ISAW Papers

ISAW Papers is an open-content scholarly journal that publishes article-length works on any topic within the scope of ISAW's scholarly research. All works are distributed under a Creative Commons-Attribution license. ISAW collaborates with the NYU Library's Digital Library Technology Services (DLTS) to publish the ISAW Papers online as part of the Ancient World Digital Library (AWDL). The Library ensures the long-term preservation of this content. See below on this page for links to individual articles. There is also a Zotero library that can generate citations to individual articles in various formats.

Articles in ISAW Papers are either anonymously reviewed by expert readers or are submitted by individual ISAW faculty members. The review process for each document is clearly indicated.

Sebastian Heath and David Ratzan, Co-Editors.

Most Recent Articles

Christián C. Carman and Dennis Duke (2024). Tables of Lunar and Solar Eclipses from -800 to 1650 Using Modern and Almagest Models, ISAW Papers 28. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/28/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/m37pw0dp

Abstract: This article describes and makes available computed data for lunar and solar eclipses for the time period -800 to 1650.

Gonzalo L. Recio (2024). The Almagest’s description of the Milky Way, ISAW Papers 27. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/27/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/n8pk11r9

Abstract: Ptolemy provides, in Almagest VIII 2, a detailed description of the Milky Way as seen from his Alexandrian location. This paper goes over the entire Ptolemaic description, comparing it to modern works on astrophotography and astronomical isophotometry.

Roderick Campbell and Shuli Wang (2023). The Dancers of the Shang: Chronotopes and the Location of Antiquity, ISAW Papers 26. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/26/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/vmcvf143

Abstract: In this article we explore competing conceptions of the past, their discourses, their constituting practices and communities at the Unesco World Heritage site of Yinxu, last capital of the Shang dynasty. Archaeology, cultural heritage, land development, popular culture and local lived experience entail alternate but entangled constructions of time and space, past and future. Rejecting “reception” for its passive connotations, we instead argue that the past is an active site of construction and struggle.

Peter J. Huber (2023). Third Millennium BC Chronology and Clock-Time Correction, ISAW Papers 25. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/25/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/0cfxq1g1

Abstract: The astronomical data available for fixing the third millennium BC Mesopotamian chronology are precarious. But surprisingly, if taken at face value they yield unique coherent chronologies for the Dynasties of Akkad and Ur III (about 50 years higher than the conventional ones). Even more surprisingly, in conjunction with these chronologies three different sources (lunar eclipses, a solar eclipse and month-length data) yield tightly constrained coherent values for the clock-time correction ΔT valid in the late third millennium. Personally I believe that the data, while admittedly precarious, together yield a trustworthy unique solution for the chronologies and the clock-time correction.

All Articles

Alexander Jones and John M. Steele. (2011). A New Discovery of a Component of Greek Astrology in Babylonian Tablets: The “Terms”. ISAW Papers, 1. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/1/>. DOI: 2333.1/k98sf96r
LOC Subjects: Astronomy, Assyro-Babylonian, Astronomy, Egyptian, Astronomy, Greek

Abstract: Two cuneiform astrological tablets in the British Museum provide the first evidence for Babylonian knowledge of the so-called "doctrine of the Terms" of Greco-Roman astrology (BM 36326 and BM 36628+36817+37197). Greek, Latin, and Egyptian astrological sources for the various systems of Terms and their origin are reviewed, followed by preliminary editions and translations of the relevant sections of the tablets. The system of Terms is shown to be so far the most technically complex component of Greek astrology to originate in Babylonia. Over the course of the Hellenistic period an Egyptian origin was ascribed to the systems of Terms as it was combined with components of Greek horoscopic astrology. By Ptolemy's day, this spurious history had largely displaced the true.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Catharine Lorber and Andrew Meadows. (2012). Review of Ptolemaic Numismatics, 1996 to 2007. ISAW Papers, 2. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/2/>. DOI: 2333.1/9s4mw84w

LOC Subjects: Ptolemaic dynasty, 305-30 B.C.

Abstract: The authors review scholarship on Ptolemaic numismatics published between 1996 and 2007. They present the major conclusions of articles discussing the distribution, role in the economy, iconography, weights standards and other aspects of this important Hellenistic coinage.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Gilles Bransbourg. (2012). Rome and the Economic Integration of Empire. ISAW Papers, 3. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/3/>.

Abstract: The modern economist Peter Temin has recently used econometrics to argue that the Roman grain market was an integrated and efficient market. This paper gathers additional data and applies further methods of modern economic analysis to reach a different conclusion. It shows that the overall Roman economy was not fully integrated, although the Mediterranean Sea did create some meaningful integration along a few privileged trade routes. Still, it is not possible to identify pure market forces that existed in isolation, since the political structures that maintained the Empire strongly influenced the movement of money and trade goods.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Tony Freeth and Alexander Jones. (2012). The Cosmos in the Antikythera Mechanism. ISAW Papers, 4. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/4/>.

Abstract: The Antikythera Mechanism is a fragmentarily preserved Hellenistic astronomical machine with bronze gearwheels, made about the second century B.C. In 2005, new data were gathered leading to considerably enhanced knowledge of its functions and the inscriptions on its exterior. However, much of the front of the instrument has remained uncertain due to loss of evidence. We report progress in reading a passage of one inscription that appears to describe the front of the Mechanism as a representation of a Greek geocentric cosmology, portraying the stars, Sun, Moon, and all five planets known in antiquity. Complementing this, we propose a new mechanical reconstruction of planetary gearwork in the Mechanism, incorporating an economical design closely analogous to the previously identified lunar anomaly mechanism, and accounting for much unresolved physical evidence.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Adam C. McCollum. (2012). A Syriac Fragment from The Cause of All Causes on the Pillars of Hercules. ISAW Papers, 5. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/5/>.

Abstract: This brief note draws attention to a passage from the Syriac Cause of All Causes that describes the Pillars of Hercules, but as being three in number rather than two. The Syriac text in question has been well-known since it was published in 1889. This particular passage is studied and commented on here especially as it appears in a recently cataloged manuscript from Dayr Al-Za‘farān, in which the passage is completely divorced from its context in the Cause of All Causes.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Mantha Zarmakoupi. (2013). The Quartier du Stade on late Hellenistic Delos: a case study of rapid urbanization (fieldwork seasons 2009-2010). ISAW Papers, 6. http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/6/>.

Abstract: This study examines recent archaeological evidence for the Quartier du Stade on Delos, which was newly formed after 167 CE. Analysis of the changes in the houses and the overall urban development of this neighborhood contribute to revealing the forces that shaped the city of Delos in this period, such as economy, politics, and ideology.

Links: worldcat, zotero

Tom Elliott, Sebastian Heath and John Muccigrosso. (2014). Current Practice in Linked Open Data for the Ancient World. ISAW Papers, 7. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/7/>.

Abstract: Reports on current work relevant to the role of Linked Open Data (LOD) in the study of the ancient world. As a term, LOD encompasses approaches to the publication of digital resources that emphasize stability, relatively fine-grained access to intellectual content via public URIs, and re-usability as defined both by publication of machine reabable data and by publication under licenses that permit further copying of available materials. This article presents a series of reports from participants in 2012 and 2013 sessions of the NEH-funded Linked Ancient World Data Institute. The contributors come from a wide range of academic disciplines and professional backgrounds. The projects they represent reflect this range and also illustrate many stages of the process of moving from concept to implementation.

Links: zotero

Federico De Romanis. (2014). Ivory from Muzuris. ISAW Papers, 8. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/8/>.

Abstract: The extant portion of the verso side of the “Muziris papyrus” (PVindob G 40822 v = SB XVIII 13617 v) contains the monetary evaluation of three-quarters of an Indian cargo loaded on the ship Hermapollon. Among the commodities are 167 elephant tusks weighing 3,228.5 kgs and schidai weighing 538.5 kgs. It is argued that schidai are fragments of tusks trimmed away from captive elephants. A comparison with commercial ivory lots of the early sixteenth century shows the selected quality of the tusks loaded on the Hermapollon.

Links: zotero

Paola Davoli and Christian Miks. (2015). A New “Roman” Sword from Soknopaiou Nesos (El-Fayyum, Egypt). ISAW Papers, 9. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/9/>.

Abstract: A long and well preserved sword was brought to light in 2006 during the archaeological excavations carried out by the Soknopaiou Nesos Project (University of Salento, Lecce) in the temenos of the main temple in Soknopaiou Nesos, modern Dime. The current state of research would suggest a classification as a Roman, or at least Roman influenced, weapon of the late Republican period. However, some peculiar elements of this sword seem to point to an oriental or Egyptian final assemblage. It thus may give a new impulse to the still open discussion about the appearance of Hellenistic swords starting from the period of Alexander's Successors. The weapon can have been used by soldiers of the late Ptolemaic period as well as by members of the Roman army. The question whether the sword ended up in the temenos as part of local defensive arms or as a votive object will largely remain speculative, as its find context is not stratigraphically reliable.

Links: zotero

Sebastian Heath, J.L. Rife, Jorge J. Bravo III, and Gavin Blasdel. (2015). Preliminary Report on Early Byzantine Pottery from a Building Complex at Kenchreai (Greece). ISAW Papers, 10. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/10/>.

Abstract: This paper presents the results of preliminary study of Early Byzantine pottery from a large building near the waterfront at Kenchreai in southern Greece. Kenchreai served as the eastern port of Corinth throughout antiquity. The building was first excavated in 1976 by the Greek Archaeological Service, and it has been investigated since 2014 by the American Excavations at Kenchreai with permission from the Ministry of Culture under the auspices of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The pottery is characterized by the presence of many Late Roman Amphora 2 rims as well as stoppers and funnels. This indicates that the building had a role in the distribution of regional agricultural products during its final phase, which is dated to the very late sixth or early seventh centures A.D. by African Red-Slip and Phocaean Red-Slip tablewares. A wide range of lamps, glass vessels, and other small finds has also been recorded. Results to date are preliminary but ongoing work may allow further precision as to the chronology and use of this building.

Links: zotero

Christián C. Carman and Marcelo Di Cocco. (2016). The Moon Phase Anomaly in the Antikythera Mechanism. ISAW Papers, 11. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/11/>.

Abstract: The Antikythera Mechanism is a mechanical astronomical instrument that was discovered in an ancient shipwreck at the beginning of the twentieth century, made about the second century B.C. It had several pointers showing the positions of the moon and sun in the zodiac, the approximate date according to a lunisolar calendar, several subsidiary dials showing calendrical phenomena, and also predictions of eclipses. The mechanism also had a display of the Moon’s phases: a small ball, half pale and half dark, rotating with the lunar synodic period and so showing the phases of the moon. The remains of the moon phase display include a fragmentary contrate gear. According to the reconstruction offered by Michael Wright, this gear is now pointing unintentionally in the wrong direction. In this paper we offer for the first time a detailed description of the remains of the moon phase mechanism. Based on this evidence, we argue that the extant contrate gear direction is the originally intended one, and we offer a conjectural explanation for its direction as an essential part of a representation of Aristarchus’s hypothesis that half moon phase is observably displaced from exact quadrature.

Dorian Greenbaum and Alexander Jones. (2017). P.Berl. 9825: An elaborate horoscope for 319 CE and its significance for Greek astronomical and astrological practice. ISAW Papers, 12. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/12/>.

Abstract: The discovery of this elaborate horoscope in the Berlin papyrus collection is a milestone in the history of ancient horoscopes. The papyrus takes its place among very few such detailed horoscopes well preserved from antiquity. This paper discusses both the astronomical and astrological details of P.Berl. 9825, enumerating its contents and situating it within the broader historical and cultural context of astrological material from western antiquity. The first section outlines the physical details of the papyrus, its paleography, and the layout of the material among the different sections of the papyrus. It consists of seventeen columns spread among four framed sections. The beginning of the papyrus is lost, but enough remains to allow reconstruction of the date and time of the horoscope, in addition to the positions of the missing luminaries and planet (Saturn). A transcription and translation with apparatus and textual notes follow. A commentary in three parts follows the first section. Part 1 contains restorations, confirmations and corrections. This includes both a tabular summary of the data given in the horoscope, and a diagrammatic representation of the data. Part 2 consists of an astronomical commentary, comparing the astronomical data in the papyrus with Ptolemy’s Almagest and modern theory, to demonstrate that the horoscope was constructed using tables distinct from Ptolemy's, though of comparable quality. The commentary also includes analysis of solar and lunar data, planetary latitudes, and fixed stars “co-rising” with the longitudes of the relevant heavenly body. Part 3 is an astrological commentary. Comparisons with other elaborate horoscopes are made, in addition to analysis of the astrological techniques based on the data provided. Because this is the only extant example of a documentary horoscope containing all seven of the “planetary” lots of Paulus Alexandrinus, there is a more extensive discussion of the lots used here within their historical and cultural context.

Daniel Hoyer. (2018). An Overview of the Numismatic Evidence from Imperial Roman Africa. ISAW Papers, 13. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/13/>. DOI: 2333.1/76hdrfz3

Abstract: This article describes a database of 50,970 coins from the Roman Empire minted in the 'high' imperial period (23 BCE-275 CE). It includes mainly coins found in the regions that were part of imperial Rome's African provinces, with some material from Western Europe for comparative purposes. This database represents data culled from numerous sources and previous publications, representing one of the largest single collections of numismatic material from Roman Africa during this period currently available; though it is by no means exhaustive, and further research is needed to supplement the present project. I present here an overview and some notes on the quantification of this material, highlighting the most prominent and interesting patterns. This quantification suggests certain interpretations concerning key topics in the monetary history of the western Empire, which I point to briefly. Further, the complete dataset is provided for download as both a csv file and a more structured data file (JSON file) to facilitate future research on Roman Africa's numismatic record as well as related information. My intention is, thus, both to advance the study of Africa's numismatic heritage in general as well as to contribute to the available corpus of accessible, digital information concerning the ancient world.

Roger S. Bagnall and Gilles Bransbourg. (2019).The Constantian Monetary Revolution. ISAW Papers, 14. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/14/>. DOI: 2333.1/3n5tb9sc

Abstract: The fourth century CE represents a peculiar moment of monetary history. Most prices rose about fifty thousandfold, materializing the strongest inflationary period ever experienced during Antiquity. Traditionally, this price inflation has been linked to coinage debasement. However, the reality is more complex: imperial authorities also manipulated coinage tariffs in current units of account. This is particularly noticeable under the reign of Constantius II, when most prices increased about twenty-fold in a matter of few years in the early 350s, with no coinage change of comparable magnitude. Very interestingly, gold and silver rose to preeminence at the same moment, at the expense of base metal. We believe both phenomena were linked. A thorough analysis of papyrological and numismatic evidence will demonstrate that the increased supply of silver coinage was allowed by the removal of silver from the existing billon coinage supply, while growth in gold coinage depended on new metallic sources. The sudden price increase, sometimes explained by some form of competition between precious and base metals, would in fact result almost mechanically from the retariffication and subsequent demonetization of the existing billon coinage, replaced during that process by bronze coins of comparable monetary value but of much lesser commodity value. This led ultimately to the bimetallic gold:bronze bullion-based price system that defines the Byzantine period. This paper originated in a conference presentation at "Money Rules!", held in Orléans October 29-31, 2015, and organized by Thomas Faucher. A slightly different version will appear in the proceedings of that conference: R. Bagnall and G. Bransbourg, The Constantian Monetary Revolution. In Th. Faucher (ed.), Money Rules! The monetary economy of Egypt, from Persians until the beginning of Islam (Cairo, IFAO, forthcoming).

Christián C. Carman and Dennis Duke. (2019). Tables of Synodic Events from -800 to 1650 Using Modern and Almagest Models , 15. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/15/>. 2333.1/2fqz68dk

Abstract: This article describes and makes available computed data for the major synodic events for the inner (Mercury, Venus) and outer (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) planets for the time period -800 to 1650.

Corinna Rossi. (2019). Egyptian cubits and Late Roman architecture: the design of the forts of the Kharga Oasis (Egypt), 16. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/16/>. 2333.1/5tb2rmg1

Abstract: The Kharga Oasis, in Egypt’s Western Desert, is endowed with a scatter of Late Roman forts and fortified settlements. The architectural remains of Umm al-Dabadib, the largest and best-preserved site, were surveyed in 3D in 2014 at a high level of accuracy and precision. The ensuing 3D model allowed a detailed metrological study of the fort, which revealed that this building was planned and built using Egyptian cubits. The other Late Roman forts of Kharga have not been surveyed as accurately as Umm al-Dabadib, but nevertheless a careful analysis of their architectural remains reveals that the same conclusions may be extended to these buildings also. This article presents the results of this investigation, which represent the latest attestation of the use of this unit of measurement in architecture, and suggests that these buildings were the outcome of a joint Roman and Egyptian effort to guard the empire’s frontier.

Alexander Jones. (2020). The Epoch Dates of the Antikythera Mechanism (With an Appendix on its Authenticity), 17. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/17/>. DOI: 2333.1/ffbg7m07

Abstract: Attempts previous to 2014 to date the ancient Greek astronomical Antikythera Mechanism, on the basis of the letter forms of its inscriptions or on its Egyptian Calendar scale's alignment, were inconclusive. (Occasional claims that the Mechanism was not a product of antiquity at all are refuted in an appendix to this paper.) In 2014, two separate and complex arguments were published dating the series of computed lunar and solar eclipses inscribed on the Mechanism's Saros Dial to the interval 205-187 BCE, and in 2017 an argument was presented that the Corinthian Calendar lunisolar cycle and the Panhellenic Games cycle inscribed on the Metonic and Games Dials also had an epoch in 205 BCE, four months after the eclipse epoch. The present paper offers a more direct confirmation of the dating of the eclipse sequence, a reaffirmation of the calendrical epoch and explanation of it in the context of Hellenistic calendar regulation and synchronization, and a hypothetical reconstruction of the design decisions that determined the choice of the two 205 BCE epochs. These decisions could plausibly have been made by a designer as late as the c. 60 BCE archeologically determined date of the shipwreck from which the Mechanism was recovered.

Franziska Naether, ed. (2020). Cult Practices in Ancient Literatures: Egyptian, Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman Narratives in a Cross-Cultural Perspective. Proceedings of a Workshop at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York, May 16-17, 2016, ISAW Papers 18. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/18/>. DOI: 2333.1/5dv41zmf

Abstract: ISAW Papers 18 collects the papers from a transdisciplinary workshop on cult practices in ancient literatures that took place at ISAW in May 2016. It includes authors from Egyptology, Near Eastern Studies, Classics, and New Testament Studies, who work on rituals, magical and divinatory practices in the context of novels, tales and works of wisdom. The contributions deal with descriptions and functions of cult practices in literary texts, with images of the divine, the portrayal of priests, wise men and women as protagonists, and with secret knowledge.

Roger S. Bagnall (2020). Shenoute's Name, ISAW Papers 19. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/19/>. DOI: 2333.1/05qfv49m

Abstract: Despite his later prominence in the Coptic Orthodox Church, it is hard to see clearly the position of the abbot Shenoute of Atripe in his own time and the following century. His own name is virtually unknown before him, and it is rare in the papyri in the century following his death (generally said to be 465 ce), with most instances in areas near his monastery. It is suggested that its later popularity is the result of Shenoute's importance to the non-Chalcedonian church as it developed a full structure in the later sixth century, particularly under Pope Damian.

Sarah E. Bond, Paul Dilley, and Ryan Horne, eds. (2021). Linked Open Data for the Ancient Mediterranean: Structures, Practices, Prospects, ISAW Papers 20. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/20/>. DOI: 2333.1/gqnk9kz2

Abstract: This collection presents case studies written by principal investigators of, or contributors to, various digital projects related to the ancient Mediterranean world which use Linked Open Data (LOD) or are informed by its principles. Some of the chapters are based on presentations given at the “Linking the Big Ancient Mediterranean” conference at the University of Iowa in summer 2016. As a group, the contributions cover a wide variety of geographic regions and forms of evidence, and discuss data structures as they relate to a number of sub-disciplines within the study of the ancient world.

Emily Frank, Sebastian Heath, and Chantal Stein (2021). Integration of Photogrammetry, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), and Multiband Imaging (MBI) for Visualization, Documentation, and Analysis of Archaeological and Related Materials, ISAW Papers 21. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/21/>. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/0cfxq0c3

Abstract: This paper describes a practical workflow that enables the integration of Photogrammetry-based 3D modeling, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), and Multiband Imaging (MBI) into a single representation that can, in turn, be rendered visually using existing open-source software. To illustrate the workflow, we apply it to a fragment of an Egyptian painted wood sarcophagus now in the Institute of Fine Arts Study (NYU) Collection and then show how the results can contribute to the visualization, documentation, and analysis of archaeological and related materials. One product of this work is an animation rendered using the open-source software Blender. The animation emphasizes aspects of surface variation and reveals the craftwork involved in producing the sarcophagus fragment. In doing so, it highlights that the workflow we describe can serve many purposes and contribute to a wide variety of research agendas.

Gabriel McKee and Daniela Wolin (2022). Re-rolling the Past: Representations and Reinterpretations of Antiquity in Analog and Digital Games, ISAW Papers 22. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/22/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/1jwsv2hb

Abstract: This collection presents papers from the 2020 virtual conference “Re-Rolling the Past: Representations and Reinterpretations of Antiquity in Analog and Digital Games.” Looking at a diverse range of games with a variety of media and mechanisms--including board games, role-playing games, and computer games-- the papers collectively examine games as valuable and useful avenues avenues for communicating information about ancient history and archaeology. Specific topics include the methodology of devising game rules that simulate ancient historical periods, pedagogical gamification and the use of simulations in educational settings, the interpretation of ancient board games in the modern era, and critical approaches to commercial game design.

Gonzalo L. Recio (2022). A study on the stellar configurations in Almagest VII 1, ISAW Papers 23. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/23/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/8931zqz8

Abstract: Book VII of the Almagest presents a list of stellar configurations –mostly stellar alignments– which have Hipparchus and Ptolemy as their authors. In this paper I will give a detailed study of these configurations. The analysis will be focused on the proper identification of the stars involved in them and the accuracy of the descriptions given in the text. Finally, I will provide a general comparative analysis of the alignments given by both astronomers.

Claire Hall and Liam P. Shaw (2023). The Logic of Planetary Combination in Vettius Valens, ISAW Papers 24. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/24/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/m0cfz267

Abstract: The Anthologies of the second-century astrologer Vettius Valens (120-c.175 CE) is the most extensive surviving practical astrological text from the period. Despite this, the theoretical underpinnings of the Anthologies have been understudied; in general, the work has been overshadowed by Ptolemy’s contemporaneous Tetrabiblos. While the Tetrabiblos explicitly aims to present a systematic account of astrology, Valens’ work is often characterised as a miscellaneous collection, of interest to historians only for the evidence it preserves about the practical methods used in casting horoscopes. In this article, we argue that the Anthologies is also an invaluable resource for engagement with the conceptual basis of astrology. As a case study, we take a section of Anthologies Book 1 which lists the possible astrological effects of planets, both alone and in ‘combinations’ of two and three. We demonstrate that analysing Valens’ descriptions quantitatively with textual analysis reveals a consistent internal logic of planetary combination. By classifying descriptive terms as positive or negative, we show that the resulting ‘sentiment’ of planetary combinations is well-correlated with their component parts. Furthermore, we find that the sentiment of three-planet combinations is more strongly correlated with the average sentiment of their three possible component pairs than with the average sentiment of individual planets, suggesting an iterative combinatorial logic. Recognition of this feature of astrological practice has been neglected compared to the mathematical methods for calculating horoscopes. We argue that this analysis not only provides evidence that the astrological lore detailed in Valens is more consistent than is often assumed, but is also indicative of a wider methodological technique in practical astrology: combinatorial reasoning from existing astrological lore.

Peter J. Huber (2023). Third Millennium BC Chronology and Clock-Time Correction, ISAW Papers 25. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/25/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/0cfxq1g1

Gonzalo L. Recio (2024). The Almagest’s description of the Milky Way, ISAW Papers 27. <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/27/>. URI: https://hdl.handle.net/2333.1/n8pk11r9

Abstract: This article describes and makes available computed data for lunar and solar eclipses for the time period -800 to 1650.

Additional Information

The ISSN for ISAW Papers is 2164-1471.
Each individual paragraph in an ISAW Papers article has its own URL. When reading an article, hovering over a paragraph will cause a hyperlink to appear at its start. That hyperlink can be used in citation. For example, the link to the 21st paragraph in ISAW Papers 6 is <http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/6/#p21>.
Bibliographic records for ISAW Papers articles are available in a Zotero group.
Forthcoming articles may appear in preprint versions. In the near future, archival versions will be deposited in the NYU Faculty Digital Archive. ePub and other appropriate formats will also be published.
Authors wishing to inquire about the submission process should contact Sebastian Heath, <sebastian.heath@nyu.edu>.