93-102

• Papamarinopoulos, S.
• Preka-Papadema, P.
• Mitropetros, P.
• Antonopoulos, P.
• Mitropetrou, E.
• Saranditis, G.

A solar eclipse’s evolution was described in the Iliad in a stepwise mode manifested in increasing gradual darkness, during a warm day at late noon; from Sarpedon’s death time to few later from Patroclus’ death time. We examined the solar eclipses within the time span 1400-1130 B.C. and we found that only the annular solar eclipse on 6th June 1218 yr B.C. observable in Troy with significant obscuration 75.2 % fits fully with the Homeric descriptions.

• History and Archaeology
• Physical sciences

• Archaeology and art
• Archaeology and history

Homer, Iliad, Solar eclipse, Trojan war, Achilles shield, Patroclus

1. Apollodorus (1921) The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A.,F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William HeinemmanLtd.Baikouzis C., Magnasco M.O., (2008) “Is an eclipse described in the Odyssey?”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.U.S.A., vol. 105(26), 8823-8828.Beckman G. (1999) Hittite Diplomatic Texts, Atlanta.Espenak F., Meeus J. (2006) Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, NASA TechnicalPublication TP-2006-214141.Espenak F., Meeus J. (2009a) Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, NASA TechnicalPublication TP-2009-214172.Espenak F., Meeus J. (2009b) Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, NASA TechnicalPublication TP-2009-214173.Espenak F., Meeus J. (2009c) Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, NASA TechnicalPublication TP-2009-214174.Cedrenus G. (1889) Compendium Historiarum, 1, 228, J.P.Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 121, Paris.Henriksson G., (2012) The Trojan War dated by two solar eclipses, Mediterranean Arhaeology andArchaeometry, vol. 12(1), 63-76.Heraclitus of Pontus (1962) Allégories d'Homère, Les Belles Lettres, Paris.Homer (1924) The Iliad, translated by Murray A T., Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA, HarvardUniversity Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd.Howatson, M.C. (1996) The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, s.v. Paris.John Malalas (2006) Chronicle, translated by Brian Croke, Elizabeth Jeffreys, Michael Jeffreys, RogerScott et al., Sydney.Kelder Jorrit M., (2004/5) “Mycenaeans in Western Anatolia”, Talanta 36-37, 49-86.Mollmann K.-P., Vollmer M. (2006) “Measurements and predictions of the illuminance during a solareclipse”, Eur. J. Phys., 27, 1299-1314.Morrison, L.V., Stephenson, F.R. (2004) Historical values of the Earth's clock error Delta T and thecalculation of eclipses. Journal for the History of Astronomy, vol. 35(3), No. 120, 327-336.Papamarinopoulos, St.P. (2008) “A comet during the Trojan War?”, Science and Technology in HomericEpics, Paipetis S.A. (Ed.), Springer Science, pp. 341-356.Papamarinopoulos St.P., Preka-Papadema P., Antonopoulos P., Mitropetrou H., Tsironi A., MitropetrosP., (2012) A new astronomical dating of Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, MediterraneanArhaeology and Archaeometry, vol. 12(1), 117-128.Schoch, C. (1931) Die säkulare Accelaration des Mondes und der Sonne, Astronomische Abhandlungen,Ergänzungshefte zu den Astronomischen Nachrichten, Band 8, B2, Kiel.Starke, F. (2001) Troia im Machtfüge des zweiten Jahrtausends vor Christus, Die Geschichte desLandes Wilusa, Troia, Traum und Wirklichkeit, Konrad Theiss Verlag GmbH., Stuttgart.Starry Night User’s Guide (2006) Imaginova Corp. Toronto, Canada.Stephenson F.R., Morrison L.V. (1984) Long-term changes in the rotation of the Earth: 700 B.C, toA.D. 1980. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Vol. A313,pp. 47-70.Stephenson F.R., Houlden M.A. (1986) Atlas of historical eclipse maps: East Asia 1500 BC - AD 1900,Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Stephenson, F.R. (1997) Historical Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Theodosiou E., Manimanis V.N., Mantarakis P., Dimitrijevic M.S., (2011) Astronomy and Constellationsin the Iliad and Odyssey, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 14/1.Vougioukalou M., (2009) Αποκατάσταση Υγροτόπων: Μελέτη για την αποκατάσταση ενδιαιτημά-των της ορνιθοπανίδας για τη Χορταρόλιμνη Λήμνου, MS.c Aegean University, Greece,(in Greek).