{"id":{"repo_id":"potsdam-thes","oai_identifier":"oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:69889"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/potsdam-thes/oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:69889","repository":{"repo_id":"potsdam-thes","name":"Universität Potsdam - Thes","base_url":"https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/oai"},"display":{"title":"Algorithmic thinking in Babylonian planetary theory","abstract":"This paper investigates the parallels between modern algorithmic paradigms and ancient computational methods in Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy (BMA). Through analysis of procedure texts and planetary tables, it demonstrates that Babylonian astronomers employed systematic techniques resembling sequential execution, conditional branching, and procedure calls, while also anticipating higher-level structures such as iteration, recursion, and dynamic programming. Although expressed in Akkadian and Sumerian rather than formal code, these procedures exhibit modularity, abstraction, and control flow structures recognizable to computer scientists. Rather than treating algorithmic paradigms as either present or absent, the study situates Babylonian techniques along a spectrum, revealing both parallels and divergences with modern computer science, while also respecting the cultural and philological specificity of Babylonian sources. This study thus positions Babylonian planetary theory as an early manifestation of algorithmic reasoning, contributing both to the history of computation and to contemporary reflections on the universality of algorithmic thinking.","abstract_html":"This paper investigates the parallels between modern algorithmic paradigms and ancient computational methods in Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy (BMA). Through analysis of procedure texts and planetary tables, it demonstrates that Babylonian astronomers employed systematic techniques resembling sequential execution, conditional branching, and procedure calls, while also anticipating higher-level structures such as iteration, recursion, and dynamic programming. Although expressed in Akkadian and Sumerian rather than formal code, these procedures exhibit modularity, abstraction, and control flow structures recognizable to computer scientists. Rather than treating algorithmic paradigms as either present or absent, the study situates Babylonian techniques along a spectrum, revealing both parallels and divergences with modern computer science, while also respecting the cultural and philological specificity of Babylonian sources. This study thus positions Babylonian planetary theory as an early manifestation of algorithmic reasoning, contributing both to the history of computation and to contemporary reflections on the universality of algorithmic thinking.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kinkel, Neele Charlotte"],"institution":"Universität Potsdam","degree_name":null,"degree_level":"master","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ossendrijver, Mathieu","Bordihn, Henning"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-02-13","date_published":"2026-02-13","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:52:15Z","subjects":["history of computation","Babylonian mathematical astronomy","algorithmic thinking","algorithm design","control flow","recursion","iteration","dynamic programming","zodiac","Algorithmendesign","algorithmisches Denken","Sequenzen","Prozeduraufrufe","Kontrollstrukturen","Schleifen","bedingte Anweisungen","dynamische Programmierung","Rekursion","Wissenschaftsgeschichte"],"languages":[],"rights":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/69889","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"source_url"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ossendrijver, Mathieu","Bordihn, Henning"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kinkel, Neele Charlotte"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Universität Potsdam"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["masterThesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["master"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Universität Potsdam"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["history of computation","Babylonian mathematical astronomy","algorithmic thinking","algorithm design","control flow","recursion","iteration","dynamic programming","zodiac","Algorithmendesign","algorithmisches Denken","Sequenzen","Prozeduraufrufe","Kontrollstrukturen","Schleifen","bedingte Anweisungen","dynamische Programmierung","Rekursion","Wissenschaftsgeschichte"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This paper investigates the parallels between modern algorithmic paradigms and ancient computational methods in Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy (BMA). Through analysis of procedure texts and planetary tables, it demonstrates that Babylonian astronomers employed systematic techniques resembling sequential execution, conditional branching, and procedure calls, while also anticipating higher-level structures such as iteration, recursion, and dynamic programming. Although expressed in Akkadian and Sumerian rather than formal code, these procedures exhibit modularity, abstraction, and control flow structures recognizable to computer scientists. Rather than treating algorithmic paradigms as either present or absent, the study situates Babylonian techniques along a spectrum, revealing both parallels and divergences with modern computer science, while also respecting the cultural and philological specificity of Babylonian sources. This study thus positions Babylonian planetary theory as an early manifestation of algorithmic reasoning, contributing both to the history of computation and to contemporary reflections on the universality of algorithmic thinking.","Diese interdisziplinäre Arbeit befasst sich mit den Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen modernen Algorithmen und antiken Rechenverfahren der babylonischen mathematischen Astronomie (Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy, BMA). Anhand von Prozedurtexten und Planetentafeln wird untersucht, in welchem Maße babylonische Astronomen systematische Verfahren nutzten, die strukturelle Parallelen zu modernen algorithmischen Konzepten wie Sequenzen, Verzweigungen, Prozeduraufrufen, Iteration, Rekursion und dynamischer Programmierung aufweisen. Obwohl die untersuchten Texte nicht in formaler Programmiersprache, sondern in Akkadisch und Sumerisch verfasst sind, treten Formen von Modularität, Abstraktion und Steuerungsstrukturen auf, die aus Sicht der modernen Informatik wiedererkennbar sind. Unter Berücksichtigung der kulturellen und philologischen Eigenständigkeit der babylonischen Quellen arbeitet diese Studie sowohl Ähnlichkeiten als auch Unterschiede zur modernen Informatik heraus. Die Arbeit versteht die babylonische Planetentheorie damit als einen historischen Kontext, in dem frühe Formen algorithmischen Denkens sichtbar werden, und leistet so einen Beitrag zur Geschichte der Komputation."]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Algorithmic thinking in Babylonian planetary theory","Algorithmisches Denken in der babylonischen Planetentheorie"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ossendrijver, Mathieu","Bordihn, Henning"],"dc:creator":["Kinkel, Neele Charlotte"],"dc:description.abstract":["This paper investigates the parallels between modern algorithmic paradigms and ancient computational methods in Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy (BMA). Through analysis of procedure texts and planetary tables, it demonstrates that Babylonian astronomers employed systematic techniques resembling sequential execution, conditional branching, and procedure calls, while also anticipating higher-level structures such as iteration, recursion, and dynamic programming. Although expressed in Akkadian and Sumerian rather than formal code, these procedures exhibit modularity, abstraction, and control flow structures recognizable to computer scientists. Rather than treating algorithmic paradigms as either present or absent, the study situates Babylonian techniques along a spectrum, revealing both parallels and divergences with modern computer science, while also respecting the cultural and philological specificity of Babylonian sources. This study thus positions Babylonian planetary theory as an early manifestation of algorithmic reasoning, contributing both to the history of computation and to contemporary reflections on the universality of algorithmic thinking.","Diese interdisziplinäre Arbeit befasst sich mit den Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen modernen Algorithmen und antiken Rechenverfahren der babylonischen mathematischen Astronomie (Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy, BMA). Anhand von Prozedurtexten und Planetentafeln wird untersucht, in welchem Maße babylonische Astronomen systematische Verfahren nutzten, die strukturelle Parallelen zu modernen algorithmischen Konzepten wie Sequenzen, Verzweigungen, Prozeduraufrufen, Iteration, Rekursion und dynamischer Programmierung aufweisen. Obwohl die untersuchten Texte nicht in formaler Programmiersprache, sondern in Akkadisch und Sumerisch verfasst sind, treten Formen von Modularität, Abstraktion und Steuerungsstrukturen auf, die aus Sicht der modernen Informatik wiedererkennbar sind. Unter Berücksichtigung der kulturellen und philologischen Eigenständigkeit der babylonischen Quellen arbeitet diese Studie sowohl Ähnlichkeiten als auch Unterschiede zur modernen Informatik heraus. Die Arbeit versteht die babylonische Planetentheorie damit als einen historischen Kontext, in dem frühe Formen algorithmischen Denkens sichtbar werden, und leistet so einen Beitrag zur Geschichte der Komputation."],"dc:format.medium":["application/pdf"],"dc:publisher":["Universität Potsdam"],"dc:rights":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"],"dc:subject":["history of computation","Babylonian mathematical astronomy","algorithmic thinking","algorithm design","control flow","recursion","iteration","dynamic programming","zodiac","Algorithmendesign","algorithmisches Denken","Sequenzen","Prozeduraufrufe","Kontrollstrukturen","Schleifen","bedingte Anweisungen","dynamische Programmierung","Rekursion","Wissenschaftsgeschichte"],"dc:title":["Algorithmic thinking in Babylonian planetary theory","Algorithmisches Denken in der babylonischen Planetentheorie"],"dc:type":["masterThesis"],"thesis:degree_level":["master"],"thesis:institution_name":["Universität Potsdam"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:52:15Z"}