David Pingree, professor of the history of mathematics and of classics at Brown University, will deliver two public talks during his April visit as a Cornell Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large.
Pingree's first talk, "The Earliest Version of Jagannatha's Siddhantakaustubha," will be offered as part of a Southeast Asia Program seminar Monday, April 17, at 12:15 p.m., in G08 Uris Hall. Pingree's second public lecture is titled "Rhetorius, the Last Greek Astrologer of Alexandria," to be held Wednesday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m., in 165 McGraw Hall.
Pingree's earliest work in ancient Hellenistic and Indian astronomy/astrology led him to trace the specific mathematical techniques and terminologies of magic and astrology across the literature of different ancient civilizations. His expertise and mastery grew to include the textual traditions of Mesopotamian cuneiform, Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and medieval Latin. Through his investigations, Pingree documented the roots of Persian, Arabic and medieval European science in the Sanskrit texts of India. Pingree has devoted himself to cataloging, and often editing, all Sanskrit manuscripts on ancient astronomy, astrology, divination and magic. Recently he has begun to organize an international consortium with the goal of cataloging and preserving all the Indic manuscripts in the world.
At any one time, 20 outstanding intellectuals from across the world hold the title of Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large and are considered full members of the Cornell faculty. For more information on the program, visit the web site www.cornell.edu/Academic/Professors-at-Large/.
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