Star Lore - Midterm 2 IDST Flashcards
In his account of the farmer’s year in Works and Days (lines 381-617), which of the following celestial phenomena does Hesiod NOT mention?
The rising of Venus.
In his account of the farmer’s year in Works and Days (lines 381-617), what celestial phenomena DOES Hesiod mention?
Winter solstice, rising/setting of Orion, rising/setting of the Pleiades, rising/setting of Arcturus, Orion and sirius in the middle of the sky, setting of Hyades
Etymological meaning of equinox
equal night
Eymological meaning of constellation
collection of stars
etymological meaning of planet
wandering star
etymological meaning of solstice
sun at standstill
What evidence is there to suggest an awareness of the solstices dates back much earlier than the time of Hesiod? Provide examples.
Ancient monuments that date 2000 years or more before Hesiod in Neolithic period. Ex: Stonehenge in England (stones perfectly align to frame the sunset on the winter solstice) and Newgrange in Ireland (tomb, sunlight penetrates central chamber on mornings of winter solstice).
Winter solstice date, _____ day of the year
December 21/22 in northern hemisphere (shortest day of year)
Summer solstice date, ______ day of the year
Northern hemisphere June 20/21, longest
Vernal equinox date
Northern hemisphere March 20, Spring!
Autumnal equinox date
Northern Hemisphere September 22/23
What are the phases of the moon?
New Moon
Waxing Crescent (sliver)
First Quarter (half)
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter (half)
Waning Crescent (crescent)
New Moon
____ defines the month.
Cycle of lunar phases
What marks the beginning of the month in Greek and Roman tradition?
The new moon. We do not see the moon because (earth, moon, sun). Sun illuminates side of moon facing sun not side of moon facing earth.
The moon rises in the ___ and sets in the ____.
east, west
How are systems of time-keeping across different human cultures diff/similar?
Based on changes in the sun and moon (virtually universal)
What changes in position in the sky do the sun, moon, and stars show?
Sun: daily and annual
Moon: daily and monthly
Stars: daily and annual
Why are constellations useful?
A way to locate stars within larger patterns and track their location.
Define annual rising
the first time in the year a star appears above the horizon right before sunrise OR right after sunset
Define heliacal rising.
First time in the year a star becomes visible above the horizon at dawn just before sunrise
Define acronychal rising
First time in the year a star appears above the horizon right after sunset
What does the Greek akronychos mean?
at nightfall - acronychal
Define annual setting.
the last time a star appears above the horizon right before sunrise or right after sunset
Define heliacal setting and acronychal setting.
Heliacal setting: last time star appears above horizon right before sunrise
Acronychal setting: last time star appears above horizon right after sunset
When someone refers to rising and setting without specification, what type of rising/setting are they usually referring to?
heliacal rising/setting - right before sunrise
What do observers from earth see between the annual setting and rising of a star?
nothing. star remains invisible.
Compare modern and ancient categories of heavenly bodies?
Modern categories:
- stars (including sun)
- planets and asteroids (orbit stars)
- moons (orbit planets)
Ancient categories:
- Sun
- Moon
- Fixed stars
- Wandering stars
What is the Greek word for sun?
helios
What is the Greek word for moon?
selene
what is the greek word for fixed stars?
asteres
Where does the English word “Planet” come from?
Greek: planetes asteres (wandering stars)
When was literacy introduced in Archaic Greece?
~700 BCE
Who was the Greek alphabet adapted from?
Phoenicians (ppl in modern day Lebanon)
What are the earliest surviving literary works?
The epics of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey) and the poems of Hesiod.
Who is Hesiod, when was he alive, what are his major contributions?
Hesiod was a poet in 700 BCE who wrote Theogony and Works and Days
What is the basic gist of Theogony?
A mythic account of the origins of the gods, the world, and how the cosmic order came about
What is the basic gist of Works and Days?
An account of human condition and how it came to be, practical advice for a successful life, addressed to his brother Perses
What are the lines between 381-617 in Works and Days called?
Farmer’s Almanac
What is the role of star-lore in Hesiod’s Works and Days? What sorts of celestial phenomena does Hesiod mention and why?
Celestial phenomena mark different seasons, the times appropriate for diff. tasks in a farmer’s year.
What does Hesiod mean when he says Pleiades are Atlas born?
He identifies stars of the constellation with figurse in myth. 7 daughters of Atlas - god whom Zeus condemned to support sky on his shoulders
Identify Orion, Sirius, and Pleiades.
Pleiades: 7 star cluster
Orion: 3 star belt
Sirius: brightest star in the sky
What is the etymology of Mesopotamia?
“between two rivers”
What two rivers is Mesopotamia between?
Euphrates and Tigris, region of modern Iraq
What language was spoken in Mesopotamia?
Akkadian (modern Hebrew/Arabic)
What was the writing system in Mesopotamia?
Cuneiform, inscribed in stone/clay tablets
What city was the major center of culture and learning in Mesopotamia? When did it become a major power?
Babylon! In early 2nd millennium.
What was the political structure of Mesopotamia?
City-states with centralized organization w/ king, temples with priests
Why/how did Babylonians make careful observations of celestial phenomena?
They believed celestial phenomena provided omens, signs of welfare for king/city. Recorded observations of planets and all celestial phenomena from early date. Political system allowed for organization.
By ____ BCE, the Greeks established a tradition of noting celestial phenomena as a way to ______, ______, and _________.
700 BCE, mark time, farm, seafaring
What is the epistemology of “astronomy”?
asteres: ‘stars’ + nomos: ‘law’
