List of solar eclipses in antiquity

{{Short description|None}}

{{Lists of solar eclipses}}

This is a list of selected solar eclipses from antiquity, in particular those with historical significance. Eclipses on this list were not only recorded, but sometimes would have large effects such as ending a war.

Historically significant solar eclipses

{{Sticky header}}{{Sort under}}

class="wikitable sortable sticky-header-multi sort-under" align="center"
rowspan=2 width=130| Date of
eclipse

! rowspan="2" |Type

! rowspan="2" |Saros

! rowspan="2" |Magnitude

! rowspan="2" |Gamma

!colspan=3| Time (UTC)

!rowspan=2| Central Duration

!rowspan=2| Eclipse Path

!rowspan=2| Notes

StartMidEnd
22 Oct 2137 BC

|Annular

|9

|0.9736

|0.3842

| –

|03:25:29

|

|02m52s

|

|It is said that Ho and Hi, the Drunk Astronomers failed to predict this eclipse. (story may be fictitious or misinterpreted) [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html#-2136] [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-2136Oct22A.pdf]

3 May 1375 BC

|Total

|16

|1.0295

|0.7755

| –

|04:51:04

|

|02m07s

|

|Ugarit eclipse. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-1374May03T.pdf]

June 24, 1312 BC

| Total

|35

|

|

| –

10:44

| 04m33s

| Anatolia

| Known as Mursili's eclipse, could provide an absolute chronology of the ancient Near East.KUB XIV 4.24: [ma-a-an I-NA KUR A]zi-ma i-ia-ah-at nu dUTU-us sa-ki-ya-ah-ta "[When] I marched [to the land of A]zzi, the Sungod gave a sign." Theo P. J. Van Den Hout, The Purity of Kingship: An Edition of CTH 569 and Related Hittite Oracle Inquiries of Tutẖaliya (1998), [https://books.google.com/books?id=7DTPyG4VvpcC&pg=PA42 42f.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130162850/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7DTPyG4VvpcC&pg=PA42 |date=2020-01-30 }}Trevor R. Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites, Clarendon Oxford University Press, (1998){{Cite web |url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEatlas/SEatlas-2/SEatlas-1319.GIF |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-12-15 |archive-date=2009-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915002259/http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEatlas/SEatlas-2/SEatlas-1319.GIF |url-status=live }}

5 June 1302 BC

|Total

|26

|1.0805

|0.2982

|

|02:10:48

|

|00:06:25

|

|Early Chinese eclipse. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-1301Jun05T.pdf]

16 Apr 1178 BC

|Total

|39

|1.0599

|0.5187

|

|10:00:58

|

|00:04:33

|

|Odyssey Eclipse. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html] [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-1177Apr16T.pdf]

21 Apr 899 BC

|Annular

|53

|0.9591

|0.8964

|

|22:21:56

|

|00:03:04

|

|China's 'Double-Dawn' Eclipse. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html] [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-0898Apr21A.pdf]

June 15, 763 BC

| Total

|44

|

|

| –

08:23

| 04m59s

|

| Attested in Assyrian sources and providing an absolute chronology of the ancient Near East.Rawlinson, Henry Creswicke, "The Assyrian Canon Verified by the Record of a Solar Eclipse, B.C. 763", The Athenaeum: Journal of Literature, Science and the Fine Arts, nr. 2064, 660-661 [18 May 1867].[https://books.google.com/books?id=L5dTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA660]

6 Apr 648 BC

|Total

|38

|1.0689

|0.6898

|

|08:31:03

|

|00:05:02

|

|Archilochus' Eclipse. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html#-0647] [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-0647Apr06T.pdf]

May 28, 585 BC

| Total

|57

|

|

| –

14:28

| 06m05s

|

| Allegedly predicted by Thales; occurred during the Battle of the Eclipse.{{Cite journal |url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1997JHA....28..279S/0000279.000.html |title=Stephenson, F. Richard, and Louay J. Fatoohi. "Thale's Prediction of a Solar Eclipse." Journal for the History of Astronomy 28 (1997): 279 |bibcode=1997JHA....28..279S |access-date=2019-07-15 |archive-date=2019-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715021159/http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1997JHA....28..279S/0000279.000.html |url-status=live |last1=Stephenson |first1=F. Richard |last2=Fatoohi |first2=Louay J. |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |year=1997 |volume=28 |page=279 |doi=10.1177/002182869702800401 |s2cid=118345852 }}{{Cite web |url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEatlas/SEatlas-1/SEatlas-0599.GIF |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-12-15 |archive-date=2020-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531111601/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEatlas/SEatlas-1/SEatlas-0599.GIF |url-status=live }}

19 May 557 BC

|Total

|48

|1.0258

|0.3145

|

|12:52:26

|

|00:02:22

|

|The Siege of Larisa, firstly recorded by Xenophon. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-0556May19T.pdf]

{{nowrap|February 17, 478 BC}} or {{nowrap|October 2, 480 BC}}

| Annular

|42/65

|

|

| –

9:58:51/11:51:0

| –

|06m00s/07m57s

| Greece

| Eclipse occurring prior to Xerxes' first march against Greece. The exact dating has been debated, as the writings of Herodotus (who chronicled the eclipse) give a date for which there was no eclipse visible in that area of the world.{{cite journal |last1=Lynn |first1=W.T. |title=Eclipses during the war of Xerxes with the Greeks |journal=The Observatory |year=1884 |volume=7 |pages=138–140 |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1884Obs.....7..138L |access-date=21 August 2020 |bibcode=1884Obs.....7..138L |archive-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017200540/http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1884Obs.....7..138L |url-status=live }}

August 3, 431 BC

| Annular

|48

|

|

| –

14:54:51:8

|01m04.5s

| Greece, Mediterranean Sea

| Recorded by Thucydides;{{cite web |title=Eclipse – Assyrian |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/eclipse/Assyrian#ref11220 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=21 August 2020 |language=en |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812013040/https://www.britannica.com/science/eclipse/Assyrian#ref11220 |url-status=live }} Pericles shows his Greek Army that the eclipse was not much more than a covering of the sun by something bigger than his cloak.{{cite web|title=The Eclipse of Pericles • An Exchange in 'The Observatory' (1884)|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/_Texts/secondary/journals/The_Observatory/Eclipse_of_Pericles*.html|website=penelope.uchicago.edu|access-date=21 August 2020|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017200513/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/_Texts/secondary/journals/The_Observatory/Eclipse_of_Pericles%2A.html|url-status=live}}

21 Mar 424 BC

|Annular

|42

|0.9430

|0.9433

|

|07:54:29

|

|00:04:39

|

|8th year of the Peloponnesian War. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE-0423Mar21A.pdf]

May 6, 319

| Total

|72

|

|

| –

14:24:49

| 03m56s

| Georgia, Europe, Mexico, United States

|Thought by astronomers to be the eclipse preceding the Christianization of Iberia by Mirian III of Iberia.Sauter, J. Simonia, I. Stephenson, F. R. & Orchiston, W. (2015) The Legendary Fourth-Century Total Solar Eclipse in Georgia: Fact or Fantasy? Springer Publishing p. 24, 42

July 17, 334

| Annular

| 80

| 0.9759

| 0.3268

| –

11:21:41

| 02m23s

| Rome, Mediterranean Sea

| Recorded by Firmicus Maternus in his Mathesos.Maternus, Mathesos libri octo, I.iv.10. [https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEplot/SE0334Jul17A.pdf]

Statistics

= Longest total eclipses =

Below is a list of the 10 longest total eclipses between the 30th century BC and the 4th century.

class="wikitable sortable" align="center"
Date of eclipse

!Central Duration

!class="unsortable" | Reference

data-sort-value="-2585" | 30 May 2585 BC

| align="center" | 07m17s

|{{Cite web |url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcatmax/SE-2999--2000MaxT.html |title=Catalog of Long Total Solar Eclipses: -2999 to -2000 |access-date=2009-12-15 |archive-date=2014-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119152836/http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcatmax/SE-2999--2000MaxT.html |url-status=live }}

data-sort-value="-2567" | 10 June 2567 BC

| align="center" | 07m21s

|

data-sort-value="-2249" | 6 May 2249 BC

| align="center" | 07m20s

|

data-sort-value="-2231" | 17 May 2231 BC

| align="center" | 07m21s

|

data-sort-value="-762" | 5 June 762 BC

| align="center" | 07m25s

|

data-sort-value="-744" | 15 June 744 BC

| align="center" | 07m28s

|

data-sort-value="-726" | 26 June 726 BC

| align="center" | 07m18s

|

data-sort-value="345" | 16 June 345

| align="center" | 07m17s

|

data-sort-value="363" | 27 June 363

| align="center" | 07m24s

|

data-sort-value="381" | 8 July 381

| align="center" | 07m22s

|

=Solar eclipses by century=

{{Sticky header}}{{Sort under}}

class="wikitable sortable sticky-header-multi sort-under" style="text-align: center;"
rowspan=2 | Century

! rowspan=2 | {{abbr|No.|Number}}

! colspan=4 | Eclipse type

! colspan=2 | Longest eclipse{{efn|All eclipses listed are annular. See {{slink||Longest total eclipses}} above for longest total eclipses}}

! rowspan=2 class="unsortable" | Two-eclipse months{{efn|Months listed in this column had two eclipses occur during that time period}}

! rowspan=2 class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|References}}

Partial (P)

! Annular (A)

! Total (T)

! Hybrid (H)

! Length

! class="unsortable" | Date

20th BC2398471622211m38s28 December 1983 BC

| align=left | March 1958 BC

19th BC2539380631708m57s28 October 1896 BC

| align=left | January 1806 BC

18th BC2549574642111m10s10 November 1710 BC

| align=left |

17th BC2307571602412m07s12 December 1656 BC

| align=left | July 1611 BC

16th BC2257867592110m07s25 January 1583 BC

| align=left | June 1535 BC, May 1524 BC

15th BC2267769621810m00s25 September 1410 BC

| align=left | April 1448 BC

14th BC234768468611m29s18 November 1320 BC

| align=left |

13th BC250938664711m11s9 December 1284 BC

| align=left | December 1210 BC

12th BC252938963710m27s14 December 1108 BC

| align=left | October 1123 BC, September 1112 BC

11th BC238799168010m34s25 December 1090 BC

| align=left | August 1036 BC, July 1025 BC, June 1014 BC

10th BC226847561609m01s24 October 984 BC

| align=left |

9th BC225807566410m21s7 November 817 BC

| align=left |

8th BC234798864311m29s10 December 763 BC

| align=left |

7th BC253968763710m06s22 November 604 BC

| align=left | December 689 BC, November 678 BC, October 602 BC

6th BC255968665810m50s4 January 531 BC

| align=left | September 591 BC, August 515 BC, July 504 BC

5th BC2418478621710m24s26 January 495 BC

| align=left | May 417 BC

4th BC2258363562310m16s7 December 391 BC

| align=left |

3rd BC2268362572411m47s30 November 214 BC

| align=left |

2nd BC2378073632112m08s22 December 178 BC

| align=left |

1st BC2519277651708m51s14 February 87 BC

| align=left |

1st AD2489075582511m18s4 November 96

| align=left | August 7, July 18, April 97

2nd AD2378077641612m23s{{efn|This is the longest annular eclipse in the five-millennium period between the 20th century BC and 30th century.}}7 December 150

| align=left |

3rd AD227797469511m09s8 January 205

| align=left |

4th AD222737666710m44s2 January 363

| align=left |

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1999--1900.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1999 to −1900 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322221735/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1999--1900.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1899--1800.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1899 to −1800 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220122/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1899--1800.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1799--1700.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1799 to −1700 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215922/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1799--1700.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1699--1600.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1699 to −1600 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220017/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1699--1600.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1599--1500.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1599 to −1500 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215817/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1599--1500.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1499--1400.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1499 to −1400 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220214/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1499--1400.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1399--1300.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1399 to −1300 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215920/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1399--1300.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1299--1200.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1299 to −1200 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215701/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1299--1200.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1199--1100.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1199 to −1100 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220050/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1199--1100.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1099--1000.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −1099 to −1000 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220032/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-1099--1000.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0999--0900.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0999 to −0900 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322221645/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0999--0900.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0899--0800.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0899 to −0800 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220058/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0899--0800.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0799--0700.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0799 to −0700 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215956/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0799--0700.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0699--0600.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0699 to −0600 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215551/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0699--0600.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0599--0500.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0599 to −0500 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215714/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0599--0500.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0499--0400.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0499 to −0400 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215735/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0499--0400.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0399--0300.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0399 to −0300 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215831/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0399--0300.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0299--0200.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0299 to −0200 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215809/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0299--0200.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0199--0100.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0199 to −0100 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215853/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0199--0100.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0099-0000.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: −0099 to 0000 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018115455/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE-0099-0000.html |archive-date=October 18, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0001-0100.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0001 to 0100 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215624/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0001-0100.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0101-0200.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0101 to 0200 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215543/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0101-0200.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0201-0300.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0201 to 0300 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322221748/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0201-0300.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0301-0400.html |title=Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0301 to 0400 |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 15, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322215832/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0301-0400.html |archive-date=March 22, 2019}}

{{cite web |title=NASA – Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses |url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEcatalog.html |website=eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009084024/https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEcatalog.html |url-status=live }}

}}

{{Solar eclipses}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar eclipses in antiquity}}

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