History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.171

v6.c82.171

[^738 a]: Vide Rawlinson in 'Five monarchies of the Ancient World,' vol. II. p 574, also Breasted in 'Ancient Times' p. 214 for the passing of the observations of Nabunassar and Kidinnu (who practically discovered the Precession of the Equinoxes) to the Greeks and for the Greek engineer Meton taking the length of the year from the tables of Nabu. A continuous record of dated observations began with the reign of Nabunassar (who began to rule in 747 B C ), from which date the observations continued till Ptolemy's day, vide Heath's 'Greek Astronomy' p. XIV and pp. 142-143. Prof. Neugebauer has recently questioned the claims of Babylonian Kidinnu to have discovered the precession of the equinoxes (in JAOS for 1950, vol. 70 pp 1-8) and Morris Jastrow (Jr.) in 'Hepatoscopy and Astrology' contributed to Proceedings of American Philosophical Society vol XLVII at p. 671 appears to have done the same before him Sarton (in JAOS vol 75 No 3 p. 169) supports Prof. Neugebauer, though he admits that some of the Babylonian observations made it easier for Hipparchus to discover precession of equinoxes.