Culminating Stars in Babylonian Astronomy

Babylonian rising time schemes specify positions at or close to culminating stars when the Sun rises or sets for selected dates of a year. In an advanced version, points on the ecliptic rising on the eastern horizon instead of the Sun are given in relation to culminating stars. The attribution of rising times corresponds to the determination of oblique ascensions, that is, the relationship between arcs on the ecliptic and their respective arcs on the celes- tial equator. All the preserved texts dealing with this topic are descriptive; this means that they recount astronomical facts but do not explain how the recorded data can be used.