Delving into the depths of the Rig Veda, an ancient Hindu text composed around 1500 B.C., astronomers have unearthed a remarkable discovery: a reference to a total solar eclipse that occurred approximately 6,000 years ago. This finding makes it the oldest known mention of an eclipse, pushing back the documented history of these celestial events by centuries.
The Rig Veda, a collection of hymns and sayings from various religious and philosophical schools, chronicles a diverse range of events, some contemporary to its compilation and others reaching back into the distant past. For instance, the text contains passages describing the position of the rising sun during the vernal equinox, providing valuable insights into the astronomical knowledge of ancient civilizations. By analyzing these references, astronomers can determine the precise time period they correspond to, as the Earth’s wobble, similar to a spinning top, gradually shifts the position of astronomical events over time.
Recognizing the symbolic and allegorical nature of the Rig Veda’s language, astronomers Mayank Vahia of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and Mitsuru Soma of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan embarked on a quest to decipher its hidden astronomical secrets. Their research, published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, uncovered passages that eloquently describe a solar eclipse, with vivid imagery of the sun being “pierced” by darkness and gloom. The text suggests that evil beings were responsible for the sun’s “magic arts” vanishing. Notably, these descriptions lack any mention of the Rahu and Ketu mythology, a more recent Hindu tale surrounding eclipses, indicating that these passages predate this later narrative.
Further analysis of the text allowed the astronomers to refine the timeframe of the eclipse. It occurred when the vernal equinox was in the constellation Orion and just three days before the autumnal equinox. The eclipse was total and must have been visible from the region inhabited by the Rig Veda’s eventual writers. Based on these criteria, the astronomers identified two potential dates for the eclipse: October 22, 4202 B.C., and October 19, 3811 B.C.
This discovery surpasses the previous record holders for the oldest known eclipse mentions: a clay tablet unearthed in Syria that records an eclipse in either 1375 B.C. or 1223 B.C., and a rock carving in Ireland that might reference an eclipse in 3340 B.C. The newfound reference in the Rig Veda underscores the captivating nature of total solar eclipses for ancient civilizations and highlights how these texts can contribute to our modern understanding of celestial events.
