Redating Mursili II's solar eclipse to August 2, 979 BC means Hittite chronology is 334 years too early

 

This is the transcript to my Youtube video with the same title. 

 

In my previous video titled ‘The Sothic rise recorded in the Ilahum Papyrus was on May 27, 845 BC during Ramesses III's 7th year’ I dated the latter part of Ramesses III’s 7th year to 845 BC while Egyptian chronology dated it to 1179 BC, which means the 20th Dynasty during which Ramesses III reigned is 334 years too early. In my other video titled ‘Correcting Egyptian Chronology's 334 years error - Piye defeated Osorkon II not Osorkon IV in 743 BC  I explained what caused this error as follows:


Piye was a Kushite Pharaoh and founder of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled Egypt from 744 BC - 714 BC. As the son of the Kushite King Kashta, he was both King of Nubia as well as Pharaoh of Upper (or Southern) Egypt with its capital initially in Thebes. The Stele of Piye chronicles his military feats that he achieved in his regnal year 21 in Nubia, which I believe was also the start of his 2nd year reign in Thebes, in 743 BC. One of the Pharaohs he mentioned conquering in this military campaign was Osorkon of Bubastis which Egyptologists identified as Osorkon IV, the last Pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty whose capitals were Bubastis and Tanis. 


Egyptian chronology dates Osorkon IV’s reign at 730 BC - 716 BC, while it dates Piye’s reign at 744 BC - 714 BC. It is quite obvious that Egyptologists interpreted the ‘regnal year 21’ mentioned in Piye’s Stele as his 21st regnal year as Pharaoh of Egypt without including his earlier reign as King of Nubia before becoming Pharaoh. In my opinion this is incorrect, and I believe this is where the root of the problem is in the current Egyptian chronology that resulted in dating the periods of dynasties earlier than the 25th Dynasty of Piye, 334 years too early.


In my revision of the Egyptian chronology, the Osorkon of Bubastis whom Piye subjugated was Osorkon II and not Osorkon IV. Osorkon II was also a Pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty just like Osorkon IV, but Osorkon II’s 1st regnal year was 142 years earlier than the 1st regnal year of Osorkon IV.


I have no revisions to the dating of the 24th, the 25th, and the 26th dynasties of Egypt as my revisions apply only to dynasties that came before them, all the way to the First Dynasty and the Predynastic period of Egypt. 



However, Egyptologists oppose redating Egyptian dynasties to three centuries later than that given by the conventional chronology. This is because according to them it would revise the linked chronology of Hittite history. Given the dependence of Hittite chronology on Egyptian chronology, a lowering of Egyptian dates would result in a lowering of the end of the Hittite New Kingdom.


Mursili II was a king of the Hittite Empire circa 1321–1295 BC (according to the short chronology of the ancient Near East). The solar eclipse mentioned in a text dating to the reign of Mursili II could be of great importance for the absolute chronology of the Hittite Empire within the chronology of the Ancient Near East. The text records that in the tenth year of Mursili's reign, "the Sun gave a sign", just as the king was about to launch a campaign against the Kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi in north-eastern Anatolia. The text specifically said "[When] I marched [to the land of A]zzi, the Sungod gave a sign."


This eclipse is now more commonly identified as the one of June 24, 1312 BC, which was visible in totality in northern Anatolia in the afternoon. The 1312 BC date for the solar eclipse implies that Mursili began his reign in either 1322 or 1321 BC since the Hittite text records that in the tenth year of Mursili's reign, "the Sun gave a sign". 


Furthermore, the start of Mursili’s reign which was pegged at 1322 or 1321 BC was the basis for dating Tutankhamun’s death at 1323 BC since according to the Hittite annals, Mursili II’s reign started shortly after the death of the Egyptian Queen Dakhamunzu’s husband. This Egyptian Queen is believed by Egyptologists to be Ankhesenamun, the wife of Tutankhamun. For this reason, the success or failure of both the Hittite chronology and the Egyptian chronology lies heavily on Mursili II’s solar eclipse being dated correctly on June 24, 1312 BC.


Using Stellarium and by setting the Algorithm of delta T to JPL Horizons, the date to June 24, 1312 BC or -1311 in astronomical year numbering, at 11:22:30 UTC, the location at  40° 1′ 11″ N, 34° 36′ 55″ E which are the coordinates of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire under Mursili II, one will see a solar eclipse with maximum eclipse obscuration of 99.6%, occurring 5 hours 40 minutes before sunset.



Now remember, according to the Hittite text, this solar eclipse happened just when Mursili II was about to launch a campaign against the Kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi, “marching towards it”. Hayasa-Azzi’s western border seems to have alternated between Samuha and Kummaha. Of the two, Samuha is closer to Hattusa, the capital of Mursili II’s Hittite empire. 


The distance between Hattusa and Samuha is approximately 106.33 kms. Assuming Mursili II and his army were horseback riding and cantering, they could reach speeds of up to 19.3 to 24.1 kilometers per hour. Using the maximum speed of 24.1 kilometers per hour, Mursilli II and his army will reach Samuha, the western border of Hayasa-Azzi, a distance of approximately 106.33 kms, in about 4 hours 30 minutes at the very least.



Since the solar eclipse of June 24, 1312 BC happened 5 hours 40 minutes before sunset, this means only 1 hour 10 minutes are left for Mursili II and his army to engage in battle the Kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi before sunset. After arriving at Samuha, Mursili II and his army and his horses needed time to rest and time to scout the battlefield before attacking. Thus in my opinion, the timing of the June 24, 1312 BC solar eclipse was too late to be the solar eclipse of Mursili II.


Paul Åström in 1993 proposed the alternative date of April 13, 1308 BC, which would have been visible as a partial eclipse at sunrise. Using Stellarium and by setting the Algorithm of delta T to JPL Horizons, the date to April 13, 1308 BC or -1307 in astronomical year numbering, at 3:27:30 UTC, the location at  40° 1′ 11″ N, 34° 36′ 55″ E which are the coordinates of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire under Mursili II, one will see a solar eclipse with maximum eclipse obscuration of 56.25%, occurring 12 hours 34 minutes before sunset and 6 hours 16 minutes before culmination at noon. 



This solar eclipse reaching its maximum just 1 minute after sunrise would be just right for Mursili II and his army to start marching towards Samuha, the western border of Hayasa-Azzi. However, keep in mind that planetary motions are cyclical and have regular orbital periods so that a similar solar eclipse happening during sunrise can happen again many years later. 


And one such solar eclipse happened 333 years after the June 24, 1312 BC solar eclipse currently accepted by Egyptologists for Mursili II’s historical solar eclipse. And if Mursili II’s solar eclipse happened at the latter part of Mursilli’s 10th year instead of its early part which is how Egyptologists dated it, then Mursili II’s reign was dated 334 years too early. This is consistent with my claim that Egyptian chronology for dynasties earlier than Piye’s 25th Dynasty are at least 334 years too early.


Using Stellarium and by setting the Algorithm of delta T to JPL Horizons, the date to August 2, 979 BC or -978 in astronomical year numbering, at 2:30:30 UTC, the location at 40° 1′ 11″ N, 34° 36′ 55″ E which are the coordinates of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire under Mursili II, one will see a solar eclipse with maximum eclipse obscuration of 79.54%, occurring 14 hours 29 minutes before sunset and 7 hours 13 minutes before culmination at noon. 



This solar eclipse reaching its maximum just 4 minutes after sunrise will give Mursili II and his army about 1 hour more to reach Samuha before the Sun’s culmination at noon compared to the April 13, 1308 BC solar eclipse proposed by Paul Åström. Furthermore, the maximum eclipse obscuration of 79.54% for the August 2, 979 BC solar eclipse is more dramatic and ominous compared to the maximum eclipse obscuration of 56.25% of the April 13, 1308 BC solar eclipse. This is why I believe the August 2, 979 BC eclipse is the correct eclipse for Mursili II’s solar eclipse, and that Hittite chronology is 334 years too early.

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