Solar eclipse of Shulgi
Quite remarkable is the brief mention of Shulgi’s poem describing his war against Gutium. The researcher describes it:
If such a double eclipse occurred, it was very significant and there may not be very many.
Lunar eclipses of the Ur III dynasty
During the Ur III dynasty, two historical lunar eclipses occurred. The first of these dates back to the end of Shulgi’s reign. When studying these eclipses, it should be taken into account that at around this early time, the Julian calendar already shows a remarkably large error.
Second, the lunar calendar used may have flowed far back.
The researcher says of the first lunar eclipse:
Another mention of the lunar eclipse relates to the near end of the Ur III dynasty, the reign of Ibbi-Suen. There are several options for this as well.
We take both of these mentions here in succession, as scholars say these may date close to the end of the reign of these said kings. Applying this assumption, these two lunar eclipse would become a pair of eclipse with a time difference of about 42 years. The researcher says about the second lunar eclipse:
There are two important features in these descriptions of lunar eclipses that are important to consider.
The first of these eclipses occurred in the evening, the latter occurred in the morning. This feature of lunar eclipses greatly reduces the number of possible observations.
Another additional feature is the Direction of the Air, where the moon was at the time of the lunar eclipse. The moon eclipse of Shulgi mentions east and west, while the eclipse of Ibbi-Suen mentions south and north. These directions of the air clearly cannot mean the location of the moon, but describe the lunar eclipse itself.
It is good for us to remember that in a lunar eclipse, the shadow of the earth obscures the moon from the left to the right. In connection with the lunar eclipse of Shulgi, the left side of the moon is said to have been to the east.
From this it can be concluded that the moon was approximately to the south. It should also be noted here that apparently only four main air directions were used in those situations.
Because Ur is so south, the orbit of the moon can sometimes also pass north of Ur. In such a situation, the left side of the moon would be in the west and not in the east. Second, the moon could sometimes rise even between the north and northeast. So it didn’t always make it to the south during the evening. It remains to be seen whether these properties of the lunar orbit affect the suitability of the found lunar eclipse pairs.
In the case of the lunar eclipse of Ibbi-suen, the left side of the moon was in the south, which again suggests that the moon was approximately in the west at that time.
However, a small question mark may remain in the air to hover, as in Chapter 19 a matter related to the lunar orbit came to light when looking at the events of Joshua’s time near Gideon. The event can also give the impression that the moon stopped in its orbit for as long as the rotation of the earth stopped. If this happens, there may be minor problems in calculating the lunar orbit, especially in cases where the lunar orbit runs diagonally from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemis-phere, or vice versa. Since the moon's rotation time would be about 8 hours behind the correct time in that case, there could be some difference in the times of moonrise and moonset.
In addition, it is possible that that change in the time zone would have some effect on the point in which the moon was when the eclipse occurred. However, this paper is forced to use NASA's calculations in this regard.
It would be desirable, of course, for someone to be enthusiastic about making a counter that would take into account possible discrepancies in the movements of the earth and the moon in 732 BCE. and 1472 BCE.
1. PART:
Old chronology
Here we found based on current practice, which that the Earth's position has remained the same.
Double eclipse of Shulgi
Shulgi's double eclipse is not found satisfactorily enough. However, there are a few alternative double eclipses, in addition to the individual solar eclipses presented in the tables.
But first, let's take an example of how researchers have applied this double eclipse. Some researchers have even proposed a date as early as May 2138 BCE. On 9th May there was an annular solar eclipse and two weeks later there was a lunar eclipse.26-2
However, this solar eclipse occurred around 01.40 UTC, the sun had not yet risen in Mesopotamia. It was visible in what is now city of Islamabad in Pakistan early in the morning and progressed diagonally further north, so that it was also visible in the territory of present-day Russia, where the city of Irkutsk is now located. The lunar eclipse, on the other hand, would have appeared early in the evening in what is now Iraq.
Double eclipse 1997 BCE.
However, it appears that one double eclipse can be found in the table above, which as such could be a poor fit for Shulgi’s double eclipse. This is October 4th 1997 BCE. solar eclipse and subsequent lunar eclipse. Here, however, there are several weaknesses. First, the solar eclipse was not directly above what is now Iraqi territory, but a little further south. However, it appeared quite coverage in the above of the ancient city of Ur. The lunar eclipse on October 18th, on the other hand, was weak, with only 18% of the lunar surface shadowed. There is also another problem related to this, which may be even bigger than these.
The king Shulgi's and at the end of the reign of Ibbi-Suen's, the last king of Ur III dynasties, a lunar eclipse has been described. The biggest problem may be that those lunar eclipses have been accurately described. At the end of Shulgi's reign, in the third month of the year, there was a lunar eclipse. During that lunar eclipse, the moon was about to the south, so it happened late at evening. At the end of Ibbi-Suen’s reign, the twelfth month of the year, there was a lunar eclipse. It happened at dawn with the moon about to the west.
In practice, it could be said that these two lunar eclipses cannot be found, as the Ur III dynasty would have to be drastically extended, as the lunar eclipse of Ibbi-Suen would not be found until the early 1918 BCE. Also, Shulgi's lunar eclipse would not be found until 1969 BCE., his term would have to be extended by three years.
So there are a great many grievances in this double eclipse that together make it highly questionable.
Double eclipse 1917 BCE.
The June 24th, 1917 BCE. there was an annular solar eclipse directly above the city of Ur and two weeks later there was a lunar eclipse with 32% coverage. However, this was far too late to fit into the current chronologies made for the 1st dynasty of Babylonia and the dynasty of Larsan, which began at the end of the Ur III dynasty.
Searching for a lunar eclipse pair
Let's take lunar eclipses here in accordance with the previously discussed condition. So these conditions were as follows.
1. Shulgi's lunar eclipse occurred in the evening when the moon was approximately in south.
2. The Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse took place in the morning when the moon was approximately in the west.
Using the old chronology assumption, how many such lunar eclipses occurred?
This issue has been reviewed here over a wide range of time. This is because the exact location of the ancient months is not completely certain.
This is affected, first of all, by using the Julian calendar when scheduling them. It 'moves' the date more than two weeks later than the current Gregorian calendar. Secondly, this is related to how careful the ancient people were.
An extra, 13th month had to be added to the ancient calendar every three years or so to keep the calendar on point. If they was careless here, the calendar could at worst slip back several months.
Lunar eclipse pairs found
Of these, there are four lunar eclipse pairs.
Lunar eclipse pair I. The earliest option is May 15th, 2064 BCE. and March 14th, 2023 BCE. were lunar eclipses. This is the only one of these that would fit into a middle chronology. The notable problem with this is that Shulgi's double eclipse is nowhere to be found.
Lunar eclipse pair II. Lunar eclipse on July 18th, 2002 BCE. and March 27th, 1959 BCE. This can also be complicated by the fact that Shulgi's double eclipse is not found. Another major problem is its poor fit with the Larsa dynasty. About the suitability of chronologies in more detail in the 30th chapter.
Lunar eclipse pair III. The lunar eclipse of June 16th, 1991 BCE. and February 23rd, 1948 BCE. The weakness of this option is that the double eclipse of Shulgi in 1997 BCE. would only date to his 42nd year of reign.
Lunar eclipse pair IV. The lunar eclipse of July 7th, 1917 BCE. and March 17th, 1874 BCE. This would fit a super short chronology. Here's the same puzzle as before, Shulgi's double eclipse can't be found.
2. PART:
Long CHA 137º
This calculation uses the assumption that a long CHA 137º change would have to be applied to both lunar and solar eclipses during that time.
Since the time of the eclipses is noted in these lists, a short word is mentioned about it. This CHA 137º change uses the address 432 Highway 17336 in Louisiana, USA.
When the Earth is rotated that far back, ancient Ur would have been pretty much exactly at that highway. Even though that scale becomes more accurate when calculating east and west longitude (E46º – 137º = W91º), the current time zones on Earth are not necessarily evenly distributed in 15º wide slices. That address in question is about a hundred meters from the exact location reported to the city of Uri (N30°57′42 E46°06′18) when applying that change in the Earth's position. Because of this, the marked times are partially indicative, especially in this long CHA 137º change, which uses US Central Time.26-3
Double eclipse of Shulgi Let's start by tabulating these double eclipses of Shulgi, which are found at three times that fit the chronology models used. These are mentioned in the list in italics.
We find that the last options on this list are exceptionally late.
In this thesis, this is clearly considered too early an option. Therefore, its other applicability is not investigated.
Double eclipse 2035 BCE.
There was a good lunar eclipse on April 24th in 2035 BCE., which was well visible in Ur. Two weeks after that there was a solar eclipse. The problem with this seems to be that the Ur III dynasty dates to such a time that it does not fit into a short or middle chronology, as it would end approxima-tely in 1968 BCE.
Double eclipse 2026 BCE.
There was a total solar eclipse on May 1st, which was well visible in Ur. Two weeks later, there was a lunar eclipse. The problem with this is that the lunar eclipses to the end of the reigns of Shulgi and Ibbi-Suen will not be found within a reasonable time.
Double eclipse 1995 BCE.
We don’t know exactly where Shulgi was at the time during the fight, when he noticed that solar eclipse.
If this double eclipse were applied, this options above would place Shulgi in a short chronology of reign. In 1995 BCE. the solar eclipse can be applied to the 23rd year of Shulgi’s reign, which is why it is significant.26-4
Although this is a rare eclipse pair, its compatibility is also influenced by other lunar eclipses in Ur, which are reviewed on the following pages.
It was revealed in the previous chapter that this seems to be the only alternative to the double eclipse during the month of Subartu, which was considered a bad omen for Babylon.
What if there were no double eclipses, what good individual solar eclipses can be found? There was also a small table above. In addition, in 1917 BCE., 1895 BCE. and 1866 BCE. there was a solar eclipse that was very visible in Ur.
Double eclipse 1979 BCE.
In October 1979 BCE. there was a double eclipse. In it, October 15th, 1979 BCE. there had been a partial solar eclipse in Ur, but it was nevertheless very coverage. In terms of opacity, it roughly corresponded to the usual annular solar eclipse. This solar eclipse was seen as total, for example, in what is now Romania. From there, the shadow of the moon passed obliquely to the southeast, so that the solar eclipse was total visible above Saudi Arabia to the west of the present-day city of Hafi Al-Batin.
However, what should be mentioned earlier should be taken into account here. The exact magnitude of the change in the position of the earth is unknown. If it was at this point the estimated maximum, 142°, then this solar eclipse would have appeared total in the ancient city of Ur. Two weeks later, on October 29th, there was a lunar eclipse.
A problem with this could be that the lunar eclipse was not very coverage.
Lunar eclipse pairs found
There are up to five lunar eclipse pairs for this.
However, in some cases, the timing of the lunar eclipses does not fit properly with the mentioned night watches.
Lunar Eclipse Pair 1. Here Shulgi's lunar eclipse occurred in June 2038 BCE. and the Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse on the morning of March 5th, 1995 BCE. However, this Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse was very late, after five in the morning. Another shortcoming is that Shulgi's double eclipse is not found.
Lunar eclipse pair 2 Related to this are the lunar eclipses of June 5th, 1990 BCE. and February 22nd, 1948 BCE. The problem with this is that Shulgi's double eclipse is not found at the right point, year’s 2015 BCE. at close range.
Lunar Eclipse Pair 3. Here the Shulgi Lunar Eclipse occurred on July 17th, 1983 BCE. and the Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse on April 6th, 1941 BCE. There is also a suitable alternative for the Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse a year later, March 26th, 1940 BCE. This problem is similar to the previous one. Shulgi's total eclipse is not found in 2008 BCE. at close range.
Lunar Eclipse Pair 4. In this option, Shulgi's lunar eclipse is found on July 17th, 1973 BCE. and the Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse was on March 6th, 1930 BCE. This-option is supported by Shulgi's double eclipse found in 1995 BCE., his 23rd regnal year.
Lunar eclipse pair 5. This is a bit unusual, as lunar eclipses occur at slightly different times. This includes the lunar eclipses of July 8th, 1955 BCE. and March 5th, 1911 BCE. o Januaryr 3rd, 1908 BCE.
The downside of this is that the length of the Ur III dynasty may have to be extended a bit. Lunar eclipse 1911 BCE. was not so near morning as one might suppose. It started around 22:40 local time and ended the night around 2:00. However, this started during the 'evening shift' and ended during the 'morning shift'. If this lunar eclipse proves too weak, another option for this is in January 1908 BCE. there was a lunar eclipse.
Short CHA 17º
A review of this short transit may be expected to be interesting, as it was accompanied by a good double eclipse in 1532 BCE., although it had other flaws.
Double eclipse 2013 BCE.
In this CHA 17º alternative change, there is, some what sur-prisingly, one pair of Shulgi’s double eclipse that fit a short chronology. Very obscure is the solar eclipse of March 8th, 2013 BCE. On the early morning of February 23rd, there was a total lunar eclipse. Some kind of problem with this lunar eclipse may be that the moon had time to set before the eclipse was at its best. Here one would have to assume that a smaller initial phase of eclipse was observed about half an hour before the moon was set. It can be seen that this is weaker than in 1995 BCE. double eclipse occurred. However, there is one special feature associated with that solar eclipse: it also occurred 23 years after the rise of Shulgi. A somewhat weaker double eclipse can be found from October 1997 BCE., where the eclipse was on the 4th day and the lunar eclipse on the 18th.
One lunar eclipse pair
There is one eclipse pair here, where the Shulgi lunar eclipse occurred on April 15th, 1988 BCE. and the Ibbi-Suen lunar eclipse on February 23rd, 1948 BCE. However, the biggest downside of this lunar eclipse pair will be that Ibbi-Suen's lunar eclipse was two years before the end of his reign.
Another minor drawback is that in 1988 BCE. the calendar would have slipped back about 2.5 months.
Using this lunar eclipse pair, the 2013 BCE. described above the double eclipse would fall in the 23rd year of Shulgi's reign.
However, there is a problem with this, which will be explained a little later, when a summary of all these options is made.
Summary
Above came a somewhat surprising result. When the eclipse pair that best suits the history of the Ur III dynasty is applied, it may also be that then the ultra low chronology would have to be used.
Let's briefly look at their compatibility with each other and also at some of the events of the time. Earlier in Chapter 19 there was a lunar eclipse that occurred during the reign of King Zimri-Lim of Mari. According to a ultra low chronology, it occurred at the end of the reign of Zimri-Lim's predecessor, Yasmah-Adad.
In addition, this study is naturally affected by the change in the time zone beyond 9 hours, which makes it easier to find "missing eclipses".
A series of three lunar eclipses?
However, this may be accompanied by a third lunar eclipse. At the end of the reign of Utu-hengal, the king of Uruk, who ruled Uruk V just before the establishment of the Ur III dynasty, there may have been a lunar eclipse. If this were to happen, we would know a series of three lunar eclipses that occurred in chronological order as follows:
So this can be tried to test if such a series of three eclipses can be found by using all the lunar eclipse series presented in this chapter. In this list, these extreme options may be somewhat unlikely, as they would require a lunar eclipse to occur several years before the end of a king's reign.
When an alternative suitable for a short chronology is used, it is noted that there are two suitable alternatives.
Using a long CHA 137º change, the beginning of the Ur III dynasty would date to approximately 2036 BCE. In that alternative, the lunar eclipse of Utu-hengal is found on June, 2037 15th BCE.
For a ultra low chronology, July 2020 BCE. is fine a lunar eclipse occurred.
On the other hand, if we look at the aforementioned CHA 17º change, we notice an almost equally good result. In that alternative, the Ur III dynasty would have started appro-ximately in 2054 BCE. The Utu-hengal’s total lunar eclipse would be found on June 16th, 2056 BCE.
Middle Chronology
Although this middle chronology is the most common one that scholars always tend to apply, apparently due to the seemingly compact list of the Assyrian chronology, it has to be abandoned.
Shulgi's double eclipse is not found in it.
Short Chronology
This could be an interesting option. This is found when using the long CHA 137º change Shulgi's double eclipse 1995 BCE. and lunar eclipse pair nro 4. There are a few small problems with this interpretation.
The double eclipses of the Babylonian month of Sabatu and Simanu no longer present problems for the application of chronology.
However, there are two problems with the application of a short chronology. The first of these has come to light when examining the solar eclipse of ancient Assyria. The second is the aforementioned double eclipse of Shulgi, in which the solar and lunar eclipses are placed in the wrong order. According to research, a solar eclipse should precede a lunar eclipse.
This problem with Shulgi's double eclipse is also accentuated when a short CHA 17º is used.
Ultra Low Chronology
The result of this treatise on this matter may be almost shocking to some researchers. Neither of the options mentioned above, middle- and short chronology, seems like it would be very farfetched to apply them.
Some of the readers have also noticed that some of the double eclipses of Shulgi presented in this chapter are "backwards" in terms of how they are estimated to have happened. This is because scientists generally believe that the solar eclipse came first and two weeks after that there was a lunar eclipse. This double eclipse is thus found "right" in October 1979 BCE., this would have occurred 23 years after Shulgi's rise to power.
This option is applied here to a ultra low chronology due to the good quality double eclipse of Shulgi. If it were to be applied, then the beginning of the Akkadian kingdom would move to approximately 2215 BCE.
Three things speak for this option. The solar eclipse of Old Assyria is found at the best possible time, which one would expect it to be when comparing the chronologies of Assyria, Babylonia and Mari.
Second, Shulgi's double eclipse presented in this chapter is in the correct sequence.
Thirdly, the 'Babylonian double eclipses', which caused a lot of discussion and wonder among researchers (due to their difficulty in finding them), can be found at a suitable point. They date to the end of the reigns of certain Akkadian kings.
Applying this may seem to introduce major problems as to how the chronology of Old Assyria could be shortened sufficiently. The need to shorten it may be up to 120 years between 1680-1420 BCE. This is because applying the ultra low chronology moves Shamsi-Adad I's reign 96 years later than the current general assumption. But on the other hand, the reign of Eriba-Adad I can be moved 34 years earlier.
Elam’s king Cedorlaomer
The Bible tells us that Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, attacked with the other kings in the towns near the present-day Jordan and took the kings of that area and the inhabitants of the cities captive (Bible, Genesis, chapter 14). According to biblical chronology, this happened around 1935 BCE.
Archeological data tells of only one similar king of Elam from that time. This king was Kindattu. He attacked Ur and captured its last king Ibbi-Suen.26-5 If we apply the assumption of the previous paragraphs that this could have happened in 1930 BCE. (according to the short chronology), it seems very possible that Kindattu was Kedorlaomer. However, it is not impossible that Kindattu ruled for a longer time and would have been in power in the 1940s BCE. and as late as 1911 BCE. if a ultra low chronology is applied.
References
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