30 Eclipse Reports from the late Antiquity
reported year, conventional identification, alternative retrocalculation, deviation of dates
    

Remark: If there were no logical interrelation between the historical eclipses and the retocalculated ones,one should expect be just a few matches and no cumulation for one particular span of deviation.

In fact, from the traditionally reported eclipses, 15 deviate by 300 and 2 by 299 years from retocalculation. 11 of these show the exactly identical deviation with 300 years minus 46 days (i.e. 109529 days = 15647 weeks = 3709 synodical months)!

For the remaining cases, it appears likely that the dates were based on a real, but locally invisible eclipse (Napolitanus/Nisibis, Lundinenses, Gallorum), that the date does not match with new moon (Zosimus), or that ist refers to the Byzantine begin of the year in Autumn (Const.), or to the regency of Luis the Pious/Chlovis (Bede).

Source of historical report

Type
S|M

Retrocalc.
konv. [year C.E.]

Sort,
cover

Comments:   sort, place
  visibility   « cons. || alt. »

Retrocalc.
alternative

Dev. years
days

Livius   III.IX.*

M

21. Jun. -167

T

« Dev. 119 days  ||  75 days »

06. Mai. 133

+300 -46d

Diodor

S

15. Aug. -309

T

  Diodor lived in 1st cy. A.D.

30. Jun. -09

+300 -46d

Julius Obsequens

S

19. Jul. -103

R

     Julius O. lived in 4th cy. A.D.:

3. Juni 197

+300 -46d

Julius Obsequens

S

29. Jun. -93

R

3 eclipses separated 10 + 30 yrs

14. Mai 207

+300 -46d

Julius Obsequens

S

-59 ?

X

       ||  evening  »

12. Apr. 237

+300
Augustus' deadS18. Apr. 14V

|| R: Nola/Naples »

27. Jul. 306+292 ?

Plinius   LIX

S

30. Apr. 59

80%

|| T: Rome »

15. Mär. 359

+300 -46d

Vita Gordianorum

ST

6. Aug. 240

65%

|| T: Rome »

20. Jun. 540

+300 -46d

Cons. Const. 291

S

4. Mai 292

75%

|| R: Constantinople »

4. Okt. 590

+299

Cons. Const. 318

S

6. Mai 319

85%

|| R: Constantinople »

4. Nov. 617

+299

Aurelius Victor

S

6. Mai 319

X

« 317 || R: Pannonia, sunrise »

4. Nov. 617

+300
Pappus of Alexandr. S18. Okt 320V

 || T: Constantinople »

5. Oct. 674**+354 -13d

Theon of Alexandria

S

16. Jun. 364

V

« Baltic (!)  || T: Alexand. »

3. Jun. 718**

+354 -13d
Theophanes S 6. Jun. 346 T « T: Alexandria || T: C'nople  » 5. Nov. 644 +298

Zosimus  6.9.394

S

20. Nov. 393

T

          || 95% at Frigidus »

5. Okt. 693

+300 -46d

Chron Gallorum 418

S

17.Mai. 421

40%

               || T. Rome 80% »

3. Jun. 718

+300

Ann. Lundin. 448

ST

23. Dez. 447

80%

            || T: London »

12. Apr. 758

~310

Hydatius

ST

19. Jul. 418

T

 « T: Portugal »

3. Juni 718

+300 -46d

Hydatius

S

22. Dez. 447

T

                || 70% Portugal »

7. Nov. 747

+300 -46d

Hydatius

M

4. Sep. 451

81%

|| T: »

31. Jul. 752

+301

Hydatius

M

2. Mär. 462

P

|| T: »

4. Jan. 763

+301

Elias Nisibis

S

14. Jan. 484

T

† Peroz after campaign in january?

3. Apr. 786

+302

M. Neapolitanus

ST

14. Jan. 484

U

« invisible in Athens || T: Crete »

3. Apr. 786

~301
Theophanes ST 29. Jun. 512
 T « T: Crete || T: Athens » 14. Mai 812
 +300 -46d

Bede° 16. Feb 538

S

540 ?

V

|| R: Scotland »

11. Feb 807

+269

Bede° 20. Jun 540

S

20. Jun. 540

V

« T: Rome || R: »

16. July 809

+269

Gregory of Tours °°

S

3. Okt. 563

60%

« Mid VIII.|| R: South. France »

18. Aug. 863

+300 -46d

Gregory of Tours

M

18. Sep. 563

58%

  || 20% 'nec quarta pars' ? »

3. Aug. 863

+300 -46d

Gregory of Tours

M

11. Dez. 577

64%

|| T: 'in nigridinem conv.' »

20. Apr. 878

+301

G. of Tours I.VIII.°°

S

4. Okt. 590

65%

        || R: Central France  »

8. Aug. 891

+301


Abbreviations: S= Solar eclipse, T= Total solar ecl., R= Ring-shaped solar eclipse, U= Unreal, no match ;
V= visible only with eye-protection if eclipse was expected; X= No matching event; M= Moon eclipsed

*) The Livius' date corresponds to a formal pre-julian retrocalculation without switch days.

**) Year and date Could be retrocalculated knowing the 'Exeligmos' (= 3 Saros Cycles, i.e. slightly more than 54 years) from the real solar eclipses (Constantinople 693; Alexandria 718 C.E.).

°) This unique pair of eclipse dates matches retrocalculation - exept for the year. The dates of Bede may have undergone a correction for the new moon day (on Feb. 15th 538 and June 20th 540).

°°) The year began with January 8th  ('Circumcision style').


References:

Historical reports:
Demandt, Alexander: Verformungstendenzen in der Überlieferung antiker Sonnen- und Mondfinsternisse
[Deformation-tendencies (!) within the tradition of antique solar and lunar eclipses],
Mainz 1970, (Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur).

Ginzel, F. K.: Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie Bd II + III, 1914 http://www.archive.org/stream/handbuchdermathe02ginzuoft#page/522 http://www.archive.org/stream/handbuchdermathe03ginzuoft#page/n5

Modern retrocalculation:
Espenak, Fred: Solar Eclipse Atlas: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEatlas/SEatlas.html



HEK 8/2008
-> jahr1000wen.de