Berossos

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Berossos (more rarely Berosos , Akkadian Bêl-re'ušunu , Latinized Berossus ) was a late 4th / early 3rd century BC. Living Babylonian priest of the god Bēl - Marduk and one of the most important priest astronomers of the ancient world. He is known as the author of a historical work in Greek and is incorrectly sometimes referred to as the founder of the Hellenistic astrology, which invented horoscope astrology.

life and work

In research there is no consensus about the exact dates of life of the Berossos. Berossus was perhaps a contemporary of Alexander the great , possibly also of his son Alexander IV. Aigos , accordingly Berossus could e.g. B. between 330 and 323 BC Or 316 and 305 BC Have been born in BC. But some researchers also assume a birth around 340 BC. And interpret his further living conditions differently, for example in relation to his astronomical interests. In any case, he became a priest of the god Bēl-Marduk (Bēl was a name of this god that had become common during this period) and was probably head of the Esagila temple. Berossos probably published around 290 BC. A "Babylonian story" (which probably bore the title Babyloniaká ) in Greek. The work was dedicated to the Seleucid Antiochus I (then co-ruler of his father Seleukos I , later king himself) and divided into three books. The story covered from "primeval times" to the death of Alexander.

Only fragments of the work have survived ( The Fragments of the Greek Historians No. 680); it was used, among others, by Alexander Polyhistor (who in turn is quoted in the Armenian version of the Chronicle of Eusebius ), Flavius ​​Josephus , Abydenos and Juba .

A special feature of this chronicle was the combination of Mesopotamian and Greek traditions to legitimize the Seleucid rule. Book 1 is dedicated to the geography of Babylonia, whereby Berossos is based on Hellenistic ethnography , cosmogony and the fish man (synonym for sage ) Oannes as a bringer of culture. Book 2 deals with 10 antediluvian kings, describes flood reports (according to the Babylonian tradition adopted from Uruk ), as well as the post-flood dynasties and the wise men up to Nabu-nasir in the 8th century BC. Chr. Book 3 finally describes the Assyrian domination (after the Babylonian tradition only from Babylonian point of view) since Tiglath-pileser III. , their decline, the time of the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar II , the Persian rule up to the Greek conquest .

Berossos seems to have based his portrayal on original documents and local traditions, although overall he is quite reliable. His historical work supports in many statements both today's archaeological finds as well as the ancient cuneiform texts . He is considered more believable than Herodotus for Mesopotamian history and culture .

Around 300 BC BC Berossos is said to have settled on the island of Kos and founded the first astrology school of the Hellenistic world there, but this is denied by some Berossos experts in recent publications. As an astrologer he is said to have achieved a great reputation, few - more 'cosmological' '- fragments of his astrological teachings have survived. The authenticity of the fragments in question is again partly questioned or it is noted that none of the important astronomers living after Berossus, such as astrologers, such as Hipparchus or Ptolemy , cited or referred to him.

The lunar crater Berosus is named after him.

Editions and translations

  • Fragments of the Greek Historians (FGrHist) No. 680 (original text).
  • Geert Eduard Eveline de Breucker: De Babyloniaca van Berossos van Babylon: inleiding, editie en commentaar . Groningen 2012. p. 27f, p. 677. Publication available as PDFs .
  • Stanley Mayer Burstein: The Babyloniaca of Berossus . 2nd ed. Malibu / Calif. 1980.
  • Gerald P. Verbrugghe, John M. Wickersham: Berossos and Manetho, introduced and translated. Native traditions in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt . Ann Arbor 1996 (reprinted 2000).

literature

  • Javier Campos Daroca: Bérose de Babylone. In: Richard Goulet (editor): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Volume 2, CNRS Éditions, Paris 1994, ISBN 2-271-05195-9 , pp. 95-104
  • Russell E. Gmirkin: Berossus and Genesis, Manetho and Exodus: Hellenistic Histories and the Date of the Pentateuch . New York / London 2006.
  • Johannes Haubold, Giovanni B. Lanfranchi, Robert Rollinger, John M. Steele (editors): The World of Berossos: Proceedings of the 4th International Colloquium on 'The Ancient Near East between Classical and Ancient Oriental Traditions' (Classica et Orientalia, 5) . Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2013.
  • Amélie Kuhrt : Berossus' Babyloniaka and Seleucid Rule in Babylonia . In: Same, S. Sherwin-White (editor): Hellenism in the East. The interaction of Greek and non-Greek civilizations from Syria to Central Asia after Alexander . Berkeley / Los Angeles 1987, pp. 32-56.
  • Klaus Meister : The Greek historiography . Stuttgart 1990, pp. 140f.
  • Eduard Schwartz : Berossos 4 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume III, 1, Stuttgart 1897, Col. 309-316.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ James Herschel Holden: A History of Horoscopic Astrology . American Federation of Astrologers, Tempe (USA) 2006. p. 9.
  2. ↑ Johannes Bach: Berossos, Antiochos and the Babyloniaka , in: Acient West & East 12 (2013), pp. 157-180. P. 159f.
  3. ↑ An overview is provided by the introduction in Verbrugghe / Wickersham, p. 13ff.
  4. ↑ In some cases, a later publication is also assumed: Verbrugghe / Wickersham, p. 14.
  5. ^ Geert Eduard Eveline de Breucker: De Babyloniaca van Berossos van Babylon: inleiding, editie en commentaar . Groningen 2012. S. 27f, S. 677. Publication available as PDFs , accessed on February 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ Georges Minois : History of the Future , Düsseldorf / Zurich 1998, p. 86. See also Vitruv VI, 6, 2.
  7. ^ Geert Eduard Eveline de Breucker: De Babyloniaca van Berossos van Babylon: inleiding, editie en commentaar . Groningen 2012. pp. 27f, p. 677, pp. 270-275. Publication available as PDFs , accessed on February 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ John M. Steele, The 'Astronomical Fragments' of Berossos in Context , in: Johannes Haubold, Giovanni B. Lanfranchi, Robert Rollinger, John M. Steele (eds.): The World of Berossos: Proceedings of the 4th International Colloquium on 'The Ancient Near East between Classical and Ancient Oriental Traditions (Classica et Orientalia, 5). Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2013. p. 110.
personal data
SURNAME Berossos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Babylonian historian
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH unsure: Babylon
DATE OF DEATH 3rd century BC Chr.