astronomy - How did pre-Copernican astronomers accurately predict planetary position?

Copernican elements (circular orbital elements) are not very accurate. But Copernicus simplified our understanding a great deal by placing the Sun at the center of the system. Im astonished by the historical accounts that, say, Mayan or Babylonians, or whoever may have had the ability to predict planetary position an accuracy that competes even with Kepler. Now, Im only curious about the reasoning and the mathematics behind making such predictions from pre-Copernican understanding. What approach did these ancient people take? I cant seem to find any online reference to this approach.