LL-L "Technology" 2007.03.06 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

=======================================================================

 L O W L A N D S - L * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226

 http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands.list at gmail.com

 Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/rules.php

 Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org - lowlands.list at gmail.com

 Commands ("signoff lowlands-l" etc.): listserv at listserv.net

 Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html

 Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html

 Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]

 Administration: lowlands.list at gmail.com or sassisch at yahoo.com


 You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
 To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
 text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
 sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.


 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
 S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West) Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)

=======================================================================

L O W L A N D S - L - 06 March 2007 - Volume 01

 ========================================================================

From: "heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk" <heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2007.03.04 (07) [E]

Peter Snepvangers wrote:
   Astronomically they already divided the circle into 360 degrees, knew all
about 60 minutes in an hour (from Horus, the Egyptian sun - day - God).


Didn't they get this from the Persians / Zoastrians?

copied from http://mathforum.org/dr.math

According to Otto Neugebauer (in his _The Exact Sciences in
Antiquity_), who is one of the world's leading experts in ancient
mathematics and astronomy, "A second Egyptian contribution to
astronomy is the division of the day into 24 hours, though these hours
were originally not of even length but were dependent upon the
seasons." A little further on he says, "Thus our present division of
the day into 24 hours of 60 minutes each is the result of a
Hellenistic (Greek) modification of an Egyptian practice combined with
Babylonian numerical procedures."

As you may know, the Babylonians/Mesopotamians used base 60 numbers in
their business, astronomy, and mathematics (they used base 10 numbers
as well). Probably connected to this was the division of the
circumference of a circle into 360 parts by Babylonian astronomers.
Geometric circles and the apparent movement of stars on the celestial
sphere go naturally together and time is a common feature of
astronomy. I think, then, that it was natural to use the division of a
circle on a clock face.

However, Otto Neugebauer (again in his _The Exact Sciences in
Antiquity_) also says that, "The division of the circumference of the
circle into 360 parts originated in Babylonian astronomy of the last
centuries BC. The [base 60] number system as such is many centuries
older and has nothing to do with astronomical concepts."


Heather

•

==============================END===================================

 * Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.

 * Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.

 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.

 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")

   are to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at

   http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.

*********************************************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20070306/e03c0d45/attachment.htm>