ABSTRACT
Ancient and medieval observations of eclipses have played a major role in the study of time. Most early records of eclipses originate from four civilizations: China; Babylon, Europe, and the Arab dominions. In ancient China, lunar eclipses were regarded as of little significance. However, it is from this country that the earliest series of solar observations from any part of the world has survived. Many eclipses of both sun and moon are recorded on the late Babylonian astronomical texts, but the clay tablets are so fragmentary that there are many gaps in the extant record. The Babylonian astronomers consistently measured the local times of the various phases of eclipses, mainly to check the accuracy of their own predictions. The use of eclipses in the accurate dating of events recorded in the Greek and Roman classics is well known. Ancient and medieval observations of eclipses yield valuable information on changes in the length of the day in the past.
