مقدمه کوتاهی بر اخترشناسی در خاورمیانه

by John M. Steele, هاشم سیماب (Translator)

مقدمه کوتاهی بر اخترشناسی در خاورمیانه از زایش اخترشناسی در بابل تا توسعه آن توسط دانشمندان اسلامی

جان استیل در این مقدمه مختصر، نگاهی می‌اندازد به دستاوردهای ساکنان خاورمیانه در اخترشناسی و تاثیر ژرف آن بر باقی دنیا.

این کتاب از جمله ، ردپای روش‌های هوشمندانه‌ی بابلی‌های متأخر برای الگوسازی حرکت سیارات را دنبال می‌کند. همچنین نشان می‌دهد چطور در سده‌های میانه، پیشرفت‌های تمدن اسلامی در زمینه مطالعه آسمان و طراحی ابزارهای دقیق ستاره‌شناسی، منجر به تفکرات ساختارشکنانه در میان دانشمندان دوره‌ی نوزایی -ازجمله کوپرنیک و کپلر- شد.

Genres: Astronomy, Science, Nonfiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and enlightening book.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the Mesopotamian calendar and the substitute King!

[Fernando Pestana da Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronomy is, together with mathematics, the oldest science in existence. It is also one of the very few instances of a scientific activity that inspired a huge respect and support in a wide variety of civilizations in spite of the fact that its real practical contributions were almost nil (of course its contributions on a psychological and symbolic levels, through religious observance and astrology, and on the philosophical level, were hugely important). This tiny little book, hardly one hundred and forty pages long, is a very nice introduction to the astronomical achievements of the middle eastern peoples from the Mesopotamia's cultures in the third millenium BCE, the Greek and Roman contributions (most notably Ptolemy's, working in Roman Egypt in the second Century CE) up until the medieval Islamic contributions culminating with Nasīr al-Tūsī's and Ibn al-Shātir's improvements on Ptolemy's planetary theory and their possible (indirect) influence upon European scholars such as Regiomontanus and Copernicus. A very interesting book indeed.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly technical at times, this book may not be as accessible to those with no background in sciences or astronomy (like myself). Nevertheless, the book delivers a good overview of astronomical developments throughout history with a focus on the Middle East. The book details how astronomical knowledge had been built on advancements made in the Western, Eastern and Middle Eastern worlds. In particular, religion (Islam) had been a driving force in the medieval period.

[Karl Galle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very slim but solid big-picture introduction to the history of astronomy in the Middle East region from antiquity to the medieval era. The specific geographic focus means including ancient Mesopotamian astronomical practices and some Greco-Roman material, which supports well the author's larger point about continuity and influence across different generations and cultures. On the other hand, it means mostly leaving out e.g. medieval Andalusian astronomers who were profoundly connected to the work done in the Middle East. A few mentions of Central Asian and Indian influence (correctly!) make it into this survey, but any overview account that's tasked with limiting itself to specific modern geographic categories -- possibly part of the press commission for this book? -- is always going to have to deal with some squishiness in covering disciplinary practices that stretched across numerous political boundaries even in antiquity.

It's perhaps unfortunate that the volume ends so abruptly after covering the mathematical devices of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi and Ibn al-Shatir that led into the work of Nicholas Copernicus. There is mention of the usual "decline" thesis regarding science in the region after the 14th century, but this not only neglects interesting work that continued in Ottoman lands and elsewhere but misses an opportunity to engage with what astronomical practices did continue in subsequent centuries on their own terms rather than just reaching a teleological end point once they've handed off some useful mathematical devices to the Europeans. Nevertheless, for anyone wanting a very quick introduction to the history of astronomy in the region, this is a fine place to start, and there are additional references in the bibliography and in more recent works that can satisfy those who want additional detail on particular areas.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to historical astronomy without a lot of mathematics. The author delves into Babylonian, Greek, and Islamic astronomy tracing how each influenced later astronomers. The one quibble I have is that the author doesn’t discuss how the ancient astronomers felt about the stars – there’s nothing about the ancient Babylonian or Greek religions and how they saw the objects in the sky as deities. There is no mention of the names of planets or stars the Babylonians used.

[Hanna (lapetiteboleyn) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very technical and occasionally mystifying, it was still a fascinating little read that charts the rise and rise of astronomy as a science from humble beginnings as a tool for divination all the way to the Renaissance and the inventions of groundbreaking tools like the astrolabe.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice and short, which made its textbook style easier to get through. It was pretty interesting, but a bit dry.