Did Greek astronomy influence India, or Indian astronomy influenced Greeks?

Answer 1

well you would have to go back and look at which is older

Answer 2

What's the oldest publication on Astronomy ? What country does it come from ?
I mean mathematical Astronomy. Not Astrology or Mytholgy. Isn't it the Almagest by Ptolameus. You should watch the COSMOS educational series by Carl Sagan. He mentions references to India,Greece,Egypt,Germany,France,South Western America.
If you look at Mathematical-logical thought . India has some definately original Mathematicans. But, less influencial Astronomers compared to Greek,Egyptian and other western cultures. Don't forget that India and China are close geographically and could of exchanged ideas. Just like Greece and Egypt. It's a fact that base 10 system the numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 are from India-Persia and they also believed in the helicentric hypothesis and suposedly a universe without ends. Their concept of infinity and the limitless size of the Universe is connected.People who understand large numbers and try to conceptualize infinity probably take Astronomy more seriously. But, both cultures made original contributions to us.

Answer 3

It all depends upon what you mean by "influence"... These two peoples weren't working within the same paradigm.

Though It is certain that information passed between these cultures and influenced them both, the Greeks were the first people to put ideas to objective consideration. This is often why they are refereed to as the "first scientists" (though, because they never really "tested" their hypotheses this claim is perhaps premature. However, they were definitely on the track to true scientific thinking). It was the Greeks who first mathematically charted out planetary motion (Pythagoras, Euxodu, and so) and it is argued that no other culture would have ever gotten around to this feat.

"Astronomers" from all other cultures (India, China) were not truly "scientific" in the sense we understand today. They were certainly meticulous in charting the skies to be sure, but it was for the belief that they could use celestial anomalies to predict the future and not to fully understand the natural world. They were really what we would call "astrologers" today (a pseudo scientific study and definitely NOT science).

Answer 4

Indian philosophy should have influenced the greeks as in the case of every philosphers they say that the person travelled to some eastern country before returning to Greece with some differetnt knoledge and they do not know which country the greeks philosophers visited before they returned to greece with different knowledge which are akin to the indian thoughts in many fields . but the greeks have been thinking very logiclly .and have given thier logical arguments whenever they stated some principles unlike the Indians who postulated therories with out any aguments or expalanation of the proofs .

Answer 5

They influenced each other. Alexander the Great led a Greek army into to India during Greece's golden age, causing Greek and Indian astromeners to be able to talk and further exchange ideas. Though when Alexander died his empire fell and it became almost imposable to travel from Greece to India, limiting the exchange.

Answer 6

I beleive Indian astronomy is oldest one and may influenced Greeks. Or Greek's one may be later one

Answer 7

they both essentially influenced each other to some extent, but in general, developed indegenously as far as astronomy goes