Six Easy Lectures

on

Ancient Mathematical Astronomy

 

 

General Reading Suggestions

 

General Websites

 

Lecture 1  

          Introduction and Background, Almagest Books 1 and 2, the celestial sphere, trigonometry, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 2  

          Almagest Book 3, the Sun, the length of the year, the geometric models, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 3  

          Almagest Books 4–6, the Moon, parallax, the months, the models, sizes and distances, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 4  

          Almagest Books 7 and 8, stars and catalogs, precession, risings and settings, calendars, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lectures 5–6  

         Almagest Books 9–13, geocentric vs heliocentric, the planets, the anomalies, the equant, latitude, distances, the background, the developments (India, Islam, Copernicus, Kepler)         

Lecture Notes

         Supplementary Reading