44^ TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



refer the middle of the same eclipse to about 2h. lom. a.m., Pydna 

 time. This result confirms our Table (p. 429-30). Petavi us erro- 

 neously referred both eclipses (Nos. 17 & 18) to — 167, June 21st, 

 7h. 45m. 



19. J. Obsequens (c. 103) reports that u.c. 649, coss. C.Marius 

 and C. Flavius ruling since the Kal. Jan., " hora diei tertia solis 

 defectus lucem obscuravit." This is the great eclipse in — 102, 

 Dec. 2d, i9h., 15 15° E. ; for on that day the sun rose in Rome 

 about 7h. 30m. a.m. (local time), and hence the third hour of the 

 day in Rome extended from 9h. om. to 911. 45m. a.m. The 

 middle of the said eclipse coincided in Rome with 7h. 42m. a.m., 

 consequently nearly two hours too early. But, according to our 

 Table (p. 429-30), the conjunction happened 2h. 40m. later. 

 Moreover, the moon's shadow touched, according to Pingr^, 41°, 

 22°, 35° only, and hence this eclipse could not obscurare lucem in 

 Rome. Our Table (p. 429-30), on the contrary, shortens the lon- 

 gitude of the y by 4° 6', and makes the eclipse greater. 



20. Cicero (De cons, suo, ii. 17) testifies that, in the course of 

 his consulate, and about the Latinae, held in January of the lunar 

 year, which at that time preceded the Julian January (as we shall 

 see below, Nos. 22 & 23) by some 60 days, and whilst the moun- 

 tains of Albano were already "covered with snow," a total eclipse' 

 of the moon (lunastellanti nocte peremta est) occurred in Rome- 

 The beginning of Cicero's consulate in — 62., is, apart from all 

 other evidence, fixed by the Ara Albani (p. 407), the nativity of 

 Augustus ; for this emperor was born whilst Cicero delivered the 

 fourth Catilinaria in January, and the said planetary configuration 

 refers to —62, Dec. 23. Moreover, Josephus (An. xiv. 4, 2 ; B. 

 J. V. 9, 4) reports that, during Cicero's consulate (Ol. 179,1), 

 Pompeius captured the Jewish temple on the loth day of Thishri 

 (Hyperberetaeus), i.e. Sept. 11 (p. 414), being a Saturday {Kpovou 

 ^fiepa^ Dio 37, 15), and this day was only in — 62 a Saturday. 

 Hence Cicero's eclipse was that in — 62, Oct. 27th, 7h. 30m., U 

 5° 37' E. ( — 4°). Ideler points us to the eclipse on May 3d, 3h. 

 30m. a.m., but during May no snow exists in Italy near Rome. 



21. Jul. Obsequens (c. 123) reports that, coss. Afranius and 

 Caecilius, u.c. 693, an eclipse of the sun happened one hour prior 

 to sunset (die toto ante sereno circa horam undecimam nox se 

 intendit, deinde restitus fulgor). The said consuls ruled in — 58 



