Sonnenfinsternisse und ihre chronologische Bedeutung: Ein neuer Sonnenfinsterniskanon für Altertumswissenschaftler

In antiken Quellen sind zahlreiche astronomische Beobachtungen überliefert, die dazu benützt werden können, absolute Daten zu gewinnen. Besonders wichtig sind in diesem Zusammenhang Sonnenfinsternisse. Hier wird ein neuer elektronisch verfügbarer Sonnenfinsterniskanon präsentiert, der speziell an die Bedürfnisse von Altertumswissenschaftlern angepasst wurde: er enthält Karten aller Sonnenfinsternisse zwischen 2500 v. Chr. und 1000 n. Chr., die im ausgewählten geographischen Bereich zwischen (20° N, 5° O), (20° N, 50° O), (50° N, 5° O) und (50° N, 50° O) potentiell auffällig waren und somit für Identifikationen von Finsternisberichten aus diesem geographischen Bereich in Frage kommen, auch wenn sie nicht vorhergesagt wurden. Der Sonnenfinsterniskanon ist online verfügbar unter http://www.gautschy.ch/~rita/archast/solec/finsternis.html. Als Anwendungsbeispiele werden einerseits die Ugarit-Finsternis und andererseits die Ennius-Finsternis diskutier

Der Stern Sirius im Alten Ägypten

Recorded dates of heliacal risings of the star Sirius as reported from ancient Egypt have been used for chronological purposes for more than 100 years. This paper presents new calculations of heliacal risings and settings of Sirius for different places in Egypt and discusses the influences of various parameters and their uncertainties on the results. Comparison with ancient Egyptian observations gives a mean value for the arcus visionis of Sirius of about 10°, with plausible values between 9° and 11° depending on the transparency of the atmosphere. This means that a date of a heliacal rising or setting of Sirius, which was recorded in the Egyptian calendar, can pin down the absolute dating of the observation to 12 years, if one assumes that the place of observation is known and if no further information, e.g. lunar data, is available. All results of the calculations are accessible onlin

Eine Ramessidische Sonnenuhr im Tal der Könige

Susanne Bickel, Rita Gautschy (2014): Eine ramessidische Sonnenuhr im Tal der Könige. Zäs 141 (1): 3-14, DOI: 10.1515/zaes-2014-000

Eine ramessidische Sonnenuhr im Tal der Könige

A vertical sundial, painted on a limestone ostracon, was found in an area of Ramesside workmen's huts during investigations undertaken by the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project between tombs KV 29 and KV 61. It turns out to be one of the oldest devices of this kind and one of only a few with a secure provenance. As with all devices of time measuring of this type, the accuracy is relative and depends on the period of the year. The precision of the sundial was, however, perfectly suit­ed to regulate the shifts of the workmen and their re­creation break

Celestial Aspects of Hittite Religion: An Investigation of the Rock Sanctuary Yazılıkaya

Regular celestial events assumed remarkable significance for the cultic rituals of the Hittite civilisation (c. 1600-1180 BC) in central Asia Minor. Numerous texts found at the capital Ḫattuša relate to solar deities and celestial divination reminiscent of Old Babylonian astronomical and astrological practices. Here we suggest that the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, which was considered one of the holiest places in the Hittite kingdom, had a calendrical function. It contains more than 90 rock-cut reliefs, dating to the second half of the thirteenth century BC, of deities, humans, animals and mythical figures. The reliefs in Chamber A are arranged in groups to mark the days, synodic months and solar years. Using this system, the Hittite priests were able to determine when additional months were required to keep lunar and solar years aligned. The astronomical and astrological interpretation of Yazılıkaya serves as a point of departure for a brief re-examination of celestial aspects in Hittite religion

Celestial Aspects of Hittite Religion Part 2: Cosmic Symbolism at Yazılıkaya

Evidence of systematic astronomical observation and the impact of celestial knowledge on culture is plentiful in the Bronze Age societies of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Europe. An interest in astral phenomena is also reflected in Hittite documents, architecture and art. The rock-cut reliefs of 64 deities in the main chamber of Yazılıkaya, a Hittite rock sanctuary associated with Ḫ attuša, the Hittite capital in central Anatolia, can be broken into groups marking days, synodic months and solar years. Here, we suggest that the sanctuary in its entirety represents a symbolic image of the cosmos, including its static levels (earth, sky, underworld) and the cyclical processes of renewal and rebirth (day/night, lunar phases, summer/winter). Static levels and celestial cyclicities are emphasised throughout the sanctuary - every single relief relates to this system. We interpret the central panel with the supreme deities, at the far north end of Chamber A, as a reference to the northern stars, the circumpolar realm and the world axis. Chamber B seems to symbolise the netherworld

Élaboration d'un processus pour les images 3D reposant sur IIIF

Dans le cadre de ce poster, nous soulevons des interrogations et présentons un certain nombre de défis et d'opportunités liés à la conception d'un processus permettant de gérer les images en trois dimensions (3D), de la préservation à long terme à leur dissémination, selon la perspective du DaSCH, une infrastructure nationale suisse pour les données de la recherche en sciences humaines. Pour établir ce processus, nous avons conçus des lignes directrices tenant particulièrement en compte le travail d'interopérabilité effectué par la communauté IIIF sur la 3D

Period and chemical evolution of SC stars

The SC and CS stars are thermal-pulsing AGB stars with C/O ratio close to unity. Within this small group, the Mira variable BH Cru recently evolved from spectral type SC (showing ZrO bands) to CS (showing weak C2). Wavelet analysis shows that the spectral evolution was accompanied by a dramatic period increase, from 420 to 540 days, indicating an expanding radius. The pulsation amplitude also increased. Old photographic plates are used to establish that the period before 1940 was around 490 days. Chemical models indicate that the spectral changes were caused by a decrease in stellar temperature, related to the increasing radius. There is no evidence for a change in C/O ratio. The evolution in BH Cru is unlikely to be related to an on-going thermal pulse. Periods of the other SC and CS stars, including nine new periods, are determined. A second SC star, LX Cyg, also shows evidence for a large increase in period, and one further star shows a period inconsistent with a previous determination. Mira periods may be intrinsically unstable for C/O ~ 1; possibly because of a feedback between the molecular opacities, pulsation amplitude, and period. LRS spectra of 6 SC stars suggest a feature at wavelength > 15 micron, which resembles one recently attributed to the iron-sulfide troilite. Chemical models predict a large abundance of FeS in SC stars, in agreement with the proposed association.Comment: 14 pages, 20 figures. MNRAS, 2004, accepted for publication. Janet Mattei, one of the authors, died on 22 March, 2004. This paper is dedicated to her memor