Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/11/2011
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Astronomical Observations from Ancient Egypt

Speaker: Dr. Sarah Symons, McMaster University

Institute: McMaster University

Location: ABB 102

Description:

The long-lived, literate, and (fairly) stable civilisation of ancient Egypt provides written and contextual evidence for investigating early human activities in many fields, including the origins of what we now recognise as scientific disciplines. In the first part of this colloquium I shall give an overview of astronomical activity in ancient Egypt, demonstrating evidence of understanding motions of celestial objects and describing practical and ritual uses for this knowledge. I shall then focus on current work on one type of Egyptian astronomical table, investigating possible observational techniques used in the construction of the tables.