Ancient Meteorology

by Taub,Liba

• ISBN13: 9780415161961
• ISBN10: 0415161967
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-08-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The first book of its kind in English, Ancient Meteorology discusses Greek and Roman approaches and attitudes to this broad discipline, which in classical antiquity included not only 'weather', but occurrences such as earthquakes and comets that today would be regarded as geological, astronomical or seismological.The range and diversity of this literature highlights the question of scholarly authority in antiquity and illustrates how writers responded to the meteorological information presented by their literary predecessors.Ancient Meteorology will be a valuable reference tool for classicists and those with an interest in the history of science.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	ix
A note on the spelling of Greek names and terms	x
Abbreviations	xi
Acknowledgements	xiii
1 ANCIENT METEOROLOGY IN GREECE AND ROME: AN INTRODUCTION	1	(14)
2 PREDICTION AND THE ROLE OF TRADITION: ALMANACS AND SIGNS, PARAPEGMATA AND POEMS	15	(56)
3 EXPLAINING DIFFICULT PHENOMENA	71	(54)
4 METEOROLOGY AS A MEANS TO AN END: PHILOSOPHERS AND POETS	125	(44)
5 AN ENCYCLOPEDIC APPROACH	169	(22)
Notes	191	(40)
Bibliography	231	(30)
Index	261