![]() ![]() But the first mention of the chart in an astronomical context appears to be made by Joseph Needham as late as 1959 in his Science and Civilisation in China. Its discovery was a huge surprise since such an early chart had never before been seen from any civilization. Along with a fragment of a circumpolar star map and an astrological compilation of the Chinese constellations, the discovery of these documents revealed a fascinating snapshot of astronomical knowledge in ancient China. The Dunhuang Star Atlas was not the only astronomical document found in the Dunhuang Library Cave. The chart contains much information that has proved very useful for modern astronomers. ![]() It shows a complete representation of the Chinese sky in 13 charts with over 1300 stars named and accurately presented. Among them, was a manuscript containing the oldest manuscript star atlas known today from any civilisation, probably dating from around AD 700. This cave had been sealed for a thousand years and contained around forty thousand manuscripts, paintings and printed documents on silk and paper. In the early twentieth century, a secret cave, now known as the ‘Library Cave’, was discovered in the Buddhist Mogao cave complex (Mogaoku 莫高窟), just outside the Silk Road town of Dunhuang in northwest China. The Dunhuang Star Atlas, the last section of Or.8210/S.3326. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |