A critical assessment of questionable solar eclipse memories in the Byzantine Empire from the fourth to sixth centuries CE-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

A critical assessment of questionable solar eclipse memories in the Byzantine Empire from the fourth to sixth centuries CE

Published:2023-05 Issue:2 Volume:54 Page:193-212
ISSN:0021-8286
Container-title:Journal for the History of Astronomy
language:en
Short-container-title:Journal for the History of Astronomy

Author:

Murata Koji¹^ORCID,Hayakawa Hisashi²³⁴,Sôma Mitsuru⁵

Affiliation:

1. University of Tsukuba, Japan

2. Nagoya University, Japan

3. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK

4. Nishina Centre, Riken, Japan

5. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan

Abstract

This study analysed four records of questionable authenticity of total solar eclipses between the fourth and sixth centuries CE in Byzantine narrative sources. As it has been difficult to evaluate their credibility, they have not been utilised in modern astronomical studies. Three records originated in the fourth century, all of which have problems with accurate dating and provenance. The one remaining record concerns the total solar eclipse on 512 June 29. This study first reveals the problems with and questions around the reliability of all these records from astronomical perspectives based on the latest Δ T spline curve and recently proposed Δ T constraints. It then explores their philological and historical contexts to understand how and why these records were written.

Funder

JSPS and Faculty of Library, Information and Media Science, University of Tsukuba

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous),Astronomy and Astrophysics,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

Link

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00218286231167185