Details
Solar and lunar eclipses had great significance in the ancient and medieval worlds, with myths and legends often created to explain such phenomena. This study aims to present all known accounts of times eclipse observations and predictions, to provide a detailed account of the sources and to examine their accuracy. Steele discusses the astronomical techniques, records and theories of Mesopotamia, the Greco-Roman world, the Islamic Near East, late medieval and Renaissance Europe, China and Japan. Appendices present eclipse records from Late Babylonia and China and Chinese sunrise and sunset times. The study combines astronomy and ancient science with discussions of the historical implications of the data.