On the Solar Eclipse predicted ly Thales. 367 



Asia Minor, from the year 630 B. C. to 380 B. C. : but, 

 out of this period of seventy years, I have found only one 

 that was central in, or ?iear, any p-irt of that peninsula. 



The eclipse here alluded to, happened September 30th, 

 610 B. C. The ecliptic conjunction took place at 8'' ]t' 

 5l" in the morning, 77iean lime at Greenwich, or 8^ 21' 4l" 

 apparent time: and the elements were as follow : 



True longitude of the' luminaries 5' 29° 39' 40" 



Sun's declination, north O 8 



semi-diameter 16 10 



Moon's semi-diameter 16 36 



' equatorial parallax 60 30 



horary motion from the sun . 34 53 



true latitude 29 37 



horary motion in latitude. , . 3 26 



Since the sun's declination in this eclipse was only eight 

 seconds, itniay safely be neglected in the calculation ; and 

 it may then be found very easily by plane trigonometry that 

 the sun rose centrally eclipsed in N. lat. 4 7° 34', and W. 

 long. 11° 33' 5 that it was centrally eclipsed on the meri- 

 dian in N. lat. 31° 6', and E. long. 39-' 33'; and set cen- 

 trally eclipsed in N. lat. 11° 13'^ and E, long. 122^36'. 

 The centre of the moon's shadow crossed the parallel of 

 N. lat. 42° in E. long. 34"^ 43' ; and the parallel of N. lat. 

 36° in E. long. 50°; and consequently passed nearly in a 

 straight line over the north-eastern part of Asia Minor, 

 through Armenia and Persia, where the sun became cen- 

 trally eclipsed on the meridian, as above mentioned. This 

 eclipse, therefore, was central and total to part of Asia 

 Minor, Armenia, and Media : and the path of the moon's 

 umbra lay in the very track where the two hostile armies 

 probably met. For it passed over the very mouth of the 

 Halys, just at the point where Croesus, the immediate suc- 

 cessor of Alyattes, crossed that river in order to attack the 

 Median empire. 



It would appear from the order of events belonging to the 

 reign of Cyaxares, as related by Herodotus, that the battle 

 of ilie eclipse happened prior to the invasion of the Scy- 

 tliians, who kept possession of his kingdom twenty-eight 

 years ; and that, after the expulsion of those barbarians, he 

 besieged and took the city of Nineveh, and thereby put an 

 end to the Assyrian empire. This, however, will not accord 

 with the date lierc assigned : neither indeed will it suit any 

 of the systems above alluded to; except it be that of M. 

 Volney, which may lay claim to some ingenuity. But his 



sys^tem 



