesis in the coming years. Full article

In a world that grew increasingly more foreign, the Marduk priests of Hellenistic Babylon endeavored to maintain their ancient traditions and beliefs. Central to their worldview was the idea that the gods decided the fates of the land and that to ensure their benevolence, temple worship was not only necessary but the primary raison d’être of the priests themselves. However, foreign rule posed significant challenges to the traditional Babylonian temple cult. In this paper, we argue that in response, the Babylonian priests developed new discursive paradigms that sought to influence their future by reinterpreting their past in light of their present. On the one hand, this took the form of traditional models of cuneiform literacy and was developed in texts dealing with history and ritual (Late Babylonian Priestly Literature). On the other hand, the priesthood advanced a new intellectual model that expanded beyond the scope of traditional knowledge and took the form of a mathematical-astronomical paradigm. While there is an apparent tension between both paradigms, we posit that their overarching objectives remained the same: understanding the divinely determined future through the past (and present) and influencing it by ritual action directed towards the divine. Studying this Babylonian model is valuable for understanding parallel epistemological and discursive processes taking place in other ancient Near Eastern temple communities that faced similar challenges under foreign imperial rule. Full article

While Kepler is regarded as a major figure in standard historical accounts of the scientific revolution of early modern Europe, he is typically seen as having one foot in the new scientific culture and one in the old. In some of his work, Kepler appears, along with Galileo, to be on a trajectory towards Newton’s celestial mechanics. In addition to his advocacy of Copernicus’s heliocentrism, he appealed to physical causes in his explanations of the movements of celestial bodies. But other work appears to express a neo-Platonic “metaphysics” or “mysticism”, as most obvious in his embrace of the ancient tradition of the “music of the spheres”. Here I problematize this distinction. The musical features of Kepler’s purported neo-Platonic “metaphysics”, I argue, was also tied to Platonic and neo-Platonic features of the methodology of a tradition of mathematical astronomy that would remain largely untouched by his shift to heliocentrism and that would be essential to his actual scientific practice. Importantly, certain features of the geometric practices he inherited—ones later formalized as “projective geometry”—would also carry those “harmonic” structures expressed in the thesis of the music of the spheres. Full article

Armillary spheres were developed in the East and the West for a long time. They independently developed various functions for astronomy. In this article, we discuss the differences in mechanical structures, appearance, and functions between the armillary spheres in ancient China and Europe. The earliest armillary sphere in ancient China was invented by Luo Xia Hong (落下閎) between 156 BC and 87 BC. Then, the armillary sphere in ancient China improved with the historical development of astronomy. The famous armillary sphere was built in an astronomical clock tower (水運儀象台) by Su Song (蘇頌) in the Song (宋) dynasty. This armillary sphere was an astronomical apparatus for the observation of celestial phenomena and the correction of time standards. However, the armillary sphere in Europe had different applications, even though the structures were similar. The armillary spheres in Europe simulated the sun’s trajectory in one day to predict the sunrise and sunset positions. They adjusted the tilting angle of the celestial sphere with the altitude of observation to observe the path of the stars around the ecliptic. Through this review, the armillary spheres in ancient China and Europe are defined clearly. Full article

The sentence from the tenth chapter of the Laozi, wherein the character “zai” is the last character of the preceding chapter, “po” denotes the ancient polar star Kaiyang, and “yi” signifies the celestial pole Taiyi, finds its roots in ancient Chinese astronomy. “yingpo” conveys the meaning of “encircling the polar star”, whereas “baoyi” signifies “encompassing Taiyi”, thereby metaphorically representing a framework of harmonious order. The depiction of the universe by the author of the Laozi, rooted in ancient astronomical understanding, serves as a political guide for rulers. It suggests that rulers should value the movement pattern of Taiyi, refrain from intervention, and prioritize the inherent qualities of their subjects, thus facilitating their natural development. The entire tenth chapter is centered around this central thesis. Full article

There are many foreign astronomical materials that were preserved in the Chinese translation of Buddhist canons. From the content, these astronomical materials include cosmology theories, lunar mansion systems, calendrical data, etc. These astronomical materials are important evidence for the exchange and dissemination of astronomy between ancient civilizations. This paper aims to sort out and analyze the astronomical materials preserved in the Chinese translation of Buddhist canons, classifying and differentiating the content of astronomy, which was foreign to China, tracing the origins of these astronomical knowledge, discussing their impact on local astronomy in China, and evaluating the preservation form, characteristics, reliability, functionality, and limitations of these astronomical materials. Through the above discussion, this paper will demonstrate the core meaning of the historical view of transcultural transmission of sciences and technology, which is ‘knowledge progresses through dissemination and civilization thrives through communication’. Full article

Juedi Tiantong occurred in ancient China and was the critical foundation for understanding the relationship between Tian and man in China. From the perspective of conceptual history, Juedi Tiantong not only shaped the metaphysical dimension of the concept of Tian, but also transformed the original religious form of communication between man and natural gods into the unity of human nature and Tiandao, which liberated the relationship between Tian and man from the religious field. Therefore, Juedi Tiantong should be regarded as the critical basis of the unity of heaven and man in Chinese philosophy. Furthermore, as an important religious revolution, Juedi Tiantong also affected people’s understanding of nature, which was mainly reflected in the recognition of astronomy and calendar reform. In ancient China, it was difficult to distinguish between humanity and astronomy, science and religion, and rationality and divinity. In this case, Juedi Tiantong also abstracted Tian, originally representing the physical sky, into a metaphysical concept. Accordingly, the concept of Tian in Chinese philosophy has not developed the same meaning of nature as Western civilization. Full article

This paper discusses two kinds of research implemented to federate different disciplines and knowledge in support of archaeological research and the protection of the tangible and intangible heritage of ancient Tarquinia. The first part of the work examines the results obtained from the archaeological analysis, the concrete implications on the sustainability of ancient cultural landscapes and their possible transmission over time as an expression of the culture of a community. The second part of the work presents the reading and analysis of the ancient landscape and sites through chrono-stratigraphy, especially regarding two case studies in Tarquinia: the ‘monumental complex’ and the Ara della Regina sanctuary. The work focuses on the intangible aspects of the landscape as a result of archaeological research in the archaeoastronomical field. The orientation of the sacred structures and landscapes is presented herein regarding Etruria and the two case studies. The results shed light on the city’s perception by the population, identifying it as an entity that held and sheltered every aspect of the community’s life. The preliminary results of this study have made it possible to recognise aspects of significant historical and cultural value, which are the heterogeneous expression of a solid identity to be safeguarded and developed in a sustainable way. Full article

The contemporary trend of research projects and works are presented on selective issues of archaeometry, archaeology and Egyptology. The current status in research in the area of SE Mediterranean on cultural heritage and archaeological/historical reflections alone and/or coupled with archaeological sciences of eleven papers are placed within an updated frame. The results concern a variety of selected topics critically presented. The topics touch on the cultural astronomy, the ancient textiles and masonries and the physico-chemical and biological investigations, the socio-political issues of Egyptian Ramesside era, revisiting the inscription of an Egyptian statuette, and the valuable information extracted from rock graffiti in north Kharga, Egypt. Full article

The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest extant complex geared device, an amazing analogue computer. It was built approximately 2150 years ago. The device was operated manually by a user, setting a date in a dial. All necessary calculations were made using a set of gears (at least 39), while the results were displayed on several scientific scales. The Mechanism was used to calculate astronomical phenomena, such as solar and lunar eclipses. After an extensive description of the Mechanism, the main objective of the following paragraphs is to demonstrate the accuracy of its predictions. Full article

As in many regions of the world, astronomy also played a major role in the ancient Peruvian cultures. However, the discussion of the astronomical relevance of the Nasca geoglyphs is very controversial. A really precise and extensive investigation of astronomical phenomena has not yet taken place; the necessary data were simply missing. In the Nasca project Dresden, these data have been recorded in recent years and stored in an Oracle database. In the very first step, all geoglyphs with an astronomical orientation documented by Maria Reiche were checked and verified. Subsequently, all lines of the entity “straight line” were systematically examined with regard to the celestial bodies of the Sun and bright stars. For this purpose, on the one hand, the ellipsoidal azimuths of all straight lines were calculated and, on the other hand, the elevation angles in relation to the horizon with the help of digital terrain models (DTM) were determined. Corrections for refraction, the curvature of the Earth, visibility and atmospheric disturbances were largely considered. The azimuths of the celestial bodies during the Nasca period were calculated with software developed in-house (theses by students) and compared with those of the lines. As a result, it was possible to establish that there are individual straight lines that are aligned with the Sun and the seven randomly selected bright stars. However, the number of hits found does not justify the theory that the Nasca Pampas are an astronomical calendar system. Full article

Background: In the pre-Hellenistic period, the concept of medicine was not well-defined. Usually, a disease was considered as a divine punishment and its treatment was devolved to the priests who asked for healing from the divinities. The only job that could be compared to medical practice was a kind of itinerant medicine, derived from the Egyptian therapeutic tradition based only on practical experience and performed by people that knew a number of remedies, mostly vegetable, but without any theoretical bases about the possible mechanisms of action. Opinions about the human nature (naturalistic thinking) and the origin of the illness and heal were the basis of Greek medicine practiced by ancient priests of Asclepius. However, with the evolution of the thought for the continuous research of “κόσμος” (world) knowledge, philosophy woulld become an integral part of medicine and its evolution. This close relationship between philosophy and medicine is confirmed by the Greek physician Galen in the era of the Roman Empire. Methods: Philosophical thought looked for world knowledge starting from mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, psychology, metaphysics, sociology, and ethics. We must keep in mind that, according to the ancient people, the physicians could not heal the patients without the aid of a “divine God” until medicine, thanks to the Hippocratic practice, became more independent from the supernatural, and contemporary, ethical, and professional. Many physicians were philosophers, as confirmed by their views of life, such as Hippocrates of Cos, Aristotle (hailed as the father of comparative anatomy and physiology), Pythagoras of Samos, Alcmaeon of Croton, Empedocles, Praxagoras, Erasistratus, Galen, and others, including Asclepiades of Bithynia (atomists affinity). Asclepiades, a Greek physician born in Prusa, studied in Athens and Alexandria. His thought was influenced by Democritus’ theories, refusing extensively the Hippocratic ideas that diseases are a result of mood imbalance. Results: Differing from the current Hippocratic idea, only in extreme cases he prescribed medications and bloodletting, two of the most-used therapies of that time. He usually prescribed therapies based on the Epicurean thought, then consisting of walks and music, massages, and thermal baths. He anticipated the modern idea of the body consisting of atoms, and believed that between the atoms exist empty spaces called pores. As the founder of the so called Methodist School, he was the first to divide acute and chronic diseases, and thought that body weakness was dependent on the excessive width of the pores, while their excessive shrinkage determines fever. According to his student Caelius Aurelianus he was the first to adopt tracheotomy as an emergency therapy for diphtheria. Conclusions: Although it is very difficult to reconstruct the theories of Asclepiades of Bithynia because of the lack of original texts, this paper attempts to focus his role and his thought in affirming the Greek medical practice in ancient Rome and to highlight his modernity. Full article