Arheologists recently translated a text on clay tablets from ancient Babylon that have been in the British Museum for over a century. Several of the tablets contained a ominous warning: „When the Moon fully enters Earth’s shadow, the king will die.“
Archeologists Andrew George and Junko Taniguchi translated 61 cuneiform signs from four tablets, which likely originate from the ancient city of Sippar, located in present-day Iraq in the 17th and 18th centuries BC. These are the oldest known „prophecies“ from Babylon that are connected to lunar eclipses.
Indeed, this ancient culture in Mesopotamia was known for its astrological predictions. Babylonian „astronomers“ carefully observed the Moon and planets, believing that these celestial bodies were controlled by gods and that the future could be predicted using them.
„Observing celestial signs was a serious matter politically. There is ample evidence that in later periods, astrology was used to protect the king, to regulate his behavior in accordance with the desires of the gods,“ said George, as reported by Science Alert.
The king’s advisors were responsible for observing the night sky. If the predictions were unfavorable, they would sacrifice an animal to determine the level of danger. If the warnings persisted, they would conduct rituals to expel evil spirits.
The newly translated texts indicate the complexity of this organized „warning“ system, as well as how seriously the king’s advisors took their prophetic duties. According to the Babylonian tablets, an eclipse during the morning watch indicates the end of a dynasty, while one during the evening watch predicts the arrival of an epidemic.
The tablets show a detailed method of organizing eclipse signs according to the time of day and night, the month, and the duration of the eclipse itself. Some prophecies included warnings such as „the king’s brother will rebel and take the throne“ and „rain will disappear from the sky.“ Some were incredibly specific: „a dog will go mad and anyone it bites, male or female, will not survive.“
The research titled „Old Babylonian Lunar-Eclipse Omen Tablets in the British Museum“ was published in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, as reported by Index.
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