Editing Babylonia (section)

====Astronomy====
{{Main|Babylonian astronomy|Chronology of the ancient Near East}}
Among the sciences, [[astronomy]] and [[astrology]] still occupied a conspicuous place in Babylonian society. Astronomy was of old standing in Babylonia. The [[zodiac]] was a Babylonian invention of great antiquity; and [[eclipse]]s of the [[sun]] and [[moon]] could be foretold.{{sfn|Sayce|1911|p=107}} There are dozens of cuneiform records of original Mesopotamian eclipse observations.

Babylonian astronomy was the basis for much of what was done in [[ancient Greek astronomy]], in classical, in Sasanian, [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and Syrian astronomy, [[astronomy in the medieval Islamic world]], and in [[Central Asia]]n and [[Western Europe]]an astronomy.{{sfn|Sayce|1911|p=107}}<ref name=pingree /> Neo-Babylonian astronomy can thus be considered the direct predecessor of much of ancient [[Greek mathematics]] and astronomy, which in turn is the historical predecessor of the European (Western) [[scientific revolution]].<ref name="Aaboe, Asger">Aaboe, A. (1992). Babylonian mathematics, astrology, and astronomy. In J. Boardman, I. Edwards, E. Sollberger, & N. Hammond (Eds.), ''[[The Cambridge Ancient History]]'' (The Cambridge Ancient History, pp. 276–292). [https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic Cambridge: Cambridge University Press]. [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-ancient-history/firstmillennium-babylonian-literature/1725D8C46F6BD6AEA64AD9E3A5DA8FE2 doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521227179.010]</ref>

During the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Babylonian astronomers developed a new approach to astronomy. They began studying [[philosophy]] dealing with the ideal nature of the early [[universe]] and began employing an [[consistency|internal logic]] within their predictive planetary systems. This was an important contribution to astronomy and the [[philosophy of science]] and some scholars have thus referred to this new approach as the first scientific revolution.<ref name=Brown>D. Brown (2000), ''Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-Astrology'', Styx Publications, {{ISBN|90-5693-036-2}}.</ref> This new approach to astronomy was adopted and further developed in Greek and Hellenistic astronomy.

In [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] and Parthian times, the astronomical reports were of a thoroughly scientific character;{{sfn|Sayce|1911|p=107}} how much earlier their advanced knowledge and methods were developed is uncertain. The Babylonian development of methods for predicting the motions of the planets is considered to be a major episode in the [[Assyrian astronomy|history of astronomy]].

The only Babylonian astronomer known to have supported a [[heliocentrism|heliocentric]] model of planetary motion was [[Seleucus of Seleucia]] (b. 190 BC).<ref>[[Otto E. Neugebauer]] (1945). "The History of Ancient Astronomy Problems and Methods", ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies'' '''4''' (1), pp. 1–38.</ref><ref>[[George Sarton]] (1955). "Chaldaean Astronomy of the Last Three Centuries B.C.", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' '''75''' (3), pp. 166–173 [169].</ref><ref>William P. D. Wightman (1951, 1953), ''The Growth of Scientific Ideas'', Yale University Press p. 38.</ref> Seleucus is known from the writings of [[Plutarch]]. He supported the heliocentric theory where the [[Earth's rotation|Earth rotated]] around its own axis which in turn revolved around the [[Sun]]. According to [[Plutarch]], Seleucus even proved the heliocentric system, but it is not known what arguments he used.