Using ChatGPT to revise History

PotatoFieldsForever
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Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by PotatoFieldsForever »

Obviously, this is a double edged sword but you can ask very precise question and the AI is able to produce a response. You can start with a broad question and then refine more and more.

These examples are not the best but you get the idea. Yesterday, I asked it about the Greek manuscripts from antiquity that existed during the middle age before the Arabic translations.

Q: When did the concept of "prehistory" emerge ? and what was the widely accepted history of humanity in Europe at the time before that?
A: The concept of "prehistory" emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as European scholars began to recognize the existence of human societies that had existed prior to the development of written records. Prior to this time, the widely accepted history of humanity in Europe was based primarily on written records and the Bible, which placed the origin of human societies at around 4000 BCE.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, European scholars began to uncover evidence of ancient human societies that predated the development of writing, such as the megalithic monuments of Stonehenge in England and the dolmens of Brittany in France. These discoveries challenged the traditional view of human history, and led to the development of new fields of study such as archaeology and anthropology.

The concept of "prehistory" was formalized in the early 20th century, as scholars began to develop a more systematic approach to the study of ancient human societies that lacked written records. Today, prehistory is generally defined as the period of human history that extends from the emergence of the first human ancestors to the development of writing in various parts of the world, which occurred at different times in different places.
Q: Was the spherical Earth belief common among the Babylonians?
A: Yes, the belief in a spherical Earth was common among the Babylonians, an ancient civilization that lived in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) from around 2000 BCE to 539 BCE.

The Babylonians were known for their astronomical observations and calculations, and they had a sophisticated understanding of the movements of the planets and stars. They believed that the Earth was a sphere, and they used this knowledge to accurately predict celestial events such as lunar and solar eclipses.

One example of Babylonian astronomy is the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa, which dates back to around 1700 BCE. This tablet contains a record of observations of the planet Venus over a 21-year period, and it includes calculations of the planet's orbit and its appearances as a morning or evening star.

Overall, the Babylonians were one of the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world, and their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics had a significant influence on later cultures, including the Greeks and the Romans.
Q: Did they leave any written record stating that they knew the shape of the earth?

A: There is no known written record from the Babylonians stating explicitly that they believed the Earth to be a sphere. However, there are several indications in their surviving texts and records that suggest that they had knowledge of the Earth's shape.

For example, in the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, a cuneiform tablet from the 17th century BCE, the Babylonians made detailed observations of the planet Venus over a period of 21 years, and used these observations to accurately predict the planet's future movements. This level of accuracy required a sophisticated understanding of the movements of celestial bodies, which could only have been achieved if the Babylonians believed in a spherical Earth.

In addition, the Babylonians were known for their astronomical observations and calculations, and their star maps and calendars show that they had a detailed understanding of the movements of the stars and planets. This knowledge may also suggest that they believed in a spherical Earth.

Overall, while there is no direct evidence of the Babylonians explicitly stating that they believed in a spherical Earth, their astronomical knowledge and achievements strongly suggest that they held this belief.
Q: When was the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa discovered?
A: The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa was discovered in the 19th century by the British archaeologist Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, who found it among a collection of cuneiform tablets in the British Museum. The tablet itself dates back to the 17th century BCE and is believed to have been created during the reign of the Babylonian king Ammisaduqa.
Q: Do you know by which methods the age of the tablet was derived?
A: The age of the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa was determined through a combination of historical and archaeological evidence, as well as analysis of the language and script used on the tablet itself.

The tablet was found among a collection of cuneiform tablets that were excavated from the ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh in modern-day Iraq. The ruins of Nineveh are known to have been destroyed by the Babylonians in the 6th century BCE, which provides a lower bound for the age of the tablet.

In addition, the language and script used on the tablet are consistent with those used during the reign of Ammisaduqa in the 17th century BCE, which provides an upper bound for the age of the tablet.

Overall, the age of the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa was determined through a combination of archaeological context and linguistic analysis, and is estimated to be around 3700 years old.
Q: What did Henry Creswicke Rawlinson discover before the "Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa"?
A: Henry Creswicke Rawlinson was an English scholar and soldier who made several significant discoveries in the field of Middle Eastern studies in the mid-19th century. Prior to his work on the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, Rawlinson is perhaps best known for his decipherment of the Behistun Inscription.

The Behistun Inscription is a large rock relief located in present-day Iran, and it contains inscriptions in three different languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian. Rawlinson was able to decipher the Old Persian portion of the inscription in the 1830s and 1840s, which provided a key to the translation of the other two languages.

Rawlinson's work on the Behistun Inscription was a major breakthrough in the study of ancient Near Eastern languages and history. It helped to establish the foundation for the study of the ancient Persian Empire, and it paved the way for further discoveries and advances in the field. The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa was one of Rawlinson's later discoveries, which he made in the 1870s, after his work on the Behistun Inscription.
Q:Did anyone at the time criticize the discoveries of Henry Creswicke Rawlinson ?
Like most significant scientific discoveries, the work of Henry Creswicke Rawlinson was not without its critics. Rawlinson's decipherment of the Behistun Inscription, in particular, was met with skepticism by some of his contemporaries, who found it difficult to believe that an outsider could make such a breakthrough in the study of ancient languages.

In addition, Rawlinson's work on the Behistun Inscription was part of a larger scholarly debate about the origins of the ancient Persian Empire. Some scholars at the time argued that the empire was of Semitic origin, while others believed it to be of Indo-European origin. Rawlinson's decipherment of the Old Persian language helped to support the Indo-European theory, but it was not universally accepted by all scholars in the field.

Despite these criticisms, Rawlinson's work on the Behistun Inscription is now widely regarded as a major breakthrough in the study of ancient languages and history. His decipherment of the inscription helped to establish the foundation for the study of the ancient Persian Empire, and it paved the way for further discoveries and advances in the field.
PotatoFieldsForever
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by PotatoFieldsForever »

Ultimately, the question can introduce some bias but I found it more useful than google. You can always ask for a proof or a quote to see if the AI is making stuff up.
YouCanCallMeAl
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by YouCanCallMeAl »

Ai will attempt to give you a satisfactory answer. In future, as it has more data about you, its answers will be more satisfactory to you sooner.

What value there is in the ai's answers or even from history in general, would be found in how entertaining the stories are. However, the value does not, can not, relate to truth. The only truth you will find in historical stories is when the story is incoherent - you can then know the story is a lie.

I would caution against thinking you can ever know something about anything that you haven't personally verified. And, unfortunately, you cannot verify the past.
PotatoFieldsForever
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by PotatoFieldsForever »

I was in the process of comparing the answers I got with Wikipedia to see the quality of the answers, while, you can't find the truth on wiki, It can give you an idea of the official narrative.
YouCanCallMeAl
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by YouCanCallMeAl »

Imo, you can consider society and its artifacts (history, science, etc), as an early adopter's version of the ai we will soon have - ai v1. 0 if you like, where the thing we call "ai" nowadays would be v2. 0. You are only comparing one story against another. Nothing to do with truth. You are not on solid ground to confirm truth or falsity.

The only relation this has to truth, is that when you find a conflict in the story, you know you are dealing with a lie.

Truth is a destructive process.
PotatoFieldsForever
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by PotatoFieldsForever »

I was more looking for official "facts", I thought it could be a good starting point but it seems to have too much confidence in its answers. Some things I wasn't able to find with Google such as the method of dating or the critics of Rawlinson (not saying if it was right or wrong), the question about the belief around the shape left to be desired (circular logic IMO).

I feel like the AI is good to understand the question and the answers seem good but they are not reliable yet.
YouCanCallMeAl
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Re: Using ChatGPT to revise History

Unread post by YouCanCallMeAl »

You hit on what I think ai is good for in your last sentence - making you feel good about whatever you are investigating. Correlations with reality are secondary.
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