648 Sitzung der philosophisch-historischen Klasse 



however, three Statements made in it, the meaning of which 

 appears to me absolutely certain. "In the month Nisan, on the 

 fourteenth day, the moon was eclipsed." "In the month Tisri, 

 the moon was eclipsed." "In the month Sabat the moon was 

 eclipsed." No particulars seem to be given respecting the first 

 and third of these eclipses ; but after the sentence relating to the 

 second, there is a Statement made commencing with "the moon 

 at sunrise." I intend to discuss the meaning of this Statement 

 in the course of this paper; but I will confine myself at present 

 to the three sentences of which the meaning appears to me to 

 be undoubted. I take it that we have here a record of three con- 

 secutive eclipses, observed at Nineveh, where the tablet was 

 found; the first and second of them being at the füll moons of 

 the first and seventh months of one year, and the third being 

 at the füll moon of the eleventh month of the following year. 

 The interval between the second and third eclipses was a year 

 and four months. It is evident, however, from astronomical 

 considerations that it must have been an interval of seventeen 

 months, not sixteen ; and consequently the first of the two years 

 in question must have contained thirteen months. It must have 

 had a double Adar. 



It was this that attracted my attention to the record; for 

 I had published in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy 

 a table by which the commencement of each Assyrian year might 

 be ascertained. This table was constructed on data previously 

 known to me, and I was curious to know whether it was veri- 

 fied, or the contrary, by these new data. I took it for granted 

 that the dates of the eclipses recorded to have been observed 

 could be determined; for it seemed exceedingly improbable that 

 two sets of eclipses could have occurred within the limits that 

 it would be reasonable to assign to the record, corresponding in 

 all respects to the description here given of them. It is not 

 a very common occurrence for three eclipses to be visible at 

 one place with intervals of six and seventeen lunations between 

 them. This, however, must have happened at Nineveh at the 

 time to which the Assyrian record refers; and moreover the 

 first of these eclipses is Said to have happened in the month of 

 Nisan, the position of which in the year is known approximately; 



