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Astrological textsBabylonian astronomyClay tabletsFormer constellations

MUL.APIN

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The Pleiades Star Cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, shining brightly in the night sky.

Discover the Ancient Star Book

Long ago, people in Babylon wrote a special book about the stars. This book is called MUL.APIN. It is very old, made more than 3,000 years ago! The book talks about stars and how they move in the sky. It helps us learn how people saw the night sky a long time ago.

MUL.APIN is written on clay tablets, which are like flat, square stones. One tablet shows the stars as groups, called constellations. It tells when stars appear, hide, and shine the brightest. This helped people know when to plant crops or celebrate special days.

The book has two parts. The first part is like a map of the stars. It shows how the stars are connected and how they fit with the Babylonian calendar. The second part talks about the sun, moon, and planets. It helps people watch the sky and learn when special things happen, like when the moon changes shape.

People in Babylon loved watching the stars. They made pictures of the sky and wrote down what they saw. MUL.APIN is one of the oldest books about stars ever found. It shows us how clever ancient people were when they looked up at the night sky.

Fun Star Groups from MUL.APIN

MUL.APIN talks about many star groups, or constellations. Here are a few:

  • Many Stars – This is the group we now call the Pleiades.
  • Bull of Heaven – This is part of the stars we know as Taurus.
  • True Shepherd of Anu – These stars make up Orion.
  • Old Man – This group is what we call Perseus.
  • Great Twins – These are the stars in Gemini.

These star groups helped ancient people tell stories and understand the sky. They are still famous today!

Images

An ancient Babylonian clay tablet with inscriptions about astronomy, showing early understandings of stars and constellations.
An ancient Babylonian star map showing how early astronomers divided the sky into sections linked to gods and constellations.
An ancient Babylonian map of the night sky showing early constellations and celestial paths.
Ancient astronomical drawings showing the Great Twins, used to study the stars and constellations.
An illustrated star map showing the constellation Cancer and its connection to the star Procyon, created by R. Perdok for the LWL Planetarium Münster.
An ancient Babylonian astronomy illustration showing constellations and stars from historical clay tablets.
An ancient Babylonian astronomy illustration showing the constellation Virgo as part of the night sky.
A stylized illustration of a figure from ancient Babylonian mythology, shown as part of a celestial map.
An ancient Babylonian symbol showing a goat-fish, associated with the god Ea/Enki in early astronomy and mythology.
An artistic depiction of the Mesopotamian god Ea/Enki, linked to the Greek constellation Aquarius, based on ancient seal designs.
Ancient Mesopotamian constellations showing the goddess Anunitu, the Hired Man, and the Giant Swallow, overlaid on a modern star map.
Ancient Babylonian constellation drawings showing Orion and Taurus
A draft drawing of the constellation known as the Old Man, created by artist Jessica Gullberg using Stellarium software.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on MUL.APIN, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.