Talk:Almagest

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It would be interesting to know the origin of the original Arabic term "Almagest" (al + something, I presume?). --babbage 21:59, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Indeed. It is from Greek megiste (greatest) with the Arabic article al-. So Al-megiste or Almagest. --Aethralis 21:01, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article de-stubbed

Basically this was just a vague discussion of the book's context and later transmission. Now you can find out what is actually in the book, and where to read more. Also, I took out that silly comment that it is a work of astronomy/ASTROLOGY (caps indicate deletion). Ptolemy's astrology is in the Tetrabiblos. Maestlin 01:15, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Update to include most recent analysis

In 1994 Anatoly T. Fomenko, Vladimir V. Kalashnikov, and G. V. Nosovsky published a paper that limits the date that the almagest was written. Previously it was assumed 'sometime after 150CE. They have proven it mathematically to be much later than that, between 600 and 1300CE. I will edit the document to include this, and also fix up the document in general because has parts all over the place.--Dacium 06:41, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Their work has met with virtually zero acceptance by anyone, academic or not. It requires overturning most of what is currently accepted about history. I am reverting because your additions are POV, calling an extreme minority theory "proven" without saying anything about its implications or reception. Maestlin 19:04, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I think you are being a bit over sensitive. Yes Fomenko etc. have some far reaching theories. But there dating of the Almagest is 100% mathematical. This article also leaves out several other studies of the star charts in the Almagest which also show mathematically that the accepted date must be CE and not BC. In mathematical circles the dating is accepted 100%. It is not accept in non-mathematical circles because it does not fit the chronology.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 155.144.251.120 (talk • contribs) 05:12, 27 October 2006.

I think there should be at least a section in this article which lists purely mathematical analytical dating of the alamgest and the dates obtained. I will endevour to get all the published papers with there proposed dates. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 155.144.251.120 (talk • contribs) 05:12, 27 October 2006.

Please see the article New Chronology (Fomenko) and consider the proposal again. In my opinion this is complete lunacy. Furthermore, the stars in the star catalogue in itself do not prove that the whole work was written later. There could always be later additions. Fomenkos dating of Almagest is only a part of his "theory". Maybe this could be mentioned here (as 'Alternative theories'), but actually I'm not so sure about it either. --Aethralis 07:56, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

It appears Formeko did not take into account an number of very small changing variables in the rotation of the planet/moon etc and that his calculations are not correct and are also not widly accepted. According the only correct dating its only accurate enough to have the date from 6BC upto 12 AD. However there does remain many things 'interesting' that suggest it was written alot later than expected. Mainly is the ordering of the polar star. The tables start at the polar star and back in his time, it wouldn't have been the polar star, infact at least 1 other start was closer. Why did he select this star to start from that just happens to be the polar during medieval times? There are several more annomilies that Formeko brings up, that are unexplained, even if his dating is mathematically incorrect. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 155.144.251.120 (talk • contribs) 03:34, 13 November 2006.

Ptolemy was well aware that the tail of the Ursa Minor is not in the center of the sky. See Claudius Ptolemaeus, et al., Ptolemy's "Geography" (Princeton University Press, 2000), p. 65. Btw, please sign your comments. See WP:SIG → Aethralis 08:45, 13 November 2006 (UTC)