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10 - Astronomy in Its Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2020

Liba Taub
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

Astronomy has often been called the oldest science, and some ancient Greek authors acknowledged a debt to Babylonian predecessors. Many of the earliest Greek philosophers are credited with astronomical observations, predictions, explanations, and discoveries. Yet, throughout much of Greco-Roman antiquity – and later – astronomy was regarded as a branch of mathematics, along with arithmetic, geometry, and harmonics. This view of astronomy – as a branch of mathematics – raises questions about what constituted astronomy, as well as its relationship to philosophy.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Astronomy in Its Contexts
  • Edited by Liba Taub, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Science
  • Online publication: 17 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136096.011
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  • Astronomy in Its Contexts
  • Edited by Liba Taub, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Science
  • Online publication: 17 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136096.011
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Astronomy in Its Contexts
  • Edited by Liba Taub, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Science
  • Online publication: 17 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136096.011
Available formats
×