I personally think that there is not a general consensus about
which came first historically - geometry or astronomy.
It may be useful to remind that in such primeval times there were
not "sciences", but only "science", and this was an amalgam of abstract and
practical concepts, something like we know as "magic", not the Houdini's
magic, but the "xama~'s" magic instead. This "ur-science" was a blend of
matters from mythology, cosmogony, botanic, medicine, ..., geometry,
astronomy, ...
Then, to ask which came first historically, geometry or astronomy,
may not be a valid question. This sounds something like: which came first,
chicken or egg?
The branching of the sciences, their names, are a Greek heritage for
western civilization's minds.
Perhaps, a better question to ask will be when did geometry split
from astronomy (or vice-versa), taken both sciences from the modern point
of view.
But, as it remains an open question, I wish to know more from the
list's members.
Best regards,
Manoel.
Manoel de Campos Almeida
Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana
Rua Hermes Fontes, 1282
Curitiba - 80.440-070
Parana - Brasil
On Mon, 7 Sep 1998, Will Wagers wrote:
> Is there a concensus on which came first historically--geometry or
> astrology (astronomy)? Opinions? References?