The Babylonian civilization is arguably one of the most advanced ancient societies archaeology has uncovered. These Akkadian-speaking Semitic people he a vast understanding of several modern concepts including medicine, astronomy and mathematics. There has been plentiful of research and artifacts that tell the story of the Babylonians. However, it seems like the civilization has a lot more impressive feats left to be discovered.
Just this week, Professor Mathiue Ossendrijver from Humboldt University published a paper detailing how Babylonians used a complex system of geometry to chart the position of Jupiter in the night sky. Initially, the use of the branch of mathematics to chart celestial objects was attributed to scientists from the 14th century. However it seems like humanity has used maths to understand the sky for more than 1,400 years.
"I wasn't expecting this. It is completely fundamental to physics, and all branches of science use this method" gushed Ossendrijver.
The professor examined five Babylonian tablets that were discovered in the 19th century for his research. His study revealed that these tablets used four-sided shapes called trapezoids to calculate the distance and speed Jupiter travels across the night sky.
"We have a figure where one axis, the horizontal side, represents time, and the other axis, the vertical side, represents velocity. The area of trapezoid gives you the distance travelled by Jupiter along its orbit" explained Ossendrivjer.
The discovery is groundbreaking since the abstract concept of computing against time is something that has yet to be observed. According to Ossendrijver, even Greek astronomers and mathematicians did not conduct studies like that of the Babylonians. Ossendrijver however was adamant about researching whether or not calculations on distance and time are prevalent in the area during ancient times. He quips that the discovery is akin to modern sciences and deserves to be studied more extensively.
"This is utterly familiar to any modern physicist or mathematician"