Solar eclipse stops ancient battle

[M. Porcius Cato]

Full story HERE.

[Faustus]

Full story HERE.

 

Predicting that a solar eclipse will occur on earth in general (as a penumbra or "almost"(paen) a

Edited May 29, 2008 by Faustus

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, Amici

 

Here comes Herodotus (Ἡρόδοτος), Book I "Clio" (Κλειώ), cp. 42, lines 2-3:

 

[2] διαφέρουσι δέ σφι ἐπὶ ἴσης τὸν πόλεμον τῳ̂ ἕκτῳ ἔτεϊ συμβολη̂ς γενομένης συνήνεικε ὥστε τη̂ς μάχης συνεστεώσης τὴν ἡμέρην ἐξαπίνης νύκτα γενέσθαι. τὴν δὲ μεταλλαγὴν ταύτην τῃ̂ ἡμέρης Θαλη̂ς ὁ Μιλήσιος τοι̂σι ̓́Ιωσι προηγόρευσε ἔσεσθαι, οὐ̂ρον προθέμενος ἐνιαυτὸν του̂τον ἐν τῳ̂ δὴ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ μεταβολή. [3] οἱ δὲ Λυδοί τε καὶ οἱ Μη̂δοι ἐπείτε εἰ̂δον νύκτα ἀντὶ ἡμέρης γενομένην, τη̂ς μάχης τε ἐπαύσαντο καὶ μα̂λλόν τι ἔσπευσαν καὶ ἀμφότεροι εἰρήνην ἑωυτοι̂σι γενέσθαι.

 

[2] diapherousi de sphi epi is

Edited May 29, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[Faustus]

Interestingly, there's some reiteration both in historic and fiction literature on the use of eclipse prediction to intimidate allien ("primitive") populations:

- Christopher Columbus refered doing so against Arawak indians in Jamaica by predicting a lunar eclipse (February 29, 1504).

The Legend of the Eclipse of 1806

There is another historical example: William Henry Harrison as Territorial Governor of the Indian Territory challenged the Indian leader Tecumseh, along with his religious brother, the Prophet: "to the Indians gathered at Tippecanoe. He wrote: "If he (the Prophet) is really a prophet, ask him to cause the Sun to stand still or the Moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow or the dead to rise from their graves".

 

But in this case the Prophet was able to turn the tables on Harrison. (June 16, 1806) The Prophet spoke in a loud and confident voice saying: "when the Sun has reached its highest point, at that moment will the Great Spirit take it into her hand and hide it from us. The darkness of night will thereupon cover us and the stars will shine round about us. The birds will roost and the night creatures will awaken and stir." . . .At around noon on the appointed day, June 16th 1806, a total solar eclipse crossed the region. A long eclipse with a band of totality stretching from near the southern tip of Lake Michigan to just north of Cincinnati . . . close to a thousand had gathered to see the Prophet's sign. The Prophet waved his arms towards the eclipse at the appropriate time, and the people were truly impressed.

 

"Harrison lost a lot of political ground with this blunder."

 

The Prophet's ability to make that prediction would seem to have been provided by others and to have been available in published information. The real historical mystery might better be: how did he know?

[M. Porcius Cato]

My favorite example of an eclipse prediction came from the philosopher of biology, Ernst Mayr, who was on a field expedition as a young biologist. Attempting to replicate a similar event from Mark Twain's "Connecticut Yankee...", Mayr confidently predicted a solar eclipse to a tribal elder, whom he hoped to overawe. The tribal elder replied, "Don't worry. It'll pass." Somehow this story has a greater ring of truth than all the rest.

[Antiochus III]

That is so crazy, I was just reading about that in the book called Persian Fire by Tom Holland. That brings about a question: just how big of an empire did the lydians have? since lydia is in the western part of asia minor, they would have had to have a pretty large empire. I'm looking for some type of map i guess, preferably for the time period circa 550 bc when cyrus was rising in power.

[ASCLEPIADES]

That is so crazy, I was just reading about that in the book called Persian Fire by Tom Holland. That brings about a question: just how big of an empire did the lydians have? since lydia is in the western part of asia minor, they would have had to have a pretty large empire. I'm looking for some type of map i guess, preferably for the time period circa 550 bc when cyrus was rising in power.

Salve, A

 

The battle was at the Halys River (present-day "Kızılırmak" river in Turkey).

[JGolomb]

Salve, Amici

 

Here comes Herodotus (Ἡρόδοτος), Book I "Clio" (Κλειώ), cp. 42, lines 2-3:

 

[2] διαφέρουσι δέ σφι ἐπὶ ἴσης τὸν πόλεμον τῳ̂ ἕκτῳ ἔτεϊ συμβολη̂ς γενομένης συνήνεικε ὥστε τη̂ς μάχης συνεστεώσης τὴν ἡμέρην ἐξαπίνης νύκτα γενέσθαι. τὴν δὲ μεταλλαγὴν ταύτην τῃ̂ ἡμέρης Θαλη̂ς ὁ Μιλήσιος τοι̂σι ̓́Ιωσι προηγόρευσε ἔσεσθαι, οὐ̂ρον προθέμενος ἐνιαυτὸν του̂τον ἐν τῳ̂ δὴ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ μεταβολή. [3] οἱ δὲ Λυδοί τε καὶ οἱ Μη̂δοι ἐπείτε εἰ̂δον νύκτα ἀντὶ ἡμέρης γενομένην, τη̂ς μάχης τε ἐπαύσαντο καὶ μα̂λλόν τι ἔσπευσαν καὶ ἀμφότεροι εἰρήνην ἑωυτοι̂σι γενέσθαι.

 

[2] diapherousi de sphi epi is

[Rompe]

Intresting how cultures have reacted to eclipses and such. In Tibet (or for the Tibetans) they look at it as a really bad Omen. They bang pots, clap and stick out their tongues (all trying to drive off the evil unwanted spirits). Comets were another thing that could really set things off and be looked at in so many different ways as well.