Ancient Meteorology

ISBN-13: 9780415161961 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 288 str.

Liba Chaia Taub

Opis

In Antiquity, meteorology included the study of the weather as well as the study of geological, seismological and astronomical phenomena, such as earthquakes and comets. This book explores Greek and Roman approaches and attitudes to this broad subject. Given the importance of farming in ancient society, it is not surprising that so much was written about the prediction of the weather and how to respond to it. But meteorology was not just for farmers. Poets, philosophers and physicians were also interested, and used the subject to raise questions about the nature of the world and how we understood it, about the unity and character of the cosmos and about the relationship between meteorology and the divine. This book discusses the variety of ancient texts which communicate meteorological and scientific ideas, from Homeric epic and didactic poetry of Hesiod and Aratus, to works such as Aristotle's Meteorology, the Hippocratic treatise on Airs, Waters, Places and Seneca's Natural Questions. The diversity of this literature highlights questions of intellectual authority in Antiquity and illustrates the lively engagement of ancient authors with the work of their predecessors.

Spis treści

List of illustrations, A note on the spelling of Greek names and terms, Abbreviations, Acknowledgements, 1 ANCIENT METEOROLOGY IN GREECE AND ROME: AN INTRODUCTION, 2 PREDICTION AND THE ROLE OF TRADITION: ALMANACS AND SIGNS, PARAPE? GMATA AND POEMS, 3 EXPLAINING DIFFICULT PHENOMENA, 4 METEOROLOGY AS A MEANS TO AN END: PHILOSOPHERS AND POETS, 5 AN ENCYCLOPEDIC APPROACH, Notes, Bibliography, Index

O autorze

Liba Taub