China's oldest surviving observatory

Article Abstract:

In 1994, the Drum Tower in Yichun City, China, was identified as the Yuanzhou Astronomical Clock Tower believed to have been built during the mid-Southern Song Dynasty between AD 1127 and 1279. The structure is believed to be the oldest surviving observatory and clock tower and was only one of three astronomical observation points constructed and closely controlled by the government after astral manipulations occurred during the Han Dynasty, 206 B.C-A.D. 220.

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The mandate of Heaven: comprehending celestial patterns was a fundamental requirement for Chinese kingship

Article Abstract:

Zhou Dynasty rulers in mid-eleventh century B.C. China put forth the mandate to their successors to communicate the Heavenly images to the people. A king's ability to successfully predict celestial events through astronomy, astrology and calendrical science was a measure of the dynasty's success. The earliest written records of astronomical phenomena are found on Shang Dynasty oracle bones in the thirteenth century B.C.

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Return of Gilgamesh: A new adaptation of the world's oldest epic

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Stephen Mitchell, an acclaimed translator and adapter of several ancient texts has created a new literary version of Gilgamesh, the story of an arrogant Mesopotamian king based on English, French, and German literal translations. Stephen Mitchell gives his views about the tale's moral sophistication, 16-foot-tall winged bulls, and Gilgamesh's comparison with Beowulf.

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