Ptolemy’s Canon

Ptolemy's Canon is a king list that originated from ancient Mesopotamia and was later compiled by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy around 150 CE. This astronomical text served as a crucial guide for astronomers in the Islamic world and Europe until the early 17th century.12

The Canon covers a period of approximately 1,000 years, beginning with the kings of Babylon after Nabonassar's accession in 747 BCE. It includes astronomical events, such as lunar eclipses, which have been verified by cuneiform tablets excavated in Mesopotamia. Ptolemy's work, particularly his Almagest, established a geocentric model of the universe, where Earth is stationary at the center. This model, known as the Ptolemaic system, dominated astronomical thought for over 1,400 years.1345