This introductory chapter provides a synopsis of the present volume and lays the groundwork for the study of errorsErrors, mistakesMistakes and rounding numbersRounding numbers. The book structure is described, an overview of the kingdom ofLarsa LarsaKingdom of Larsa is presented, including issues with chronology and provenance, methodology is outlined and then a brief introduction to discrepanciesDiscrepancies, errors and mistakesMistakes is laid out. Mistakes are understood as unintentional discrepancies that result from a scribe’s own lapse in judgement or understanding. A mistake is avoidable, but the scribe is unaware of its existence. On the other hand, it is hypothesized that some errors were intentional, or at least that the scribe was aware of potential deviations between his assertion and a truth. ErrorErrors would then be unavoidable, but the scribe is aware of its (potential) existence. This hypothesis is pursued throughout this volume where observational and conceptual errorsConceptual errors, as well as rounding numbersRounding numbers as a kind of error, are explored.
CITATION STYLE
Middeke-Conlin, R. (2020). Introduction. In Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter (Vol. 4, pp. 1–20). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35951-5_1
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