Talk:Ptolemy

I wrote a nice article about Ptolemy's sky theory on everything here (http://www.everything2.com/?node=ptolemaic+system). Where should it go? Under "Ptolemy", "Ptolemaic System", or "Almagest"? For now I'll put it in Almagest... - TOGoS

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Claudius Ptolemy "The Geography" in English language has been first published by Dover Publications, Inc , New York in 1991 . It is now available at amazon.com and other book stores. This is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by The New York Public Library, N.Y. in 1 9 3 2. At that time it was translated and edited by Edward Luther Stevenson.

Although Ptolemie's "Geography" was well known in Europe for almost 1900 years , 1932 was the first time ever of its translation into English. (User:Conversion script)

A word to the wise: that translation is very, very bad, and cannot be relied on for much of anything. (It is a poor translation of not the original Greek, but of Karl Müller's Latin translation, with errors of every conceivable kind, including egregious typos and other corruptions.) Considering that most of the Geography consists of a mere index of placenames, you're far better off reading the original Greek, even if you just have limited Greek. It's the Stevenson translation that I started putting online on my iste (referenced as the external link in the article), but as it became more and more apparent to me just how bad it was, I just abandoned it. Bill 11:34, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Ptolemy

Why is the "p" not pronounced?

the circa date of birth and death are not labeled as bc or ad. Which is it?

Presumably "pt" was originally pronounced, but we find it difficult to do so, so the "p" is silent in English.

If it's not labeled BC or AD, then by default it's AD. Just like 2005 is 2005 AD.

Note: My understanding is that the Ptolemy incorrectly estimated the actual size of the Earth by almost half, but the article claims "he was well aware" that he only had a quarter of it mapped. Does someone have evidence to confirm or deny the article's position? Thanks, Griff

Yes; we all do. His Geography gives latitudes and longitudes of all the places mapped: the farthest east he gives is "180°", measured from what he feels is his farthest point west; the farthest north he gives is 62°30, the farthest south is 8°25. He doesn't wear it on his sleeve, then, but he realizes perfectly well he covers at very best only (180/360 * 71/180) of the globe. Bill 20:36, 7 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Image of Ptolemy at Top

Though it is indicated that the image represents a 16th century adaptation of him, the image should still be eventually removed and replaced by a much more realistic image of Ptolemy. Decius 03:38, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Good luck!!! This would be a major historical find.... Bill 07:34, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Must be a joke, Bill. I've seen more accurate artist's representations of Ptolemy before. There is one, for example, in this book I have, which is much closer to reality than the current image (closer to reality if only by the fact that he is depicted as a Greek of his time, not a 16th century German). Decius 07:15, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

No joke, Decius. Costume doesn't make the portrait of a person any more realistic, and there is no contemporary portrait of him, nor any verbal description. This fanciful picture is as good as another.... Bill 11:16, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

But that's where I disagree. The costume, style, and look of other images available (such as some I've seen) are more accurate, just by the fact that he's not in 16th century garb. Decius 12:43, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Oh well, I guess you're just defending that image because you like it or gotten used to it. I don't have another image available for upload anyway. I just think its style is not what's needed, in the sense that it doesn't "create the mood" or fit his era. Decius 12:51, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Ptolemy's Canon

In the July/August issue of Archeology Odyssey, there is a fascinating article "How to date a Pharaoh."

It discusses howdates of ancient events can be determined, and it discusses the history of trying to determine the dates of ancient events.

One important document that had great impact on accurate dating of events going back to ca. 700 B.C. was a kings' list named "Ptolemy's Canon."

It became known in the West in a defective form in the 16th century, but more copies have since come to light.

Rather than go on about the matter, I will just refer folks to the article. At any rate, it seems that an entry for Ptolemy's Canon might be in order.

Jim Oppenheimer Hyde Park, NY jwally@prodigy.net