The book provides historical context, explaining the social and political structure of ancient Mesopotamia and the role of priests and scribes in astronomical observation. It progresses by examining Babylonian mathematical techniques for predicting eclipses, exploring their calendar systems used to regulate agricultural cycles and religious observances, and analyzing the transmission of Babylonian astronomical knowledge to other cultures, including the Greeks.
By examining cuneiform texts and archaeological findings, Babylonian Time demonstrates how echoes of Babylonian thought are still audible in our daily lives.