Absolute dates for an ancient China by astronomy

Zoltan Andrew Simon

Absolute dates for an ancient China by astronomy
Harmony between astronomy and the records solves an old enigma

China is one of the few pristine civilizations in the entire world. Firm dates of early China would, to a certain extent, facilitate the comparison between the processes of Chinese civilization and the other civilizations of the world. Nevertheless, those early dates of China have been debated for more than two millennia with no agreement. This opinion of Yun Kuen Lee, in Asian Perspectives (2002), seems correct.
The present book of Z. A. Simon deals with a detailed evaluation of the quite controversial opinions of experts. It embraces many important papers of the last three centuries about the reliability of the original Chinese records. For the almost ignored area of absolute dates, the astronomical records are more valuable than the archaeological conclusions. The reader can see the harmony of the ancient historical records with the results of modern astronomical calculations. The author is suggesting a new and solid chronological base, by combining lunar and solar eclipse records with several remarkable planetary conjunctions mentioned in the chronicles. He offers a unique approach in which we shall give more credit to old eclipse of any nation (including in Europe). It is hard to claim that astronomers failing to predict an eclipse were beheaded only in the myth. Another pair of "literary" eclipses in the Book of Odes may have been visible by some persons. Not all eclipse records refer to total eclipses. Ancient observers may have noticed the reflections of the partially eclipsed Sun on a tranquil surface of water. Perhaps the majority of modern experts should reconsider such small differences in their initial search criteria. A rigid or limited approach is not necessarily the best one. The outcome may be more pleasing and harmonious for the absolute chronologies of other early civilizations as well.