9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
[MIS17-02] Studies of Babylonian Astronomical Diaries: Today and the Future
Keywords:Babylonian Astronomical Diaries, Babylon, Cuneiform Scripts
The presenter uses a large group of Akkadian cuneiform texts on clay tablets, the Astronomical Diaries from ancient Babylonia (mainly from Babylon) as the main source of his presentation. The text group is called ADB in this presentation. ADB is a large series of clay tablets recording astronomical and meteorological phenomena, commodity prices, level of the Euphrates, and historical events from the seventh to the first centuries BC. The clay tablets of ADB count up to over 1500, but only about 400 tablets have been published for the use of researchers. The presenter stayed in London for two years and consulted and photographed most of the unpublished tablets of ADB, which are now preserved in the British Museum. He also took photos of a considerable amount of published ADB tablets. Basesd on the photos and additional data of ADB tablets, the presenter will publish the (new and more exact) texts of published and unpublished ADB tablets. The presenter will also colloborate with some researchers and provide them with the astronomical and meteorological data of ADB, which are useful for the restoration of the ancient astronomical phenomena and climate.