The ancients, naturally, knew and understood less than we moderns. Some ancient writings are accurate, some are not. Is the antiquity of a text a valid reason to reference it in a discussion?
Well, a truly ancient text is scientific evidence - evidence that humans, at one time, felt it important to write something down. The reason why they might have felt that way, and written what they did, is certainly a question that can be scientifically addressed.
Should an ancient text be given authority over modern scientific knowledge? I don't see why. Modern scientific knowledge comes from the application of the scientific method, which represents an evolutionary (if you will) advancement on previous techniques for inquiry about the natural world. Ancient texts that predate the scientific method obviously were not written with the benefit of this superior tool. Consequently, the information they contain certainly cannot be expected to be more accurate than information developed via scientific means.
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