Front - Line 8

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Hand drawing below by Ernst F. Weidner (1952)


GU4DIŠU.U.UAŠU.UDU4U2PAIBAB2KUREGIRŠA2MAŠTABGALIGIKAMAŠMIRAUD


Transliteration:

GU4 1 sin ina šamaš2 GUB 4 KUŠ3 šap MULx KUR EGIR ša2 MAŠTAB GAL IGI ka-bar AGA a-p[ir ...]

Translation - by P.V. Neugebauer and E. F. Weidner (1915) edited by Hermann Hunger (1988)

Month II the 1st (of which followed the 30th of the preceding month), the moon became visible while the sun stood there, 4 cubits below β Geminorum; it was thick; there was earth shine [...]

Note C

Moon position 3

moon ... 4 cubits below β Geminorum

Similar positions for both years. The position of the Moon is where "below" is generally accepted to be.

4 cubits below β Geminorum Moon β Geminorum 8.8°
BC588-06-01 19:04 1506808.16944 -03°20'39" 3.344 +06°28'45" 6.479 9.823 below
BC568-05-22 19:50 1514103.20139 -01°01'41" 1.028 +06°28'51" 6.481 7.509 below

Position 2 | Position 3 | Position 4

588 BC #3 | 568 BC #3

Note D

SymbolSyllablesMeanings
GU4 Ayyāru: Iyyar, second month
DIŠ Constantly, always, one, sixty,
if
ušu3
ba3
es2
sin		 šalāšā: thirty, 30
half

the moon
AŠ
DIL
DILI
RUM
ina
 one

single
niš
MAN
šamaš2		 twenty
Mars
Sun
DU
DE6
GUB
TUM6
 go
bring
stand, sheep
4 4
U2
kuš3
 load, horn
unit
PA.IB
šap		 šapal: under, beneath, underneath
qablu: hips, middle.
šapālu: to be low, deep ; to reach the lowest point; to stay constantly low; - The Assyrian Dictionary, Š Volume 17, Part I (1989) pg 422-423
AB2 arḫu: cow
cattle
kakkabu: a star
KUR KUR
EGIR warkatu: backside, rear
warkānu: later, afterwards
ĝar
niĝ2
ša2
 Place
Thing
of
MAŠ
BA7
BAR		 ḫuzālu: gazelle kid; ṣerru: snake, possible name for Hydra constellation; Māšu: twin, Gemini; bīru: goat
half
Nissan, first month - on VAT4956 there seems to be no distinction between BAR and MAŠ
TAB TAB
GAL GAL
IGI naṭālu: (to be able) to see , to look at, to gaze ; to observe (the sky); to be visible;
ina maḫar: before (someone), in the presence, in front of - The Assyrian Dictionary, Volume 10, M, Part I, (1977) pg 106
KA KA
MAŠ
BA7
BAR		 ḫuzālu: gazelle kid; ṣerru: snake, possible name for Hydra constellation; Māšu: twin, Gemini; bīru: goat
half
Nissan, first month - on VAT4956 there seems to be no distinction between BAR and MAŠ
MIR MIR
A A
UD
šamaš
U4		 when, that, day, at that time, the sun, white, clear, now.
Sun

Note E

A. The moon observations.

4. On the I Airu [Month II], while the sun was still there, the moon became visible 4 cubits below the western hind star of Great Gemini; he was broad (vs. 8).
New moon May 20/21 midnight. Since Nisan had a duration of 30d (see p. 45 above), the 1st Airu does not begin until the evening of May 22nd. The crescent of the new moon did not become visible until late, to which the statement "the moon was wide" fits perfectly.

May 22, 7h evening:

  • Moon λ = 79°.1 ß = -0°.6
  • ß Geminorum λ = 77°.9 ß = +6°.6

Zu kakkabKÚR arkû ša MAŠ-TAB-GAL = ß Geminorum see Epping, Astronomisches aus Babylon, p. 125.

TRANSLATION FROM: Paul V. Neugebaner und Ernst F. Weidner (1915) Ein astronomischer Beobachtungstext aus dem 37. Jahre Nebukadnezars II (- 567/66).

Modern Results

New moon: -567 May 20 21:21 (UT); -567 May 21 00:21 (+3) (astropixels.com )

SkyCharts

  • BC568-05-22 19h00m00s ( +03 )
  • Moon: L: +78°06'27" B:-01°00'19"
  • ß Geminorum: L: +77°59'04" B:+06°28'51"
  • ΔT: 18206.89 seconds (05h03m26.89s)

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