Submitted by SomeDesiGuy t3_ypeywv in history
JonasNinetyNine t1_ivj0iat wrote
This seems like nationalistically deluded pseudoscience
Jonathan3628 t1_ivk7lpb wrote
What seems pseudoscientific about it? The article was based on using astronomical events described in the text to determine the timing of events. Astronomical dating is an accepted technique in history, isn't it? (I know it's popular in Near Eastern history and in Mesoamerican history, but perhaps it isn't as accepted in Indian history?)
Are there flaws in the author's interpretation of the astronomical events, or the calculations he used?
The main issue I can think of is that maybe the astronomical information used to date the war (a solar eclipse that occurred in or slightly after the month of Kartika, which ended before sunset, and did not start too early in the day; and that there would have been a full moon very shortly before the war started) does not correspond to reality. For example, maybe the solar eclipse was just "made up" to make the story appear more impressive?
I'm not sure how a historian would determine whether the astronomical phenomena described in the text are real or not.
autosummarizer t1_ivkmxyc wrote
Here is the eclipse the author is talking about. I extracted the information from the NASA site he mentioned in the article.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/-0999--0900/-900-11-05.gif
JonasNinetyNine t1_ivko2pk wrote
Well, did the civilization that produced the text possess a elaborate and accurate grasp on and interest in astronomy, as far back as 2922 years ago?
And to date the war, one must operate under the assumption that it was an historical event, and shouldn't rather be understood as a part of vedic mythology
autosummarizer t1_ivkq91e wrote
According to Vashistha Siddhanta which was 'supposedly' composed around 1200-1100 BCE, they definitely could predict the motion of sun and moon. Here is a 1980 paper on the topic.
[deleted] t1_ivjnu0j wrote
[removed]
Uschnej t1_ivu1ckw wrote
Yes, this is pretty normal for Hindutva.
sumit24021990 t1_iwg6wo9 wrote
RW history.
If u correct them, they will say all of it is hidden and destroyed.
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