Babylonian Predictive Science and Conceptions of the Universe

Vortrag im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung des Wintersemesters 2023/24

“FINDING OUR WAYS IN SPACE AND TIME – Perceptions of the Universe”

The universe fascinated and puzzled human beings ever since they walked on this planet. Initially, the alien world visible in the night sky was imagined as the home of gods and late ancestors. It served as the anchor of humans to find their ways in space and time. It served as the first laboratory to reveal the laws of nature and the exploration of the universe led to regular revolutions in our way of thinking. Today, mankind reaches out to outer space not just for exploration. The world beyond becomes an economic factor and a new arena for conflict and war.

In this interdisciplinary series of lectures inspired by the BMBF science year “Our Universe”, we will have a look at different perceptions of the universe all across the globe from the very beginning to the modern world spanning a wide range of topics.