Almagest
by Ptolemy · Μαθηματικὴ Σύνταξις
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 150 CE
- Era
- Roman Empire
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Epic · 700 ppover 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Formidable5 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendPtolemy's Almagest, translated by G. J. ToomerPrinceton University PressThe only complete modern English translation, with the diagrams and notes needed to follow the geometry.
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The mathematical astronomy of the ancient world in thirteen books, written at Alexandria around 150 CE. Ptolemy assumes a spherical earth at rest at the centre of a spherical heaven, builds the trigonometry he needs including a table of chords, and then constructs geometrical models that predict the observed motions of the sun, moon and five planets using combinations of uniform circular motion: eccentric circles, epicycles and the equant. He treats eclipses, gives a catalogue of over a thousand stars in forty-eight constellations, and sets out the instruments and observations behind the models. It governed astronomy for fourteen hundred years.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Almagest are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
