VAT 4956 - a transcription of its Translation and Comments

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Extensively revised and edited 5930± 03 03 2026 [2010-05-18]

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VAT 4956

- a Transcription of

its Translation[1] and of

the Comments of its Transliteration

plus Added Links to

Reconstructions of the Events

that are Recorded on VAT 4956

and Footnotes with exact Julian Dates and Comments

by Gunnar Anders Smårs Jr^©

Obv[erse side of clay table. / ToL ©]

1. 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]; [sunset to moonset:] ….[….][5]

2. Saturn was in front of the Swallow .[6] The 2^nd,[7] in the morning, a rainbow stretched in the west. Night of the 3^rd,[8] the moon was 2 cubits in front of [….][9]

3. it rained’. Night of the 9^th[10] (error for: 8^th)[11], beginning of the night, the moon stood 1 cubit in front of β[12] Virginia. The 9^th.[13]the sun in the west (was surrounded) by a halo […. The 11^th][14]

4. or[15] 12^th[16]. Jupiter’s acronychal rising.[17] On the 14th[18]. one god was seen with the other : sunrise to moonset: 4 °.^{^[19]} The 15^th[20]. overcast. The 16^th, Venus [….]

5. The 20^th,[21] in the morning, the sun was surrounded by a halo. Around noon…… rain PISAN. A rainbow stretched in the east. [….][22]

6. From the 8^th of month XII, to the 28^th, the river level rose 3 cubits and 8 fingers. 2/3 cubits [were missing] to the high flood [….]

7. were killed on order of the king. That month, a fox entered the city. Coughing and a little risutu-disease [….]

8. Month II, the 1^st (of which followed the 30^th of the preceding month),[23] the moon became visible while the sun stood there,[24] 4 cubits below β Berninorum [25]; it was thick [26]: there was earthshine[27] [….]

9. Saturn was in front of the Swallow: Mercury, which had set, was not visible. Night of the 1^st,[28] gusty storm from east and south. The 1^st, all day [….]

10. stood […. In front] of Venus to the west. The 2^nd.[29] The north wind blew. The 3^rd,[30] Mars entered Praesepe[31], [32]. The 5^th,[33] it went out (of it). The 10^th,[34] Mercury [rose[35]] in the west behind the [little] Twins [….]

11. The 15^th.[36] ZIIR. The 18^th.[37] Venus was balanced[38] 1 cubit 4 fingers above α Leonis.[39] The 26^th,[40] {moonrise to sunrise} 23°: I did not observe the moon.[41] The 27^th,[42] 20 + x [….][43]

12. Month III, {the 1^st[44] of which was identical with} the 30^th (of the preceding month), the moon became visible behind Cancer : it was thick [45]; sunset to moonset: 20° [46]; the north wind blew. At that time. Mars and Mercury were 4 cubits in front of α [Leonis ….]

13. Mercury passed below Mars to the East; Jupiter was above α Scorpii; Venus was in the west opposite {} Leonis [….][47]

14. 1’ cubit. Night of the 5^th,[48] beginning of the night. The moon passed towards the east 1 cubit (above:below) the bright star of the end of the Lion’s foot. Night of the 6^th.[49] beginning of the night, [….][50]

15. it was low. Night of the 8^th.[51] first part of the night. The moon stood 2 ½ cubits below β Librae.[52] Night of the 9^th,[53] first part of the night. The moon [stood] 1 cubit in front of [….][54]

16. passed towards the east. The 9^th.[55] solstice.[56] Night of the 10^th.[57] first part of the night. The moon was balanced 3 ½ cubits above α Scorpii.[58] The 12^th,[59] Mars was 2/3 cubits above [α Leonis….][60]

17. [….] The 15^th,[61] one god was seen with the other; sunrise to moonset: 7° 30’. A lunar eclipse which was omitted[62] [….]

18. […. The moon was below the bright star at the end of the [Lion’s| foot |….][63]

19. [….]….[….]

Rev[erse side of clay table. / ToL ©]

1'. [….]…. First part [of the night ….. the moon was]

2'. 1 cubit [above/below] the middle star of the elbow of Sagittarius….[….]

3'. When 5° of daytime had passed, the sun was surrounded by a halo. The 19^th. Venus was 2 ½ cubits below β Capricorni. Night of the [….]

4'. That month, the equivalent (of 1 shekel of silver was): barley, 1 kur 2 sut: dates. 1 kur 1 pan ½ sut: mustard. 1 kur …. [….]

5'. Month XI, (the 1^st of which was identical with) the 30^th (of the preceding month), the moon became visible in the Swallow; sunset to moonset: 14° 30’; the north wind blew. At that time, Jupiter was 1 cubit behind the elbow[64] of Sagittarius [….]

6'. The 4^th, the river level rose. The 4^th, Venus was balanced ½ cubit below (sic) Capricorn. Night of the 6^th. first part of the night. The moon was surrounded by a halo: Pleiades, the Bull of Heaven, and the Chariot [stood in it….]

7'. the moon was surrounded by a halo: Leo and Cancer were inside the halo; z Leonis was balanced 1 cubit below the moon. Last part of the night, 3° of night remaining, [….]

8'. sunrise to moonset: 17°: I did not watch. The sun was surrounded by a halo. From the 4^th to the 15^th. the river level rose 1 ½ cubits. On the 16^th. it receded. Night of the 18^th (and) the 18^th. rain PISAN DIB [….]

9'. when the {….] of Bel was cut off from its place two hosts…. Went away’. The 22^nd, overcast. Night of the 23^rd. [….Mars’]

10'. was balanced above(sic) the small star which stands 3 ½ cubits behind Capricorn. Night of the 20^th. red glow flared up in the west: 2 double-[hours….]

11'. barley. 1 kur’; dates. 1 kur 1 pan 4 sut: mustard. 1 kur 1 pan: sesame. 4 sut: cress [….]

12'. Month XII. The 1^st {of which followed the 30^th of the preceding month}.[65] The moon became visible behind Aries while the sun stood there: sunset to moonset: 25° measured: earthshine: the north wind blew. At that time. Jupiter |…. Mercury and Saturn. Which had set.]

13'. were not visible. The 1^st.[66] the river level rose. Night of the 2^nd,[67] the moon was balanced 4 cubits below η Tauri. Night of the 3^rd,[68] beginning of the night. 2 ½ cubits [….][69]

14'. From the 1^st[70] to the 5^th.[71] the river level rose 8 fingers: on the 6^th[72] it receded. Night of the 7^th.[73] the moon was surrounded by a halo: Praesepe and α Leonis [stood] in [it….]

15'. the halo surrounded Cancer and Leo, it was split towards the south. Inside the halo. The moon stood 1 cubit in of (α Leonis[74]). The moon being 1 cubit high. Night of the 10^th.[75] first [part of the night. ….]

16'. Night of the 11^th.[76] overcast. The 11^th. rain DCL. Night of the 12^th.[77] a little rain. …. The 12^th.[78] one god was seen with the other: sunrise to moonset: 1° 30’[79]: ….[…. Mercury]

17'. was in front of the “band” of the Swallow. ½ cubit below Venus, Mercury having passed 8 fingers to the east: when it became visible it was bright and (already) high. 1° ‘ [….Saturn[80]]

18'. was balanced 6 fingers above Mercury and 3 fingers below Venus, and Mars was balanced 2/3 cubits below the bright star of (….) towards [….]

19'. …, …. The 21^st.[81] overcast: the river level rose. Around the 20^th.[82] Venus and Mercury entered the “band” of the Swallow[83]. From […. Jupiter.]

20'. which had passed to the east. Became stationary. At the end of the month. It went back to the west. Around the 26^th.[84] Mercury and Venus [came out] from the “band” of Anunitu [….]

21'. the river level receded 8 fingers. That month. On the 26^th.[85] a wolf entered Borsippa and killed two dogs: it did not go out. It was killed [….]

Lower edge

1. Year 38 of Nebukadnezar, month 1, the 1^st (of which followed the 30^th of the preceding month):[86] dense clouds so that [I did not see the moon ….]

2. Year 37 [….]

Left edge

1. [Year 37 of Nebukad]nezar

Comments [87]

1: The last sign visible can be any number from 14 to 18.

5: UGU-ME occurs also in rev. 16’ and 19’. It cannot designate a part of the day (as suggested by P.V.Neubebauer and E.Weidner) because in rev. 16 it appears during the night as well as during daytime. It is rather another weather phenomenon. Mentioned side by side with rain

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.

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”.

13: One is inclined to regard åer+tam DIB as an equivalent of and NIM DIB. But this is rendered uncertain by the occurrence of the latter expression in line 14 and elsewhere: in addition, ana berti is expected.

5’: The “elbow of Sagittarius” was identified as the cluster of stars around π Sagittarii by P.V.Neugebauer. op.cit. 50f.

13’: in the broken part at the end of the line. A reference to the moon being close to the Normal Star α Tauri is expected.

15’: The broken star name must have been α Leonis.

17’: According to computation. Saturn has to be restored at the end of the line.

Calendar

Nebukadnezar II year 36 XII₂ 0 -567 Mar 23/24

year 37 I 0=XII₂ 29 Apr 21/22 [88]

II 0=I 30 31 May ~~21/22~~ 22/23 [89]

III 0=II 29 28 Jun 19/20 [90]

X 0=IX 30 -566 Jan 13/14

XI 0=X 29 Feb 11/12

XII 0=XI 30 Mar 13/14 [91]

year 38 I 0=XII 29 30 Apr ~~11/12~~ 12/13 [92]

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[1] [All quotes are from the original translation, by, as best I can tell, Neugebauer P V and Weidner E F, of the cuneiform tablet unless otherwise indicated:]

"Remarks on Translation

“The terminology used in the diaries is rigid and very condensed. The order of items recorded is also to a large extent fixed. Because of the repetitive character of these texts, the scribes apparently, tried to reduce as much as possible the number of words they had to write.

“In translating I have tried to imitate this style by using a similarly rigid terminology. Unfortunately, the almost exclusively logographic writing of the diaries frequently makes it impossible to determine whether the Akkadian text consisted of sentences or asyndetic sequences of nouns. Where this can be decided with the help of one of the rare sylabie writings. I have of course translated accordingly. But more often I had to choose some fixed translation which may not be syntactically equivalent to the Akkadian hidden by the logograms. In addition, several statements which are very short in cuneiform had to be translated by longer expressions to convey the meaning without creating a new artificial terminology. The way in which the diaries indicate the length of a month can serve as an example. This length can be 29 or 30 days. [We shall notice that this is a false assumption so far as this tablet is concerned, that is, as even the very first month is proven to have been reckoned as 31 days! / ToL ©] The diaries are arranged in sections each of which deals with a single month. Each section begins with the name of the month; after the name, a "1" indicates that the preceding month had 30 days; [Apparently this must be corrected to “30 days or more” / ToL ©] a "30", that it had only 29 days, [Apparently this must be corrected to “29 days or less” / ToL ©] in which case the next month begins with a "1st" day: if a month has only 29 days [or less / ToL ©], its successor begins, so to speak, already on the "30th" day [etc. / ToL ©] which would have been theoretically possible for the preceding month. In order to make this visible in the translation, I have formulated sentences which contain the words "the 1st" or "the 30th" (which are all that is written in the text), and at the same time clearly state the situation: Month X, the 1st (of which followed the 30th of the preceding month), or: Month X, (the 1st of which was identical with) the 30th (of the preceding month)." (Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts From Babylonia, p. 38)

[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 #1 and my bracketed comments thereto.

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

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.

Unless the word “behind” is an erroneous translation, I still have somewhat of a difficult time making sense out of 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 occured 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 ##24 and 25.)

Upon my discovery of a firm basis (cf. footnote #‎18) for establishing the beginning of month #1 on the evening of April 22, I came to realize that the use of that word Akkadian word, translated ‘behind,’ as used in line 12, obverse, (cf. footnote #46,) makes sense when applying it, whatever word it may be, merely to the main body of the Bull, that is, to the exclusion of any extremities such as the horns and even of the head of the Bull.

Had the evening of April 23, 568 BCE been the beginning of month #1 - as I used to believe prior to a viable understanding of the event recorded for the 14 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.

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] See the translator’s Comments re Obverse, line 1: ”1: The last sign visible can be any number from 14 to 18.” - This Comment becomes meaningful upon realizing that the distance between the Moon and the Sun at the time between “[sunset and moonset]” on April 22, 568 BCE was 14°+! That is, yet another piece of evidence against April 23 being day one of the month, obviously so, because on April 23 the corresponding distance was 26°+!

[6] 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).”

[7] The day beginning in the evening of April 23, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[8] The day beginning in the evening of April 24, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[9] Measured along direction of stars moving across the night sky (cf. line #5 of the Rev[erse side of the claytable where a distance of “1 cubit” is being defined,] and also footnote #11 below) the Moon was about 2 cubits, i.e. 15°, in front of the constellation Cancer, on the “Night of the 3^rd,” i.e. after sunset on April 24, -567. Notice also that that position, at the front boundary of the body of the constellation Cancer, is the location where the Moon would be located the following night.

[10] The day beginning in the evening of April 30, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[11] The day beginning in the evening of April 29, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

It seems that this comment, “(error for: 8^th,)” (I presume it’s the translator’s comment) is in error. That is, based upon what I’ve learnt thus far re the use of words in reference to the constellations on the heavens, the boundaries pertaining to the main body of these constellations constitute the points of reference, not the exterior boundaries between two separate constellations. That is how I now perceive the Akkadian words translated ‘behind’ and ‘in front of’ etc. re constellations. Accordingly, I am now able to identify the Akkadian behind the translation “β Virginia” as referencing the tail end of the main body of Virgo as being located 1 cubit behind the Moon on the 9^th day, April 30, -567. What more needs be said besides that the ruler and direction is relative to the movement of the sky?!

[12] Cf. footnote #11 above!

[13] The day beginning in the evening of April 30, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

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

[15] 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 #17 below!

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

[17] 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 (!) 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!

[18] The day beginning in the evening of May 5, 568 BCE.

Having finally discovered for myself that the meaning of the phrase “one god was seen with the other: sunrise to moonset: x°” (cf. line 17 of the obverse, and line 16 of the reverse side of the tablet) is a precise description for the first appearance of the rising sun while the full moon is still visible above the horizon, and the angular distance that the moon has yet to travel towards the horizon before setting, I now have a very powerful tool for confirming the precise date for the beginning of the prior New Moon.

Given that said phrase is being used for the 14 day of Month 1, it follows that day 1 of Month 1 began on April 22, 568 BCE.

[Here is a brief review of my meanderings – that is, something that fooled me for a while - while on the path to learning this item re “one god was seen with the other: sunrise to moonset: x°: ”At sunset May 5 Jupiter was positioned below the moon while the two of them were rising above the eastern horizon, getting ever closer one to the other through the night, until setting together below the western horizon at the point of closest encounter (being situated 4.0 degrees from one another between “sunrise and moonset”) near sunrise the following morning, May 6. (Cf. line 16 of the reverse side: “one god was seen with the other…”) On the evening of May 6 the two of them could again be seen rising above the horizon while distancing one from the other… For a while I fooled myself into thinking that this must be considered confirmed evidence that the phrase “one god was seen with the other: sunrise to moonset: x°” was a reference to any combination of the sun, the moon, or planets… But, in the end, and not finding any such thing fitting line 17 obverse, I had to keep on searching for another solution...]

[19] Re the phrase “sunrise to moonset: x°…”Cf. also the somewhat similar phrases used in lines 11 & 12 and the corresponding footnotes #43 & 46!

[20] The day beginning in the evening of May 6, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[21] The day beginning in the evening of May 11, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor point for this date is the 14^th day events.)

[22] See the translator’s Comments re Obverse, line 5: “5: UGU-ME occurs also in rev. 16’ and 19’. It cannot designate a part of the day (as suggested by P.V.Neubebauer and E.Weidner) because in rev. 16 it appears during the night as well as during daytime. It is rather another weather phenomenon. Mentioned side by side with rain.”

[23] 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 22, 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^stof 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.

[24] What does “while the sun stood there” mean? Does it mean that the New Moon crescent became visible while the sun was still visible above the horizon at sunset? This would seem likely, especially considering the added comment “there was earthshine,” which I interpret to mean that the dark part of the moon was visible due to the reflected light from the earth. This would indicate also that the atmospheric conditions for visualizing the moon were very good. The statement “it was thick,” presumably referencing a large Moon (cf. also lines 8 & 12 obverse and footnotes #4 above, and #26 below!,) but may, particularly in this instance, be also a reference to a wide crescent, that is, considering that this is the 31^st day of the 1^st month! The preceding lines of the cuneiform tablet, lines 4 through 6, seems to indicate that the weather was not the best, thus it is very possible that no observation was possible on the preceding night, that is, even at the end of the 30^th day of the moon. Thus, this month seems to have begun one day later than it could have, had the weather allowed… or had there been a 30^th day default, as is now commonly being practiced – yet, what basis do we have for an assumption of a like practice at that time???!

[25] I have not been able to identify anything named “Berninorum,” nor have I been able to identify anything located “4 cubits above” either the sun or the moon on May 22, -567. However, on the following day, May 23, 568 BCE, the day when the New Moon crescent was first actually observed (cf. the statement “The 3^rd, Mars entered Praesepe. The 5^th, it went out (of it).,”) I notice that the moon is located a little more than 4 cubits, i.e. a little more than 29.5 (or 35) degrees, above the horizon. Could it be that “β Berninorum” is the name of a mountain peak or some other identifiable object on the ground? If so, I would find this reference very valuable for establishing the exact location of the observer. (Notice that the translator apparently has had some trouble getting the “above” and “below” correlations correctly translated! E.g. in line 14 of the tablet: “The moon passed towards the east 1 cubit (above:below) the bright star of the end of the Lion’s foot.”)

[26] Perhaps ”thick” means ’large’ as in relatively close to Earth? Cf. footnote #45 below!

[27] Cf. footnote #24 above!

[28] 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.)

[29] The day beginning in the evening of May 24, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

[30] 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 in the books “Worlds in Collision,” “Earth in Upheaval,” and “Ages in Chaos” by Immanuel Velikovsky.

[31] 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.

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

[33] 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!

[34] The day beginning in the evening of June 1, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

[35] Obvious translation error: Nothing rises in the west! Mercury was only visible in the west and was setting. On the 10^th day, i.e. the evening of June 1, 568 BCE, Mercury is seen as setting at the same time as the last part of the main body of the lower twin has set behind the horizon. Thus Mercury is referenced as setting “behind the [little] Twins.”

[36] The day beginning in the evening of June 6, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

[37] 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.)

[38] 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.”

[39] Alpha Leonis aka. Regulus, is too close for being the star here referenced, I believe Omikron Leonis is at the perfect distance and in a perfect direction for fitting the record!

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

[41] The 23deg – 25deg = 8 deg difference between actual and calculated, as here evidenced could well be an indication of relatively recent prior interplanetary catastrophes!

[42] The day beginning in the evening of June 18, 568 BCE. (Primary anchor points for this date are the 3^rd and 5^th day events of this month.)

[43] I do not understand, nor am I able to make sense of, or correlate to my software star map, anything in the statement: “The 26^th, {moonrise to sunrise} 23°: I did not observe the moon. The 27^th, 20 + x [….]” E.g. How could any measurement pertaining to the moon, e.g. “23°,” be made if the observer recorded for that day that “I did not observe the moon.” ?

[44] 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.)

[45] I don’t know what “thick” may mean in this setting??? Possibly that the Moon was very large, that is relatively close to Earth? Cf. line #8 and footnote #26!

[46] It is obvious from the context that the phrase “sunset to moonset: 20°” indicates that at the time of sunset the Moon was trailing the Sun with an angular distance of “20°.” Cf. the link and also the related phrases found in lines ## 4, 11, 12, 17 obverse, and 5, 8, 12, & 16 on the reverse side of the tablet!

[47] See the translator’s Comments re Obverse, line 13: “13: One is inclined to regard åer+tam DIB as an equivalent of and NIM DIB. But this is rendered uncertain by the occurrence of the latter expression in line 14 and elsewhere: in addition, ana berti is expected.”

[48] The day beginning in the evening of June 24, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[49] The day beginning in the evening of June 25, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[50] Cf. footnote #47.

[51] The day beginning in the evening of June 27, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[52] Seems to me as though the “2 ½” should be “½ ” only? An error in translation? Or, additional evidence for an at that time quite recent interplanetary catastrophe, that is, such that the path of the Moon was not quite where we would now reckon upon it being? Considering our difficulty with the translation, I believe the reason for the problem is more likely in the eyes of the beholders… And especially so when considering also the very special event of line 18, obverse side of tablet!!!

[53] The day beginning in the evening of June 28, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[54] “1 cubit in front of…” what? Ophicus, Scorpii’s left feet, or perhaps Jupiter?

[55] The day beginning in the evening of June 28, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[56] Notice: If this “solstice” is indeed a correct observation and a correct translation, then the summer solstice in 568 BCE occurred on June 28, 568 BCE, and not as now, that is, on June 21 each year!

This may be considered additional evidence of recent interplanetary catastrophes at that time! Cf. footnotes #30 & #33!

[57] The day beginning in the evening of June 29, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[58] Although, indeed, the moon was “balanced” almost straight above α Scorpii, aka. Antares, at 1:10 AM, when Antares was setting below the western horizon, but that is by no means the “first part of the night,” and so far as I can tell the distance then was only 1.5 cubits, that is, about 9 degrees angular distance… More likely, to me, is λ Scorpii, aka. Shaula, which was indeed located 3.5 cubits, i.e. 25.5 degrees, straight below the moon at 8:09 PM on June 29, 568 BCE!

[59] The day beginning in the evening of July 1, 568 BCE. (The 15^th day constitutes the primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.)

[60] As best I can tell α Leonis and Mars, being quite close to one another, were first becoming visible when, at the time of sunset, the two of them were 2/3 cubits above the horizon behind which they were soon to set? Or could this possibly be further evidence for an interplanetary catastrophy?

[61] The day beginning in the evening of July 4, 568 BCE. (This 15^th day constitutes a primary anchor point for this 3^rd month.) It follows that the beginning of the 1^st day of the 3^rd month is ascertained to the evening of June 20, 568 BCE.

[62] This partial lunar eclipse had its maximum at 1:52 PM, Babylonian local time, and was therefore not visible from the Babylonian horizon. Cf. these NASA links: 1) Data table, 2) diagram, 3) Key to terms used, e.g. TD, Dynamical Time for the event maximum, which UT time must be corrected by the number of seconds listed under ΔT, that is TD- ΔT=UT. Then add 3:00 hrs to UT for local time in Babylon. An easier way of finding the timing for eclipses is by looking in the NASA Phases of the Moon table, where the UT time is given for each event.

[63] Notice!!!: This is a rather perfect description of a quite brief, very unique, event at sunset, where the Moon, while almost eclipsing the Sun, is no doubt contributing to an unusually quick darkness such that both the moon and the brightest star, Regulus, aka. Alpha Lionis, are becoming visible while very close to the sun!!! A very notable event indeed!!! This event happened at about 7:15 PM on July 18, 568 BCE, that is, on the 29^th day of the 3^rd month!

[64] 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.”

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

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

[67] The day beginning in the evening of March 15, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[68] The day beginning in the evening of March 16, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[69] See the translator’s Comments re Reverse of clay tablet, line 13’: “13’: in the broken part at the end of the line. A reference to the moon being close to the Normal Star α Tauri is expected.”

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

[71] The day beginning in the evening of March 18, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[72] The day beginning in the evening of March 19, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[73] The day beginning in the evening of March 20, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[74] See the translator’s Comments re Reverse of clay tablet, line 15’: “15’: The broken star name must have been α Leonis.”

[75] The day beginning in the evening of March 23, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[76] The day beginning in the evening of March 24, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[77] The day beginning in the evening of March 25, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month…)

[78] The day beginning in the evening of March 25, 567 BCE. (This 12^th day constitutes a primary anchor point for this 12^th month.) It follows that the beginning of the 1^st day of the 12^th month is ascertained to the evening of March 14, 567 BCE, which is also the first anticipated date of visibility per the NASA Phases of the Moon tables.

[79] [A bit of history re my road to discovery: Re “one god was seen with the other: sunrise to moonset: 1° 30’:” Initially I was being fooled by these facts of coincidence: (Cf. Obv[erse,] line 4, including also footnote #19!) Here we have Saturn, Venus, and Mercury in close encounter one with the others; shortly after rising above the horizon at 5:15 AM on March 27, 567 BCE Saturn was located 1° 36’ from Mercury and 1° 39’ from Venus. That would have tied the 12^th day of the 12^th Moon to the day beginning at sunset March 26 and thus also the 1^st day of the 12^th Moon to the evening of March 15, 567 BCE. Per the NASA Phases of the Moon tables the New Moon crescent would have been visible on March 14, the weather allowing. Considering the frequency of inclement weather in the winter, it certainly would not have been beyond reason to accept then March 15, 567 BCE as a confirmation for such a flawed assumption of mine, would it?!!! Thus, it pays to be persistent and to humbly pursue any further obstacle… Which I did…]

[80] See the translator’s Comments re Reverse of clay tablet, line 17’: “17’: According to computation. Saturn has to be restored at the end of the line.”

[81] The day beginning in the evening of April 3, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

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

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

[84] The day beginning in the evening of April 8, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[85] The day beginning in the evening of April 8, 567 BCE. (The 12^th day events constitute the primary anchor point for this 12^th month.)

[86] The day beginning in the evening of April 13 (or possibly 14,) 567 BCE [cf. the 31 days of the 1^st month of year 37; line 8 obverse side.] (The events of the 12^th day of the preceding 12^th month constitute the primary anchor point for this 1^st day of the 1^st month.)

[87] Transcribed out of vat4956translit.htm.

[88] Day #1 began with the evening April 22.

[89] My corrections: Day #1 began with the evening May 23.

[90] My corrections: Day #1 began with the evening June 20.

[91] Day #1 began with the evening March 14.

[92] My corrections: This entry of the translator is inconsistent with his own introductory Remarks on Translation and his corresponding specific phraseology as used for line 1, lower edge. Thus, Day #1 began with the evening April 13, 567 BCE.