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of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
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Created
5941[(?)]12 29 2027 [2011-04-04]
Last
edited 5941[(?)]13 08 2027 [2011-04-12]
Nicias’ Lunar Eclipse
Revised to
August 18, 385 BCE
Abstract:
Total lunar eclipses
are relatively common and relatively unspecific for dating purposes in
comparison to total solar eclipses. Whereas potentially fitting lunar eclipses
may be found on the average every two to three years, there are frequently less
than one total solar eclipse per one hundred years that will fit a recorded
total solar eclipse associated with a reasonably precise location…
My overall challenge
at this point is to find a more exact chronology for the Greek and early Roman
era, that is, from the fifth through the first centuries BCE, an era which has
been characterized, even by ancient historians, such as Macrobius,
by words such as “the years of confusion.” Having found some of my best
historical sources for this era on Bill Thayer’s web site, I proceeded to
search his entire web site for all entries of the word “eclipse.” I then collected and
sorted
my 67 hits, after which I am now further analyzing and identifying, one by one,
each of those records…
Given that Nicias’
eclipse is reasonably well specified, so far as it being 1) a total eclipse, 2)
an eclipse that was observed in the evening, and 3) an eclipse that was being
observed from Syracuse on Sicily in Italy, is helpful, yet without more
definite specifics such as a more precise month (cf. below!)
or season it could fit a number of different total eclipses.
The one saving
remedy allowing us to exactly date Nicias’ eclipse is that our primary source,
Thucydides, a contemporary Greek historian, has provided for us also the exact
year relative to Pericles’ solar eclipse. That is, Pericles’ solar eclipse may
be associated with the second year of the Peloponnesian War and Nicias’ eclipse
is quite clearly associated with the nineteenth year in the same sequence, both
as recorded by Thucydides.
Given that Pericles’
solar eclipse may be quite certainly identified with the January
18, 402 BCE total solar eclipse, it follows that Nicias’ lunar eclipse can
be none other than the August 18, 385 BE total lunar eclipse, both of which
perfectly fits all criteria I’ve been able to identify…
Furthermore, I find belated soft confirmation[1]
for this date also from the exact date for
“the day upon which they had taken Nicias” provided by Plutarch, that is, “the
twenty-sixth of the month Carneius, which the Athenians call Metageitnion:”
28 At a
general assembly of the Syracusans and their allies, Eurycles, the popular
leader, brought in a motion, first, that the day on which they had taken Nicias be made a
holy day, with sacrifices and abstention from labour, and that the festival be
called Asinaria, from the river Asinarus (the day was the twenty-sixth of the month Carneius,
which the Athenians call Metageitnion); 2 and second, that the serving men of the Athenians and their
immediate allies be sold into slavery, while the freemen and the Sicilian
Hellenes who had joined them be cast into the stone quarries for watch and
ward, — all except the generals, who should be put to death.
(Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The
Life of Nicias, 28:1)
In Wikipedia the month
Metageitnion is being “certainly” associated with August/September. Based upon
lunar month reckoning, the 26th of Metageitnion would then translate
to the day beginning at sunset August 30, 385 BCE, which day began following
eleven full days after the above specified lunar eclipse which fell on the day
beginning at sunset August 18 and ending at sunset August 19.
Considerations:
Having found 5 hits for Nicias’ eclipse at Bill
Thayer’s website, my first challenge was to identify as many specifics as
possible out of the available sources,
while taking care to give all due priority to
the most original sources, which sources must also first be identified. I first
found these three specifics:
1) “23 But just as everything was prepared for this and
none of the enemy were on the watch, since they did not expect the move at all,
there came an eclipse of the moon by
night.” (Plutarch, Parallel Lives Vol
III:23)
2) “But on that very night,
the moon,
being full, was totally eclipsed.” (Francis Marion Crawford, The
Rulers of the South, p. 143.)
3) “The Syracusans lost no time in
completely blocking the entrance of the harbor.” (Francis Marion Crawford, The
Rulers of the South, p. 144.)
Using these three identifiers (red font items) I
then proceeded to review all the eclipses from 413 BCE forwards in time to 367
BCE for which time period I found at the NASA
lunar eclipse page no more than 18 eclipses[2] that could at all be
further considered. Noting carefully that my reference for “the moon, being full, was totally eclipsed” are the words of a recent historian and not from a contemporary source
I made a mental note not to rely too heavily upon those particular words, but
to give leeway for anything reasonably
close to a total eclipse.
My next challenge was to identify my most
original source and to extract whatever words of timing available for more
precisely identifying the correct lunar eclipse. Discovering that, although
Plutarch lived a few centuries subsequent to these events, he is my only extant
ancient source re the eclipse event per se, and I am therefore forced to rely
on him to some extent, yet I find that I can clearly and definitely correlate
Plutarch’s record of that war event with Thucydides, the contemporary historian,
and the more precise dates provided by the latter in terms of years of the
Peloponnesian War:
2… [2]… Nicias was a
younger man. He was held in some repute even while Pericles was still living,
so that he was not only associated with him as general, but frequently had
independent command himself; after Pericles was dead,[3] Nicias was at once put
forth into the position of leader, especially by the
party of the rich and notable. These made him their champion to face the
disgusting boldness of Cleon. (Plutarch, Parallel Lives Vol
III:2:2.)
26. This also hath the same Thucydides of Athens written
from point to point, by summers and winters, as everything came to pass,
until such time as the Lacedaemonians and their confederates had made an end of
the Athenian dominion and had taken their long walls and Pieraeus. To which
time, from the beginning of the war, it is in all twenty-seven years. [2] As for the composition between, if any man shall
think it not to be accounted with the war, he shall think amiss. For let him
look into the actions that passed as they are distinctly set down and he shall
find that that deserveth not to be taken for a peace, in which they neither
rendered all nor accepted all, according to the articles. Besides, in the
Mantinean and Epidaurian wars and in other actions, it was on both sides
infringed; moreover, the confederates on the borders of Thrace continued in
hostility as before; and the Boeotians had but a truce from one ten days to
another. [3] So that with the first
ten years' war, and with this doubtful cessation, and
the war that followed after it, a man shall find, counting by the times, that
it came to just so many years and some few days, and that those who built upon
the prediction of the oracles have this number only to agree. [4] And I
remember yet that from the very beginning of
this war and so on till the end it was uttered by many that it should be of thrice
nine years' continuance. [5] And for the
time thereof I lived in my strength and applied my mind to gain an accurate
knowledge of the same. It happened also that I was banished my country for twenty years, after my charge at Amphipolis; whereby being present
at the affairs of both, and especially of the Lacedaemonians by reason of my
exile, I could at leisure the better learn the truth of all that passed. [6]
The quarrels, therefore, and perturbations of the peace, after those ten years,
and that which followed, according as from time to time the war was carried, I
will now pursue. (Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, V.26.)
It took me a little while before discovering
the “More(##)” link in the upper right hand corner of Perseus’
Search Results box, which search machine, before that discovery, never
seemed to give me more than one hit… Having once made that discovery my search
soon became much more effective, first for identifying the parallel records of
Plutarch and Thucydides, and then for finding the passages where Thucydides
identifies the specific years for the events recorded:
“4 Timaeus denies that Demosthenes and Nicias were put to
death by the orders of the Syracusans, as Philistus and Thucydides64
state; but rather, Hermocrates sent word to
them of the decision of the assembly while it was yet in session, and with the
connivance of one of their guards they took their own lives. Their bodies,
however, he says, were cast out at the prison door, and lay there in plain
sight of all who craved the spectacle. 5 And I learn that down to
this day there is shown among the treasures of a temple in Syracuse a shield
which is said to have been the shield of Nicias. It is a welded mosaic of gold
and purple interwoven with rare skill.”
(Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Vol III:28:4.)
“Some say that Demosthenes and Nicias
killed themselves, and this is more likely, but others say that the Syracusans
stoned them to death.”
(Francis
Marion Crawford, The
Rulers of the South, p. 144.)
“2:47. Such
was the funeral made this winter, which ending,
ended the first year of this war.
“2:70… These
were the things done in this winter. And so ended the second year
of this war, written by
Thucydides.
“2:103… [2] So
ended that winter, and the third year of the war written
by Thucydides.
“3:116… [3]
These were the things that came to pass this winter. And so ended the sixth year of this war written
by Thucydides.
“4:50…
[3] But Artaphernes they send afterwards away in a galley, with ambassadors of
their own, to Ephesus. And there encountering the news that king Artaxerxes, the son of Xerxes, was
lately dead (for about that time he died), they returned home.
“4:51.
The same winter also, the Chians demolished their new wall by command of the
Athenians, upon suspicion that they intended some innovation, notwithstanding
they had given the Athenians their faith and the best security they could to
the intent they should let them be as they were. Thus ended this winter, and the seventh year
of this war written by Thucydides.
“4:135… [2] So
ended this winter, and the ninth year of this war written
by Thucydides.
“7:18… [4] And this winter, they sent about unto
their confederates to make ready iron, and all instruments of
fortification. And for the aid they were to transport in ships to the
Sicilians, they both made provision amongst themselves and compelled the rest
of Peloponnesus to do the like. So ended this winter, and the
eighteenth year of the war written by Thucydides.
“7:86. The
Syracusians and their confederates, being come together, returned with their
prisoners, all they could get, and with the spoil into the city. [2] As for all the other prisoners of the Athenians
and their confederates, they put them into the quarries as the safest custody. But Nicias and Demosthenes they killed, against Gylippus' will.
“8:6… [5] And
of these at first they were about to send out ten, with Melancridas for
admiral; but afterwards, upon occasion of an earthquake, for Melancridas they
sent Chalcideus, and instead of ten galleys they went about the making ready of
five only in Laconia. So the winter ended, and
nineteenth year of this war written by Thucydides.
“8:57.
Presently
after this, the same winter, Tissaphernes went
to Caunus with intent both to bring the Peloponnesians back to Miletus
and also (as soon as he should have agreed unto new articles, such as he could
get) to give the fleet their pay, and not to fall directly out with them for
fear lest so many galleys, wanting maintenance, should either be forced by the
Athenians to fight and so be overcome, or, emptied of men, the business might
succeed with the Athenians according to their own desire without him. Besides,
he was afraid lest looking for maintenance they should make spoil in the
continent. [2] In consideration and foresight of all which things he desired to
counterpoise the Grecians. And sending for the Peloponnesians, he gave them their pay, and now made the third league, as followeth:
“8:58.
"In the thirteenth year of the
reign of Darius, Alexippidas being
ephor in Lacedaemon, agreement was made in the plain of Maeander between the
Lacedaemonians and their confederates on one part and Tissaphernes and
Hieramenes and the sons of Pharnaces on the other part concerning the affairs
of the king and of the Lacedaemonians and their confederates.
“8:60:
Thus ended this winter, and
the twentieth year of this war written by Thucydides.”
(Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War.)
Conclusion:
From the above, while given that Pericles’
solar eclipse fell at the very beginning of “the second year of this war
written by Thucydides” I can only conclude that the only possible lunar
eclipse fitting all the facts is the one dated
August 18, 385 BCE, which dark moon, per my Starry Night Backyard astronomy
software, if at all visible as such, rose over the eastern Mediterranean
horizon, being fully eclipsed at the time of moonrise at 18:48:09 (SNB sunset:
18:52:15;) the shadow beginning to recede at 19:15:15 until completely off at
No wonder Nicias did not at first quite know
what was going on! Certainly not everyone would have noticed the completely
eclipsed moon as it rose over the eastern sea horizon… :
“According to Pliny, 2.ix.54,
Englished by Holland;
Pliny expresses some dubiety, as he does about night rainbows: II.lix (English),
HN 2.lx.150.
The tragedy was occasioned rather by the ritual noise made by the Athenians on
seeing the eclipse; Nicias, not realizing what was the cause of the noise,
feared to take the fleet out of the harbor and was trapped.”
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