How to tune like a Babylonian

As nearly as I can figure now, the idea is this: you start at F, and
then tune FC to a decent fifth. Now adjust so that FA is a good major
third, AC a good minor third, and FC remains a decent fifth. Repeat
the process with CG, GD, and then do DA so that DF is minor, do AE the
same way, and then EB the same way. Now BF should be a tritone, and
you stop.
In effect, you are tuning for triads.

Monz, is this what you think is going on here? Clearly, some kind of
mixed tuning system, tuning both fifths/fourths *and* thirds/sixths,
is the plan. It seems to me this would not be likely to get near to
equal temperament--more like some kind of roughly 2/7 comma temperament.

Hi Gene,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <gwsmith@s...> wrote:
>
> As nearly as I can figure now, the idea is this: you start
> at F, and then tune FC to a decent fifth. Now adjust so that
> FA is a good major third, AC a good minor third, and FC
> remains a decent fifth. Repeat the process with CG, GD,
> and then do DA so that DF is minor, do AE the same way,
> and then EB the same way. Now BF should be a tritone, and
> you stop.
> In effect, you are tuning for triads.

That's exactly what i tried to show in my MIDI rendition
of the CBS 10996 tablet as a "lyre etude". You sure
caught on fast without help from me!

> Monz, is this what you think is going on here? Clearly,
> some kind of mixed tuning system, tuning both fifths/fourths
> *and* thirds/sixths, is the plan. It seems to me this
> would not be likely to get near to equal temperament--
> more like some kind of roughly 2/7 comma temperament.

Yes, you're probably right. I had done my examination of
all this Babylonian and Sumerian stuff before i had really
come to grips with meantone, so i didn't consider meantone
too deeply in my speculations.

Of course, the transcribed and translated Sumerian/Babylonian
records that we have so far are extremely fragmentary, just
a mere handful of texts, and with some pieces of the tablets
broken off at that.

... which is one of the main reasons why i'm so pissed off
that the current American regime has soldiers over there
now ignorantly destroying gigabytes of ancient data that
still lies buried in the sand.

-monz
http://tonalsoft.com
Tonescape microtonal music software