Staff profile

Dr JM Steele, BSc (Physics), PhD (Historical Astronomy)

Personal web pages

Royal Society Research Fellow in the Department of Physics

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 43642

Room number: 108

Member of the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East

(email at j.m.steele@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

Teaching activity

Level 1: "Astronomy Through the Ages" lecture course

Research interests

History of early astronomy.

Research Groups

Applied Historical Astronomy

Publications

Books: authored

Steele, J.M. 2008. A Brief Introduction to Astronomy in the Middle East. London: Saqi.
Steele, John M. 2000. Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. (Additional information)

Books: edited

Steele, J.M. 2007. Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient Near East. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Steele, John M. & Imhausen, Annette. 2002. Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 297. Muenster: Ugarit-Verlag. (Additional information)

Edited works: contributions

Steele, J. M. & Brack-Bernsen, L. 2008. A Commentary on Enuma Anu Enlil 14. In From the Banks of the Euphrates: Studies in Honor of Alice Louise Slotsky. Ross, M. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. 253-261.
Steele, J.M. 2007. The Length of the Month in Mesopotamian Calendars of the First Millennium BC. In Calendars and Years: Time and Astronomy in the Ancient Near East. Steele, J.M. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 133-148.
Brack-Bernsen, L. & Steele, J. M. 2004. Babylonian Mathemagics: Two Mathematical Astronomical-Astrological Texts. In Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree. Burnett, C., Hogendijk, J., Plofker, K. & Yano, M. Leiden: Brill. 95-125.
Steele, J. M. 2002. A Simple Function for the Length of the Saros in Babylonian Astronomy. In Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East. Steele, J. M. & Imhausen, A. Muenster: Ugarit-Verlag. 405-420.
Steele, J. M. 2002. Observation, Theory and Practice in Late Babylonian Astronomy: Some Preliminary Observations. In Astronomy of Ancient Civilizations. Potyomkina, T. M. & Obridko, V. N. Moscow: Nauka. 110-119.
Steele, J. M. 2002. Some Lunar Ephemerides and Related Texts from Babylon. In Mining the Archives: Festschrift for Christopher Walker on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday. Wunsch, C. Dresden: ISLET. 293-318.
Steele, J. M. 2001. The Latest Dated Astronomical Observation from Babylon. In Archaeological Sciences '97. Millard, A. R. Oxford: Archaeopress. 208-211.

Journal papers: academic

Steele, J. M. & Grey, J. M. K. 2007. A Study of Babylonian Observations Involving the Zodiac. Journal for the History of Astronomy
Huber, P. J. & Steele, J. M. 2007. Babylonian Lunar Six Tablets. SCIAMVS 8: 3-36.
Britton, J. P., Horowitz, W. & Steele, J. M. 2007. BCM A1845-1982.2. Wiener Zeitschrift fuer die Kunde des Morgenlandes 97: 43-54.
Steele, J.M. 2007. Celestial Measurement in Babylonian Astronomy. Annals Of Science 64: 293-325.
Steele, J.M. 2007. Greek Influence on Babylonian Astronomy? Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 6: 153-160.
Stephenson, F. R. & Steele, J. M. 2006. Astronomical Dating of Babylonian Texts Describing the Total Solar Eclipse of S.E. 175. Journal for the History of Astronomy 37: 55-69.
Steele, J. M. 2006. Miscellaneous Lunar Tables from Babylon. Archive for History of Exact Sciences 60: 123-155.
Steele, J. M. 2005. ’Computation According to the Wisdom of Anuship’ Astronomy in Ancient Mesopotamia. Bulletin of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies 39: 33-41.
Steele, J. M. 2005. A New Scheme from Uruk for the Retrograde Arc of Mars. Journal of Cuneiform Studies 57: 129-133.
Brack-Bernsen, L. & Steele, J. M. 2005. Eclipse Prediction and the Length of the Saros in Babylonian Astronomy. Centaurus 47: 181-206.
Steele, J. M. 2005. Four procedure texts concerning Jupiter’s latitude and synodic motion from Babylon. SCIAMVS 6: 33-51. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J.M. 2005. Ptolemy, Babylon and the rotation of the Earth. Astronomy and Geophysics 46: 11-15. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Roughton, N. A. Steele, J. M. & Walker, C. B. F. 2004. A late Babylonian normal and ziqpu star text. Archive for History of Exact Sciences 58(6): 537-572. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Hollywood, L. & Steele, J. M. 2004. Acronycal Risings in Babylonian Astronomy. Centaurus 46: 145-162.
Steele, J. M. 2004. Applied historical astronomy: an historical perspective. Journal for the History of Astronomy 35(3): 337-355. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J. M. 2003. Planetary latitudes in Babylonian mathematical astronomy. Journal for the History of Astronomy 34(3): 269-289. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J. M. 2003. The Use and Abuse of Astronomy in Establishing Absolute Chronologies. Physics in Canada 59: 243-248.
Clarke, A.J.M. & Steele, J.M. 2002. A computer generated Babylonian system A lunar ephemeris. Journal for the History of Astronomy 33: 279-. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, John M. 2002. BM 36948: a Saturn ephemeris calculated using System A from Babylon. Journal for the History of Astronomy 33: 261-264. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J. M. 2002. The Meaning of BAR DIB in Late Babylonian Astronomical Texts. Archiv für Orientforschung 48-49: 107-112.
Steele JM 2000. A 3405: An Unusual Astronomical Text From Uruk. Archive For History Of Exact Sciences 55: 103-135. (Additional information)
Steele, J. M. 2000. A Re-Analysis of the Eclipse Observations in Ptolemy’s Almagest. Centaurus 42: 89-108.
Steele JM 2000. Babylonian Lunar Theory Reconsidered (Essay Review of L. Brack-Bernsen, Die babylonische Mondtheorie. Isis 91: 125-126. (Additional information)
Steele JM 2000. Eclipse Prediction In Mesopotamia. Archive For History Of Exact Sciences 54: 421-454. (Additional information)
Fermor, J. & Steele, J. M. 2000. The Design of Babylonian Waterclocks: Astronomical and Experimental Evidence. Centaurus 42: 210-222.
Steele, J.M. & Stephenson, F.R. 1998. Astronomical Evidence for the Accuracy of Clocks in Pre-Jesuit China. Journal for the History of Astronomy 29: 35-. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J. M. & Stephenson, F. R. 1998. Canon of Solar and Lunar Eclipses for Babylon: 750 BC – AD 1. Archiv für Orientforschung 44-45: 195-209.
Steele, J.M. & Stephenson, F.R. 1998. Eclipse observations made by Regiomontanus and Walther. Journal for the History of Astronomy 29: 331-344. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele JM 1998. On The Use Of The Chinese Hsuan-ming Calendar To Predict The Times Of Eclipses In Japan. Bulletin Of The School Of Oriental And African Studies-university Of London 61: 527-533. (Additional information)
Steele, John M. 1998. Predictions of Eclipse Times Recorded in Chinese History. Journal for the History of Astronomy 29: 275-. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J.M. 1997. Solar Eclipse Times Predicted by the Babylonians. Journal for the History of Astronomy 28: 133-. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J. M. , Stephenson, F. R. & Morrison, L. V. 1997. The Accuracy of Eclipse Times Measured by the Babylonians. Journal for the History of Astronomy 28: 337-. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Steele, J.M. 1996. Babylonian Predictions of Lunar and Solar Eclipse Times. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 28: 1305-. (Additional information) (View publication online)

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