Ancient egypt Quote by Lee Smolin
““We do not know who realized that there was an element missing but we owe whoever it was a great debt. We can imagine an astronomer, perhaps in Babylon or ancient Egypt, suddenly realizing that there were not just two periodic motions to consider but three. Perhaps it was a sage, who after decades of study knew the data by heart. Perhaps it was some young rebel, not yet brainwashed into thinking that you had to explain what was seen only in terms of observable objects. Whatever the case, this innovator uncovered a mysterious third oscillation in the data, occurring not once a month or once a year but approximately every eighteen and two-thirds years. It turns out that the points where the two paths cross on the sky are not fixed: They rotate as well, taking those eighteen-plus years to make a complete cycle.””
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Talk on planetary motion and historical astronomy, 2020
He describes the discovery of a third long‑term oscillation in celestial data, beyond known cycles.
In simple terms: A hidden 18‑year cycle was found in sky motions.
Key Takeaway
Explore overlooked patterns in data.
Themes
science
discovery
history
astronomy
Mood
inquisitive
analytical
Type
historical
scientific
When to use this quote
- research analysis
- academic study
- historical review
Key Concepts
periodic cycles
historical observation
innovation
Questions to Reflect On
- What data could reveal hidden cycles?
- How do we validate ancient observations?
A Different Perspective
Assuming ancient data accuracy may be overstated.
![“[In the Field Museum of Natural History] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece. We could see the most sophisticated things that came out of the Orient - Japan, Korea, and China - some few pieces of European porcelain, majolica…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8fc/warren-mackenzie-4654_ancient_in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-w_183538.jpg)
