Almanac (Late Babylonian)

Definition

A Late Babylonian Almanac is a non-mathematical astronomical text presenting, in twelve (or thirteen) successive month-sections, the predicted locations of each planet in the zodiac through a single year. Each month-section opens with the zodiacal sign holding each planet on the first day of the month, in the horoscope sequence Jupiter–Venus–Mercury–Saturn–Mars; degrees within signs are never given. Predicted planetary sign-ingresses use the verb kašādu ("to reach"). The text also registers the Greek-letter synodic phenomena, the lunar phenomena na and kur, equinoxes, solstices, Sirius heliacal appearances, and eclipses.

In Tradition

Rochberg treats the Almanac as the non-mathematical text-type most readily usable as a reference for horoscope construction, since it organises planetary signs in month-sections in the horoscope sequence. Hunger and Pingree, following Kugler, classify the Almanacs as "the second class of Ephemerides" — predicted (computed) year-data distinguishing the genre from the Normal Star Almanacs and from the System A and System B ACT procedure-texts.

In Practice

For the student of how Babylonian mathematical-astronomy outputs reached the horoscope-construction practice, the Almanac is the empirical-input bridge. Rochberg highlights the practical significance of the sign-ingress dates: it is precisely the sign-boundaries that are impossible to observe directly, and a sign-crossing is "very likely an astrologically important event" — so the Almanac's computed ingress dates are exactly what a horoscope-constructing scribe needed. The Almanacs are distinguished from the Normal Star Almanacs by their recording of zodiacal-sign-entry dates rather than the Moon's and planets' passings of named Normal Stars. Hunger and Pingree show that Almanac year-data is complete (no observational lapses), shows no weather conditions, contains no ideal-date formulas, and exhibits frequent zodiacal-sign-naming errors in first-century-CE exemplars consistent with cumulative computational drift — all features confirming the Almanac genre is computed, not excerpted from observation. The earliest possible Almanac is BM 33746 (LBAT 1117) for Seleucid Era year 50 (-261/0) or 283 (-28/7); the latest is LBAT 1201 for 385 SE (74/5 CE).

Historical Origin

Datable Almanacs cover 262 BCE (BM 33746 / LBAT 1117) to 75 CE (LBAT 1201), spanning the Seleucid and early Roman periods. Five first-century-CE Almanacs are known. Modern critical treatments: Rochberg, *The Heavenly Writing* (2004), Ch. 4 §4.2.3 pp. 153-154; Hunger & Pingree, *Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia* (1999), Ch. II §B.4 pp. 180-184; Sachs (1948) JCS 2 pp. 271-290 (foundational classification).

Further Reading

• Francesca Rochberg, The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture
• Hermann Hunger & David Pingree, Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia