Category:  Astronomy & Mathematics

From Amazon.com: This volume is part of Marshall Clagett's three-volume study of the various aspects of science of Ancient Egypt. Volume Two covers calendars, clocks, and astonomical monuments. Within each area of treatment there is a fair chronology evident as benefits a historical work covering three millenia of activity. Includes more than 100 illustrations of documents and scientific objects.

From Amazon.com: David Ewing Duncan traces the development of our modern-day calendar and describes how people's experiences are shaped by their conception of time. Duncan postulates that all this concern with time started when a Cro-Magnon man decided to mark off the days of the lunar cycle on an eagle bone. After recounting the slow evolution of the calendar through the centuries, the author laments how time oriented our society has become. [...] The book is organized in chronological order and focuses mainly on the centuries leading up to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar (our modern calendar) by the Catholic Church in 1582. Along the way, Duncan describes the ancient calendars of many cultures all over the globe, from India to Egypt to the Mayan empire. During the Middle Ages, Christian churches discouraged scientific inquiry on the theory that it was wrong to question the nature of God's creation. This severely hampered the refinement of the calendar and the advancement of many academic pursuits. By the 16th century, Europe's calendars were 11 days out of sync with the solar year, which meant Easter was being celebrated on the wrong day. An infusion of knowledge from India and the Middle East helped Europeans get back on track. Duncan profiles the many mathematicians, philosophers, and monks who made organizing time their life's work. This book honors the efforts of those scholars and examines the way politics and religion influenced societal perceptions of time through the ages.

From the publisher's website: This investigation is concerned with ancient Egyptian calendars. Its specific focus is one of the oldest problems of the study of these calendars: the so-called problem of the month names. This work's main purpose is to suggest an explanation for the Brugsch phenomenon. The Brugsch phenomenon is one of the two main aspects of the problem of the month names. The other is the Gardiner phenomenon. No new theory is presented for the Gardiner phenomenon. As a problem, the Brugsch phenomenon is slightly older than the Gardiner Phenomenon. It has occupied center stage in the study of ancient Egyptian calendars since the early days of this endeavor. In 1870, Heinrich Brugsch, the great pioneer in this subject, wrote about the phenomenon, "Here we encounter all at once the most curious contradiction." Just recently, Rolf Krauss has described the contradiction as still "unsolved". The Brugsch phenomenon concerns the indisputable fact that the last or twelfth month of the Egyptian civil year can be named as if it were the first. Two month names are involved. The first is wp rnpt. Its meaning "opener of the year," refers to a beginning. The second month name is mswt r' "birth of Re" in hieroglyphic Egyptian, Mesore in Aramaic, Greek and Coptic. Both can otherwise also refer to New Year's Day, the quintessential calendrical beginning.

From AEB: In order to understand the 'Greek miracle' of abstract mathematical thought, the author studies the working and knowledge of mathematics in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Il s'agit d'une introduction au zodiaque de Denderah. L'auteur explique les mystères du dieu Osiris, et discute les principes d'astronomie et d'astrologie.

From AEB: Bien avant les Grecs, la géométrie euclidienne ou l'algèbre, le nombre pi, le tronc de pyramide, de cô ne ou l'hémisphère n'avaient aucun secret pour le bâtisseur du temps des pharaons. C'est ce que met en évidence le livre de Sylvia Couchoud.

Reviewed by Francesca : The history of calendars always brings out serious controversy, but nowhere like in this book. The author proposes the possible shifting of the Middle Kingdom by an entire Sothic period, thus changing ancient historiography of the Middle East. A recommended book for open-minded persons, interested in Egyptology and calendar studies.