A Presage of Heresy. Metaphysical Notes and Iconographic Themes for an Archaeology of the Mesopotamian Skies

Empirical observation of the skies has been a relatively recent conquest of modern science, but one of crucial importance, since – as we know – it replaced the theoretical and iconographic centrality of the Earth with the multi-dimensional expanse of the universe. As regards perceptions, and to introduce our exploration of the skies over the land between two rivers, we may recall that cosmos is a Greek term, although when and where it assumed the connotation of order, and then of Celestial Order, is unknown. In this brief article, then, we intend to trace, ex oriente, the most ancient part of the tradition that linked Babylon to Jerusalem, two epicentres of Near Eastern astronomy and premonitory ideology that were undoubtedly known to the Alexandrine sphere.