The project
Astral sciences were cultivated, since antiquity, in a great variety of historical contexts wherein different types of transmission and interaction were often established. Thus, research into the development of these sciences represents a vast endeavour transcending cultures and eras. In order to try to better understand the interactions and influences between the different astronomical traditions, a sufficiently large and encompassing corpus must therefore be constituted; similarly, tools and methods capable of analysing this great variety of sources must be implemented.
Digital humanities transform the availability of historical sources gradually, along with the means to analyse, edit, and relate them. These changes should be addressed, anticipated, and fostered by various research communities in history. DISHAS (Digital Information System for the History of Astral Sciences) is a collective enterprise that addresses these changes in the field of the history of the astral sciences.
As a pilot attempt, DISHAS focuses on astronomical tables and, more precisely, on their numerical and mathematical content. A first version of the site has been available since May 2020.
