Astronomy House

Astronomy House
Babylonians priests were great astronomers and adept mathematicians, working in temples to understand and predict planetary movement.
Details
Found in:	Humankind
Culture:	Babylonians
Era:	Ancient Era
Technology:	Instantly unlocked
Type:	Science
Cost
Production	100
Resource exploitation
Placement prerequisites
Can be built once per Territory
Can be built once per Territory

The Astronomy House is the Emblematic District specific to the Babylonians. It is a constructable District that generates and most effective in Cities with multiple and adjacent to multiple Farmers Quarters.

Effects

• +1Food and +1Science per Researchers
• +3Science per adjacent Farmers Quarter
• +1Researchers Slot on City or Outpost
• -10Stability

Special Effects

• Acts as a Research Quarter and a Farmers Quarter for bonuses
• Exploits Food and Science from below and adjacent tiles

Trivia

• The concept of the Astronomy House is a reference to the great astronomical traditions of Babylonians. The Babylonians provided the first refined mathematical description of astronomical phenomena, which contributed all the subsequent varieties of scientific astronomy and the exact mathematical sciences.
• The in-game appearance of the Astronomy House is based on the Ishtar Gate, part of the grand processional way that led to the city of Babylon, one of the masterpieces of Babylonian brickwork architectures.

Encyclopedia entry

Great astronomers and adept mathematicians, Babylonian priests work in temples to understand and predict planetary movements.

Babylonian inscriptions leave no doubt as to the importance of astronomy to the Mesopotamian peoples. While we have yet to find historical proof of any building strictly dedicated to the observation of celestial objects, most of the descriptions of such phenomena have been found on cuneiform tablets in temples and ziggurats. Priests from this region would interpret messages sent to them by their gods based on their astronomical observations. The Babylonian pantheon comprises seven major gods associated with seven celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn). The study of their position, movement, and luminosity was used to produce the key astrological predictions in the Babylonian belief system. The need for knowledge led the Babylonians to develop complex astro-mathematical models, which were used to predict eclipses and the movement of the stars.