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Astronomical Dating and Statistical Analysis of Ancient Eclipse Data

  • Conference paper
History of Oriental Astronomy

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 275))

Abstract

All 13 Shang dynasty oracle bone eclipse records have been uniquely matched to six solar and seven lunar eclipses in the 14th to 12th centuries B.C. The King Zhong Kang fifth year autumnal (October 16, 1876 B.C.) and King Yu third year “double sunset” (September 24, 1912 B.C.) eclipses confirm the accuracy of the revised Bamboo Annals Xia dynasty chronology (Nivison and Pang, Early China 15, 1990, 87-95). The eclipse dates are plotted against the number of generations before 841 B.C. (the earliest accurate historical date), the respective kings ruled. The curve of bestfit has both the strengths of verified royal genealogy — continuity — and eclipse dating — accuracy. It is 99% accurate, and can be confidently used as a foundation for building a detailed absolute chronology for the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, an important project in China’s current Five-Year Plan (Song Jian, Sci. Tech. Daily, May 17, 1996; Wehrfritz, Newsweek, July 7, 1997).

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Authors
  1. Kevin D. Pang
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  2. Kevin K. Yau
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  3. Hung-hsiang Chou
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    S. M. Razaullah Ansari (President of IUHPS Commission for History of Ancient and Medieval Astronomy, Former President of IAU Commission for History of Astronomy, Former Professor of Physics) (President of IUHPS Commission for History of Ancient and Medieval Astronomy, Former President of IAU Commission for History of Astronomy, Former Professor of Physics)

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Pang, K.D., Yau, K.K., Chou, Hh. (2002). Astronomical Dating and Statistical Analysis of Ancient Eclipse Data. In: Ansari, S.M.R. (eds) History of Oriental Astronomy. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 275. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9862-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9862-0_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6033-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9862-0

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