From the Dawn of Heaven to the Conquest of Zhou Wuwang - Astronomical Dating Issues of the Western Zhou Dynasty

Author: Liu Ciyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project was one of the key scientific and technological research projects under the Ninth Five-Year Plan of China. Chinese civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations with independent origins in human history, enduring and unbroken. The Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties hold a special position in the history of ancient Chinese civilization. However, the precise dates recorded in ancient Chinese texts about the prehistoric era can only be traced back to the first year of the late Western Zhou period, the Republic of Gong (841 BC), which has become a significant gap in the study of world ancient history. In May 1996, Vice Premier Li Tiying and Song Jian, on behalf of the State Council, announced the launch of the "Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project" as a key scientific and technological research project under the Ninth Five-Year Plan. Astronomical calculation methods have been applied to the study of ancient historical dates both in ancient and modern times. Based on previous research in historical documents, archaeology, carbon-14 dating, and other fields, the author conducted an analysis of the historical records of "the sky appeared twice" in the first year of King Yi of the Western Zhou and the various astronomical phenomena related to the campaign of King Wu against the Shang. The results showed that the first year of King Yi was in 899 BC and the campaign of King Wu against the Shang occurred in 1046 BC, which were adopted as interim results of the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project. The analysis of the solar eclipse during the late reign of King Zhao also yielded results compatible with the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project. This book comprehensively records the research process mentioned above, provides a detailed discussion of the astronomical calculation methods used in the analysis, and presents calculations of the new moon, winter solstice, lunar and solar eclipses, and the positions of stars during the Western Zhou period in the appendix for reference by researchers.