Without recourse. All Rights Reserved. Tree of Life^©

Statement of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)

Extensively revised and updated 5930± 04 23 2026 [2010-07-06]

Press the image for a high resolution view!

VAT 4956

A Review and Confirmation of

the Twenty-one (21) or More

Specific Astronomical Observations in

Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th Year of Reign

as Recorded in

the Babylonian Clay Tablet VAT 4956

By Gunnar Anders Smårs Jr^©

For the full version of this work please press this link!

Abstract:

This is a confirmation of the exact astronomical dates for Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign using Starry Night Backyard software. Said year began at sunset April 22, ‑567, i.e. 568 BCE. Twenty-one or more very precise observations of celestial events were recorded on tablet VAT 4956 during said 37^th year. When an ancient record with that many precise observations, all of which agree with the best available astronomical calculations, is available there is little or no room for doubt as to the exact timing of Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign. Because this is the oldest such record that I am so far aware of, which can be exactly correlated with biblical chronology, it is of great importance in my attempts to establish an absolute chronology from the beginning of creation.

An abbreviated quote[1] out of a translation of the Cuneiform Tablet VAT 4956:

" Year 37 of Nebukadnezar, king of Babylon. Month I. (the 1^st [2] of which was identical with) the 30^th (of the preceding month)[3], the moon became visible behind the Bull of Heaven[4];… Saturn was in front of the Swallow.[5], [6]… or[7] 12^th[8]. Jupiter’s acronychal rising.[9]… Month II[10]… Saturn was in front of the Swallow:[11] Mercury, which had set, was not visible.. … The 3^rd,[12] Mars entered Praesepe[13], [14], [15]. The 5^th,[16] it went out (of it). … The 18^th.[17] Venus was balanced[18] 1 cubit 4 fingers above α Leonis.[19]… Month III, {the 1^st [20] of which was identical with} the 30^th (of the preceding month), the moon became visible behind Cancer… At that time. Mars and Mercury were 4 cubits in front of α [Leonis ….][21] Mercury passed below Mars to the East; Jupiter was above α Scorpii;^[22] Venus was in the west opposite {} Leonis[23]… Month XI, (the 1^st [24] of which was identical with) the 30^th (of the preceding month), the moon became visible in the Swallow;… At that time, Jupiter was 1 cubit behind the elbow[25] of Sagittarius… Month XII. The 1^st {of which followed the 30^th of the preceding month}.[26] The moon became visible behind Aries while the sun stood there:… Around the 20^th.[27] Venus and Mercury entered the “band” of the Swallow[28]." (H. Hunger, pp. 47-51)

(The basic quote above is obtained from: http://www.maverickscience.com/History/Retrocalculations/retrocalculations.html, but all the links and footnotes are mine.)

For the full version of this work please press this link!

Comments and donations freely accepted at:

Tree of Life^©

c/o General Delivery

Nora [near SE-713 01]

Sweden Republic^© in Adamah Republic^©

eMail: TreeOfLifeTime@gmail.com

Free counter

…

…

^...

The GateWays into Tree of Life Chronology Forums^©

The GateWays of Entry into the Tree of Life Time Chronology Touching upon the Book of Daniel^©

Pearls & Mannah – “I found it!”

Home

GotLinks?com Links

Feel free to use, and for sharing freely with others, any of the truth and blessings belonging to God alone. I retain all the copyrights to the within, such that no one may lawfully restrain my use and my sharing of it with others. Including also all the errors that remain. Please let only me know about those. I need to know in order to correct them. Others don’t need to be focused upon the errors that belong to me alone. Please respect that, and please do not hesitate to let me know of any certain error that you find!

Without recourse. All Rights Reserved. Tree of Life^©

---

[1] Cf. my transcription of the complete original translation at this link.

[2] The day beginning in the evening of April 22, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date are events of the 14^th day.)

[3] Cf. the italic blue font text in footnote #3 and my bracketed comments thereto.

[4] Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year began at sunset April 22, 568 BCE (-567:)

Per ADT I (Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts From Babylonia,) p. 17-19 (= p. 7-9 of the pdf copy,) the references for words like “behind,” “in front of,” etc. are a set of “Normal Stars.” The translation for the Babylonian name provided in the list, “is le10,” is “the Jaw of the Bull,” and the modern name listed is “α Tauri,” that is, Aldebaran. However, I do not see “is le10” upon the transcript of VAT 4956. Thus, I find no definite proof for the translator’s assumption that that is indeed the same reference as the Akkadian words used in VAT 4956, which word(s) are translated “behind the Bull of Heaven.”

With the possible exception of the word “behind,” all of the words and Comments pertaining to line 1, obverse, now make sense to me in terms of April 22, 568 BCE. Yet, this requires that this 1^st month is reckoned as having 31 lunar days… (!) To me this is not too strange when considering also the likelihood of a relatively recent interplanetary catastrophe around the first part of the 7^th century BCE, as suggested by Immanuel Velikovsky’s works. Indeed, if such series of catastrophes did occur as Velikovsky suggests, then how would the people then living best go about learning the ropes of the newly established paths of the heavens, if not by a strict following of actually observed new moons etc. while avoiding as much as possible any assumptions of their own, such as for instance a default New Moon on the 30^th of any lunar month upon inclement weather etc.? I believe that these considerations also find support in the words of line 8, obverse: “the moon became visible…it was thick…,”that is, while recognizing also the translator’s Remarks on Translation as quoted above and his added words within parenthesis in line 8. I suppose the chief objection to a 31 day long Month I in that year is the translation “Month III… the 30^th” on line 12 obverse. However, if the corresponding Akkadian word is understood as carrying the meaning “something not yet perfected,” as in the 30^th day being the day prior to a complete and perfect 30 day long month, then it wouldn’t matter if the new moon crescent was first seen at the beginning of the 29^th day or at the beginning of the 30^th day and that objection would then be resolved! Consider also the perfection commonly associated with the triangle and the associated numbers 3, 30, etc..!

Re the words “the moon became visible behind the Bull of Heaven…:” At first it seemed to me that that would indicate that the moon was behind the prominent horn of the Bull of Heaven and that, from studying the details of “VAT 4956” in comparison with Starry Night Backyard software, the first observations of the first New Moon crescent seemed to have occurred one day later than I would have anticipated from the NASA Phases of the Moon tables, and from my prior studies of current comparable observations from the horizon of the Holy Land. (Cf. e.g. footnotes ##31 and 32.)

However, upon my discovery of a firm basis (cf. footnote #20) for establishing the beginning of month #1 on the evening of April 22, I came to realize that the use of that Akkadian word, translated ‘behind,’ as used in line 12, obverse, (cf. footnote #56,) makes most sense when applying it, whatever Akkadian word it may be, relative to the “normal star” as suggested in ADT I.

[Had the evening of April 23, 568 BCE been the beginning of month #1 - as I used to believe prior to having a viable understanding of the event recorded for the 14^th day of this 1^st month - then one might consider why the proximity between the New Moon and Venus is not being recorded also on this clay tablet, thus, the absence of such a record re Venus also becomes evidence against April 23 as constituting the beginning of month #1. However, even that argument may be countered by the fact of missing words due to the tablet being broken at that point…]

That the dates used in the tablet began at sunset is confirmed by the order of the relative statements in line 3 of the cuneiform tablet: “Night of the 9^th…, beginning of the night, the moon stood 1 cubit in front of β Virginia. The 9^th. the sun in the west (was surrounded) by a halo,” that is, the darkness of the evening and night preceding the subsequent day are all part of the same 9^th day.

[5] Cf. “the great Swallow” as referenced in Wikipedia under Pisces: “According to J. H. Rogers the fish symbol originates from some composition of the Babylonian constellations Zibatti-meš (maybe Šinunutu₄ "the great swallow" in current eastern Pisces) and KU₆ ("the fish, Ea", Piscis Austrinus).”

I do not find anything in the ADT I list of Normal Stars corresponding to “the Swallow” or to any of the Akkadian words I see in the transcription of VAT 4956. However, the sequence of events described in lines 19’ and 20’ on the reverse of the tablet seems quite instructive in defining a certain portion of “the band,” or the wing?, of the Swallow!

[6] How often is Saturn in the Swallow?

Stepping monthly forwards in time from Mars -596; and next April 23, -567, I find that once having left this celestial area Saturn does not return until January, -537 and after that not until March, -508, then May -479, i.e. every 30 years or so. Cf. footnotes #41 and #58 and notice the absence of concurrent events competing with the record in Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign! And that’s looking at only three of these twenty-one celestial events!

“A complete cycle of Saturn phenomena in relation to the stars takes 59 years. But when that cycle has to be fitted to the lunar calendar of 29 or 30 days then identical cycles recur at intervals of rather more than 17 centuries. Thus there is no difficulty in determining the date of the present text… [p. 63]

“The Babylonian calendar was luni-solar with an additional “intercalary” month being added on average 7 times in 19 years to bring the lunar and solar cycles into line. In the seventh century B.C. the later “Metonic” pattern of regular intercalations was not yet in place and it is a matter of interest to establish in which years the intercalary months were inserted.

“The synodic period of Saturn is 378.09 days. Hence phenomena recur about 24 days later in the Babylonian calendar than in the previous year (Schoch [1928], 109).” (Swerdlow, N. M., Editor, Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination, Chapter 3 by C. B. F. Walker, Babylonian Observations of Saturn during the Reign of Kandalanu, p. 63, 69.)

What exactly is “the Swallow”?

“The Swallow was actually composed of a portion of Pisces together with epsilon Pegasi” (http://www.maverickscience.com/History/Retrocalculations/retrocalculations.html.)

“SIM.MAH = shinunutu: "The Swallow"; Western fish of Pisces” (http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/outside/starlog.html.)

“MUL.SIM.MAH [sim.mah] (The "Great Swallow (SW Pisces [+ epsilon Pegasi);" later to be one of the 12 ecliptic constellations.) (Greek zodiac: Pisces (the Fish).)” (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gtosiris/page9a.html)

[7] Because an acronychal rising occurs at sunset, and because oncoming darkness of the night is the time when the date of the month changes from one to the next, it is only natural that the observer records this acronychal rising of Jupiter on May 3, -567 as occurring either on the 11^th, May 2, or on the 12^th, May 3. The fact that the 11^th is being referenced along with the 12^th in this instance only further emphasizes the conclusions arrived at re the most excellent viewing locality that must have been used by the observer of the events on the sky recorded on VAT 4956! Cf. foot note #20 below!

[8] The day beginning in the evening of May 3, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[9] Based upon my confirmed understanding re the events recorded for the 14^th on this line 4, obverse, that is, the 14^th certainly beginning with the evening of May 5, I am now prepared to draw some valuable conclusions re the statement “12^th. Jupiter’s acronychal rising:”

It follows that the 12^th is certainly beginning with May 3, 568 BCE. I notice that while having my Starry Night Backyard set for a viewing locality at Baghdad and 3 meters elevation and a flat horizon, the sunset on May 3, 568 BCE is at 6:38 PM, while the rising of Jupiter is 10 minutes later (sic!) at 6:48 PM. This obviously means that for this observation to be truly an exact “acronychal rising” the viewing location of the observer relative the above said viewing location must have been quite excellent, perhaps elevated on a high mountain peak and with no obstructions at either the east or the west horizons! This fact is important to be aware of when interpreting this clay tablet!

[10] The day beginning in the evening of May 23, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

Notice: Given the very precise observations provided in line #4, re the 14^th day and the “4°,” and in line #10, re Mars and Praesepe, I find that the 1^st month was being reckoned as having 31 days! That is, the 2^nd month began with the evening of May 23, 568 BCE, thus the translator’s interpretations re these particulars must be in error, as follows:

1. “Month II, the 1^st (of which followed the 30^th 31^st of the preceding month…)” (line 8, obverse;)

2. “II 0=I 30 31 May 21/22 22/23” (cf. Calendar entry)

3. “Month III, {the 1^st of which was identical with} the 30^th 29^th (of the preceding month)” (line 12, obverse;)

4. “III 0=II 29 28 Jun 19/20” (cf. Calendar entry)

I see no other reason for this fact other than inclement weather at the end of the 1^st month and there being no convention introduced at this time such as would have, by default, established the beginning of the new month at the end of the 30^th day regardless.

Nonetheless, it may certainly be evidence also of a degree of uncertainty at the time, possibly in consequence of relatively recent interplanetary catastrophes near the beginning of the 7^th century BCE as also suggested in the books “Worlds in Collision,” “Earth in Upheaval,” and “Ages in Chaos” by Immanuel Velikovsky. (More at this link…)

[11] How often is Saturn in the Swallow?

Stepping monthly forwards in time from Mars -596; and next April 23, -567, I find that once having left this celestial area Saturn does not return until January, -537 and after that not until March, -508, then May -479, i.e. every 30 years or so. Cf. footnotes #41 and #58 and notice the absence of concurrent events competing with the record in Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign! And that’s looking at only three of these twenty-one celestial events!

“A complete cycle of Saturn phenomena in relation to the stars takes 59 years. But when that cycle has to be fitted to the lunar calendar of 29 or 30 days then identical cycles recur at intervals of rather more than 17 centuries. Thus there is no difficulty in determining the date of the present text… [p. 63]

“The Babylonian calendar was luni-solar with an additional “intercalary” month being added on average 7 times in 19 years to bring the lunar and solar cycles into line. In the seventh century B.C. the later “Metonic” pattern of regular intercalations was not yet in place and it is a matter of interest to establish in which years the intercalary months were inserted.

“The synodic period of Saturn is 378.09 days. Hence phenomena recur about 24 days later in the Babylonian calendar than in the previous year (Schoch [1928], 109).” (Swerdlow, N. M., Editor, Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination, Chapter 3 by C. B. F. Walker, Babylonian Observations of Saturn during the Reign of Kandalanu, p. 63, 69.)

What exactly is “the Swallow”?

“The Swallow was actually composed of a portion of Pisces together with epsilon Pegasi” (http://www.maverickscience.com/History/Retrocalculations/retrocalculations.html.)

“SIM.MAH = shinunutu: "The Swallow"; Western fish of Pisces” (http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/outside/starlog.html.)

“MUL.SIM.MAH [sim.mah] (The "Great Swallow (SW Pisces [+ epsilon Pegasi);" later to be one of the 12 ecliptic constellations.) (Greek zodiac: Pisces (the Fish).)” (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gtosiris/page9a.html)

[12] The day beginning in the evening of May 25, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

It follows that the 1^st day of the 2^nd month began with the evening of May 23, 568 BCE. Notice: This means that there were necessarily 31 days being reckoned for the 1^st month, and also that the 30^th was not being used as an automatic default in case of inclement weather! Cf. also the Calendar at the bottom of the page!

I find this being evidence for a degree of uncertainty at the time, possibly in consequence of relatively recent interplanetary catastrophes near the beginning of the 7^th century BCE as also suggested the data shared in the books “Worlds in Collision,” “Earth in Upheaval,” and “Ages in Chaos” by Immanuel Velikovsky.

[13] See the translator’s Comments re Obverse, line 10: “10: ALLA is used here not for the whole zodiacal constellation Cancer but only for Praesepe since Mars can pass through it within two days. As was remarked by P.V.Neugebauer and E.Weidner.”

These observations re Mars vs. Praesepe serve as a most definite and exact anchor point re Month #2, in line #10 of the cuneiform tablet: “The 3^rd, Mars entered Praesepe. The 5^th, it went out (of it).” These recorded observations were made in the evenings after the sunsets defining the beginning of the corresponding days, i.e. “The 3^rd“ and “The 5^th” of the 2^nd month.

[14] Praesepe, aka. the Beehive Cluster (cf. Wikipedia.)

[15] How often does Mars pass across Praesepe?

Trailing Mars forwards in time I find the following sequence: May 9-11, -597; April 14-16, -595…; May 25, -567; May 4-7, -565; April 8, -563; September 12-14, -562; August 18-20, -560…; June 29-30, -539; June 10-12, -537…; May 22, 535…; July 15, -509; June 25-26, -507…; August 19-20, -481; July 29-31, -479… Cf. footnotes #9 above and #58 below and notice the absence of concurrent events competing with the record in Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign! And that’s looking at only three of these twenty-one celestial events!

(For further reference re the identification of Praesepe, please cf. e.g.: http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m044.html

and http://www.nexstarsite.com/NexStar50/NexStar50EncyclopediaSignori.pdf.)

[16] The day beginning in the evening of May 27, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

It follows that the 1^st day of the 2^nd month began with the evening of May 23, 568 BCE. Notice: This means that there were necessarily 31 days being reckoned for the 1^st month, and also that the 30^th was not being used as an automatic default in case of inclement weather! Cf. also the Calendar at the bottom of the page!

I find this being evidence for a degree of uncertainty at the time, possibly in consequence of relatively recent interplanetary catastrophes near the beginning of the 7^th century BCE as also suggested in the books “Worlds in Collision,” “Earth in Upheaval,” and “Ages in Chaos” by Immanuel Velikovsky.

[17] The day beginning in the evening of June 9, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

[18] See the translator’s Comments re Obverse, line 11: “11: A translation “was balanced” for LAL was proposed by A. Sachs. This expression seems to occur mostly (but not only) in those cases where both celestial bodies compared have the same longitude. It is restricted to the oldest diaries preserved so far. It probably went out of use because it was redundant: if no difference in longitude was mentioned one could conclude that there was none. – siv may be a mistake for the missing sign KUR “moonrise to sunrise.”

[19] Venus located 1 cubit 4 fingers = 1° 25’ 26” above α Leonis, Regulus. Given that, per ADT I, 1 finger = 1/24 cubit, this exact measurement provides a good definition for the relationship between angular distance and cubits/fingers: 1 cubit = 1.22 degrees; 1 finger = 0.051 degrees or 3.05 minutes; 1 degree = 0.82 cubits; 1 minute = 0.0137 cubits or 0.328 fingers. (More at this link…)

[20] The day beginning in the evening of June 20, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day of this 3^rd month constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[21] Line 13 obverse is confirmation that line 12 is indeed June 20, 568 BCE and not June 21. The angular distance between Romulus and Mars is 7° 24’ 42” and between Romulus and Mercury is 7° 38’ 48”. Measured along the line of travel the distance is 6° 47’ 30”, which, divided by 4 cubits gives us 1 cubit = 1.70 degrees, or if 4 is considered a number rounded down to the nearest whole, that is, anything less than 5, then 1 cubit >= 1.36 degrees, which should be compared to our results for line 11 and footnote #48 where we arrived at 1 cubit = 1.22 degrees, which latter value should probably be considered the more accurate number considering the more precise measurement, that is, “1 cubit 4 fingers.”

[22] How often is Jupiter in Scorpius?

I found the following occasions when tracing Jupiter in Starry Night Backyard software: June -579; June -567; November -556; November -544; October -532; October -520; September -508; May -496; July -484; November -473; i.e. every 12 years or so. Cf. footnotes #9 and #41 above and notice the absence of concurrent events competing with the record in Nebuchadnezzar’s 37^th year of reign! And that’s looking at only three of these twenty-one plus celestial events!

[23] Notice that at the time when Regulus, a Normal Star for the Lion, first became visible, Venus was located an equal distance from Regulus, but on the exact opposite side of the Moon, thus the words of the tablet: “Venus was in the west opposite {} Leois.”

[24] The day beginning in the evening of February 12, 567 BCE. (This 1^st day constitutes a primary anchor point for this 11^th month.)

[25] See the translator’s Comments re Reverse of clay tablet, line 5’: “5’: The “elbow of Sagittarius” was identified as the cluster of stars around π Sagittarii by P.V.Neugebauer. op.cit. 50f.”

Per Wikipedia “π Sagittarii” is the same as Albaldah. In the morning of the 1^st Jupiter and Albaldah were separated as follows: 1) Measured along the ecliptic: 1° 42’ 50”, 2) measured along the line of travel: 1° 27’ 08”, and 3) angular separation: 2° 20’ 09”. (As may be noted the measurement along the line of travel is most consistent with my prior calculations of the length of the cubit.)

[26] The day beginning in the evening of March 14, 567 BCE. (The 1^st and the 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[27] The day beginning in the evening of April 2, 567 BCE. (The 1^st and the 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[28] Re “the Swallow:” Cf. Obv[erse,] line 2.