Berossus from 3rd century BC whose History of Babylonia was much studied for astrological knowledge

Berossus also Berossos or Berosus; Akkadian: Bēl-rē’ušu “Bel is his shepherd” Greek: Βήρωσσος was a Hellenistic-era Babylonian writer a priest of Bel and astronomer writing in Greek who was active at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. __________ Using ancient Babylonian records and texts that are lost to us Berossus published the Babyloniaca hereafter History of Babylonia in three books some time around 290-278 BC under the patronage[3] of the Macedonian/Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter.[4] Certain astrological fragments recorded in Pliny the Elder Censorinus Flavius Josephus and Marcus Vitruvius Pollio are also attributed to Berossus but are of unknown provenance or indeed where they might fit into his History. Vitruvius credits him with the invention of the semi-circular sundial hollowed out of a cubical block.[5] A statue of him was erected in Athens perhaps attesting to his fame and scholarship as historian and astronomer-astrologer. ____________ what little of Berossus remains is very fragmentary and indirect. The most direct source of material on Berossus is Josephus received from Alexander Polyhistor. Most of the names in his king-lists and most of the potential narrative content have disappeared or been completely mangled as a result. Only Eusebius and Josephus preserve narrative material _____________ A bull-man lamassu from Khorsabad Louvre Paris