Pliny the Elder's Solar Eclipse carefully considered...

Considerations Re Pliny the Elder’s

Solar Eclipse

As Referenced in The Natural History, Book II:72

Abstract:

Considering carefully (using also Starry Night Backyard software) 1. all the solar eclipses as listed at the NASA web site and visible from Europe between the years 24 CE and 62 CE, 2. my prior chronology findings, and 3. Pliny the Elder’s reference to an eclipse “in the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius,” I find myself forced in the end to conclude that the lists of Roman consulships are not only wrongly dated as I have previously been led to believe, but are also out of order, at least in re to “the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius” relative to the reigns of Nero and Titus Vespasian.

Quote from Pliny the Elder:

"The eclipse of the sun which occurred the day before the calends of May, in the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius³ , not many years ago, was seen in Campania between the seventh and eighth hour of the day; the general Corbulo informs us, that it was seen [p. 1105] in Armenia, between the eleventh and twelfth hour⁴ ;"

Footnote 3: "It took place on the 30th of April, in the year of the City 811, A.D. 59;"

(Pliny the Elder, The Natural History (As modified from the original translation by: eds. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A.,) CHAP. 72. [Latin version 2.75] --IN WHAT PLACES ECLIPSES ARE INVISIBLE, AND WHY THIS IS THE CASE.)

Considerations:

1. The translator's words above "the eleventh and twelfth hour" correspond to Latin words meaning "the tenth and eleventh hour!" Campania covers an area south west from and including Rome, also including Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, and Salerno. This is longitude 12-15 degrees East. Armenia is at longitude 40-45 degrees East. Thus there is a 30 degree difference corresponding to a 2 hour time zone difference. Add to this some little time for the traveling of the shadow of the moon, about 40 minutes or less (cf. the Dec 4, 39 CE eclipse seen from Mt. Vesuvius 10:40-12:30) depending on how close the moon shadow is to the perimeter on the earth as viewed from the moon. Accordingly, there should not be more than 2 hours and 40 minutes time difference between the observations in Campania and Armenia. Thus the translator of the above passage has definitely made an error in this particular re the hours translated!

2. "The consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius" is not defined with certainty in terms of an astronomical time scale. Accordingly, I have reviewed all the years and every solar eclipse between 24 CE and 62 CE (NASA astronomical time as used in NASA’s Phases of the Moon tables) with the following findings:

3. Although I do not necessarily, nor ab initio, concur with the above translator in the belief that "the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius" occurred in "A.D. 59" I find that there was indeed a solar eclipse "on the 30th of April," 59 CE (NASA time.) This solar eclipse was visible from Mt. Vesuvius in south Campania between 13:10 and 15:55 and from Armenia between 16:00 and 18:00 local (western military) time. If 13:10-15:55 is to correspond to Pliny’s “between the seventh and eighth hour of the day” then the Pliny’s 1^st hour of the day should correspond to about 07:00-08:00. Although not entirely impossible, this seems somewhat unlikely considering that sun rise time occurred about 06:02 at Campania on April 30, 59 CE. Absent a better fit it may be tempting, without more, to accept 59 CE as the year referenced by Pliny, but I find strong reasons to differ from that which is stated in the above quote, i.e. unless “the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius” is placed somewhere within the middle years of the reign of Caesar Vespasian, the father of Titus Vespasian whom Pliny’s book is dedicated to, but I have no other basis than Pliny’s record and my own findings for so doing – but perhaps this is sufficient?

4. The only solar eclipses I have found, based upon Starry Night Backyard software, that are at all visible (the moon at least touching the solar disc) from Mt. Vesuvius in south western Campania and from Armenia between the years 24 CE and 62 CE are as follows:

a. Sept 21, 24 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 1600-1803 (i.e. until sun set) was not seen from Armenia (post sun set;) no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

b. Feb 6, 26 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0712-0900 and from Armenia 0910-1200; - making the 1st hour of the day 01:00-02:00 in Campania and in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

c. Nov 24, 29 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0820-1050 and from Armenia 1050-1340; - making the 1st hour of the day 02:00-03:00 in Campania and in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

d. Apr 28, 32 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0630-0800 and from Armenia 0910-1000; - visible, Apr 28 is close (2 days off), and the hours would fit if Pliny used our military time! An interesting option, but way off in time – 32 CE!

e. Sep 12, 33 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0930-1100 and from Armenia 1130-1430; - making the 1st hour of the day 03:00-04:00 in Campania, but making the 1st hour of the day 02:00-03:00 in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

f. Sep 1, 34 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 1010-1245 and from Armenia 1400-1440; - making the 1st hour of the day 04:00-05:00 in Campania and in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

g. Dec 4, 39 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 1040-1230 and from Armenia 1330-1510; - making the 1st hour of the day 04:00-05:00 in Campania and in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

h. May 20, 49 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0800-1030 and from Armenia 1030-1330; - making the 1st hour of the day 02:00-03:00 in Campania and in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

i. Mar 19, 52 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 1320-1440 and from Armenia 1530-1710; - making the 1st hour of the day 07:00-08:00 in Campania, but making the 1st hour of the day 06:00-07:00 in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

j. May 11, 58 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 0445-0550 and from Armenia 0600-0745; - visible, but no data corresponds with Pliny’s record!

k. Apr 30, 59 CE; visible from Mt Vesuvius between 1310-1555 and from Armenia 1600-1800; - making the 1st hour of the day 07:00-08:00 in Campania and in Armenia.

I conclude, based on the particulars of this item (4.a-k above) that:

A. Either most or all of my prior findings in this chronology study are grossly in error – which I consider very unlikely indeed – or;

B. Pliny has no basis in fact for his statement as quoted and understood by me and the translator – possible but perhaps unlikely? – or;

C. Pliny 1. used our military time, 2. is using a calendar that is 2 days off from our currently used Julian calendar, and 3. the quoted consulship occurred in 32 CE NASA time – 3 possible, but unlikely considerations, combined, thus making it 3x unlikely or unlikely in 3 dimensions!

D. 1. The translator is making an obvious error in his translation of hours (certain,) but is probably correct in applying the recorded event to 59 (NASA time,) 2. Pliny is placing the 1^st hour of the day between 7 and 8 AM both in Campania and Armenia (somewhat unlikely, but possible,) and his statement is correct in the original Latin, 3. The consulship lists I have found thus far are in gross error, at least in re to the placement of the consulship here referenced by Pliny (not unlikely.)

– I find that the last alternative, D., is thus far the most appealing conclusion.

5. Assuming the consulship placement of “the consulship of Vipstanus and Fonteius” during the reign of Nero is correct, I would anticipate that said consulship occurred in 43 or 44 CE NASA time – not 59 CE! However, in those two years I find no solar eclipse on April 30, and, more specifically, considering each eclipse of any interest in 43 or 44 CE:

a. Mar 29, 43 CE; not visible, maximum eclipse – seen as partial eclipse at Antarctica only - occurred Mt Vesuvius time at 12:40 and Armenia local time 14:40; - making the 1^st hour of the day, as expected(!) - if this was the eclipse being recorded - 06:00-07:00 in Campania and in Armenia; but no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.

b. Aug 23, 43 CE; not visible anywhere on planet earth! Eclipse magnitude: 0.004 (Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon.)

c. Feb 17, 44 CE; barely visible from the peak of Mt Vesuvius at local sunset time from 18:32-18:38, the sun was fully set at 18:41; and not seen from Armenia; sunset Armenia local time 18:40; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

d. Aug 11, 44 CE; not visible in Europe or Africa, maximum of this eclipse – seen at south Pacific, Antarctica, and S. America only - occurred Mt Vesuvius local time 18:31 (sunset was 20:09 at Mt. Vesuvius but the moon shadow never reached that far) and Armenia sunset was at local time 20:31 - making the 1^st hour of the day 12:00-13:00 in Campania and 11:00-12:00 in Armenia; no agreement with Pliny’s ”the day before the calends of May.”

Of these eclipses only item a. , Mar 29, 43 CE, is of any interest whatsoever: If this is the eclipse referenced by Pliny, then the times of day recorded for the eclipse are quite good, but the date is wrong. If Pliny had been referencing this eclipse based upon concurrent calculations only, not on actual observation, then perhaps the date error could be explained. However, as referenced by Pliny the Elder, his recorded eclipse is based on actual observation, not on calculations, thus I find little or no basis for further considering the Mar 29, 43 eclipse, nor any other eclipse in 43 or 44 CE, in relation to Pliny’s recorded solar eclipse!

Conclusion:

See abstract above!

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