First days for Shang pre-dynastic ancestor, late Xia kings, and
early Shang kings, as determining gan names.
1. Shang high ancestor
Shang Jia Wei: Since the date in the Annals for what seems to
have been Tang's proclamation year seems to be correct as given
(1575, the year following the conjunction of 1576), one may
tentatively assume that the absolute date equivalent of the
Annals date for Shang Jia Wei (recognized as the founding
ancestor in Shang sacrifices) is also correct. I.e., I assume
that in pre-Han revisions of the Annals the dating of events in
the Shang house was controlled by an independently preserved
chronology; it can be shown that this was approximately true for
the ducal house of Lu. In the Annals, Shang Jia Wei's father
Zi
Hai (or Wang Hai) was killed by the lord of You Yi in the 12th
year of Xie of Xia, i.e., in 1719 BC (the actual Xia date must
have been the 35th year of Mang of Xia). Therefore Shang Jia
Wei's succession year was 1718. (In 1715, after completion of
mourning, he avenged his father by attacking and killing the lord
of You Yi.) The Shang year is supposed to have begun with the
month after the winter solstice month. In 1718, this month began
on 18 January, JD 109 3941, which was day jiaxu (11).
2. Xia kings
Yin Jia: This was another name for the 13th king, Jin, the
predecessor of Kong Jia. Jin's dates were 1589/1587-1580.
Since
"Yin Jia" means "succession Jia," we examine the year 1589. The
Xia calendar was supposed to begin with the pre-equinox month,
which in 1589 probably began on 1 March, JD 114 1101, a jiaxu
(11) day. (The Xia day was supposed to have begun at dawn.
The
syzygy occurred about an hour after midnight in China.)
Kong Jia: Dates, 1579/1577-1569. The king's official calendar
began with 1577, and the first day of the pre-equinox month was
17 February in that year, JD 114 5471, a jiazi (1) day. See
separate calculation.
Di Gui: I have argued that the Annals account of the last Xia
king is a literary invention, and that there was no king Jie (the
better-known name). But it is likely that the name "Di Gui" was
actually another name for the actual last ruler of Xia, the 16th
king, whose name was Fa. The dates of king Fa were 1563/1561-
1555. The succession year 1563 began 12 February, JD 115 0580,
which was a guiyou (10) day.
3. Early Shang kings
Tai Yi (Da Yi, also called Tang, the dynastic founder): His
succession year in the Shang royal line is probably unknowable.
The gan "yi" may, however, have been determined when he
proclaimed himself king of the world. I assume that he did this
in 1575, after the conjunction in 1576. He could not have used
1575 to determine his gan, because the year began with 26
January, JD 114 6180, a guichou (50) day, and gui was the gan of
his father Shi Gui. But it is possible that (as in Western Zhou)
the purpose of the post-mourning calendar was not just to enable
the king to finish mourning before calling himself king, but was
also to enable subjects to clear any mourning obligations before
ritually recognizing a new ruler. (See my "The Dates of Western
Chou," HJAS 43:530-531.) The normal interval in Shang being
three calendar years (rather than two, as in Xia and Zhou), there
would have to be a new official calendar in 1572. (I am
supposing that at the beginning of Shang, it happened to be the
equivalent of the "Mandate" calendar that was continued, in the
Annals, after the conquest of Xia; whereas in Zhou it was the
calendar beginning in 1056, two years after the "Mandate" year.)
1572 began 22 January, JD 114 7272, day yichou (2).
Zhong Ren: Tang (Da Yi) is said variously to have ruled 12 years
or 13 years. I assume that he died early in the 13th year, 1542;
and that it was the Shang rule that a king's year of death
counted as in his calendar only if he lived through most of it.
(It was this principle, I believe, rather than any difference in
the length of mourning, that made most of the mourning-completion
intervals three years rather than two in the Shang.) Thus 1542
counted as the first year of the next reign. The prime minister
Yi Yin, seeking the throne for himself, was in control. I now
propose the following account for what seems (from the Annals) to
have happened: Yi Yin at first recognized Tang's grandson Da
Jia
(Tai Jia) as heir, but named an alternate "king" to perform other
ritual royal functions while Tang attended to arduous mourning
obligations. This was Zhong Ren; and 1542 was a ren year.
Shortly after that, Yi Yin exiled Da Jia; his years of exile were
1541-1536. To replace Da Jia as mourner, Yi Yin named Wai Bing,
1541-1540, another puppet. 1541 was a bing year. After
the
mourning interval was over, Zhong Ren continued as nominal king,
1539-36, when Da Jia escaped from confinement, returned and
killed Yi Yin. (Tradition, and the Annals, give Wai Bing two
years, and Zhong Ren four, in that order.) But 1539 was
rightfully Da Jia's first official year, and it was a jia year,
determining Da Jia's gan, since his succession year 1542 had
provided Zhong Ren's gan. The first day of 1542 was 22 January,
renyin (39).
Wai Bing (Bu Bing): Year 1541, first day 11 January, bingshen
(33). With Tai Jia, grandson of Tang.
Tai Jia (Da Jia): Year 1539, first day 18 January, jiayin (51).
The dates: 1542/1539-1528, 3 + 12 years. (Annals: 12 years)
Wo Ding: Dates 1527/1524-1506, 3 + 19 years. 1527 was a
jia
year, beginning 4 February, day jiaxu (11), and was avoided, jia
being the predecessor's gan. 1524 began 1 February, dinghai
(24). (Annals: 19 years) Royal brother, not main line.
Xiao Geng (Da Geng): Dates 1505/1502-1498, 3 + 5 years.
1505
began 3 January, day dingyou (34), and ding had to be avoided.
1502 began 31 December (1503), gengxu (47). (Here I assume the
solstice month; solstice date was 2 January.) (Annals: 5 years)
Xiao Jia: Dates 1497/1494-1478, 3 + 17 years. 1497 began
3
February, gengxu (47), avoided. 1494 began 1 January, guisi
(30) (assuming the solstice month). Gui is always avoided
(perhaps as being the gan of Tang's father), the next day jia
being used instead. (Annals: 17 years) Brother of Xiao
Geng.
Da Wu (Tai Wu): Dates 1477/1474-?, 3 + ? years. I assume
the
solstice month: 1477 began 24 December (1478), jiayin, avoided.
1474, if an intercalation was missed, began 22 November (1475,
beginning of winter), wuxu (35). Son of Xiao Geng.
(Chance of these results being accidental: 1, in 10 raised to a
power equal to the number of successive gan determinations and
avoidances.)
4. Calculation for Kong Jia (using Paul Ahnert's Tafeln):
1577 = -1576, = -1600 + 24; 17 February = JD 114 5471 = jiazi (1)
Sun Moon
L A L A E
s 265.2 138 102.9 212.0 38
a 0.9 L+A 90.5 304.3 103.4 300
m 30.6 48.3 33.7 351
d 15.8
210.8 1.7
181
------
------ ------ ----
L 312.5
L 666.3, A 350.8 E
770,
= 306.3
= 50
L' + 1.9
------
L' - 1.1 L + A
297.1
314.4
Le + 1.0 E + L + A
347.1
Lv - 0.1
------
306.1
Sun at zero hours world time: 314.4 (moves about 1 degree a day)
Moon, same: 306.1 (about 13.2 degrees a day)
Approximate time of syzygy, about 16:30 world time, i.e., about
midnight in the longitude of Luoyang (Xia capital area); the next
Xia day began the following dawn.
5. Chronology of hypothetical pre-428 BC Bamboo Annals,
Huang
Di to beginning of Shang (earliest dates are
not historical):
2287-2188 Huang Di, 100 years
2187-2181 Zuo Che interregnum, 7 years
2180-2103 Zhuan Xu, 78 years
2102-2101 (interregnum, 2 years)
2100-2038 Di Ku, 63 years
2037-2036 (interregnum, 2 years)
2035-2027 Zhi, 9 years (ousted)
2026-1969 Yao (Fang Xun), 58 years
1976 Yao 51,
Shun (Chong Hua) appointed
1969 Shun banishes
Zhu, Yao's heir; imprisons Yao
1968-1935 Shun, 32 (actually 34) years
1960 Yao dies
1959-1958 (interregnum, i.e., calendar
break, 2 years)
1953 Shun 14:
Yu of Xia appointed (conjunction)
1934-1933 (interregnum, i.e., calendar
break, 2 years)
1932-1907 Yu, 26 years (47 in fact, 45 with
calendar break)
1906-1905 (interregnum, 2 years)
1904-1889 Qi, 16 years
1888-1887 (interregnum, 2 years)
1886-1883 Tai Kang, 4 years
1882-1881 (interregnum, 2 years)
1880-1874 Zhong Kang, 7 years
1876 Zhong Kang
5, solar eclipse in Fang, 16 October
1873-1872 (interregnum, 2 years)
1871-1844 Xiang, 28 years
1843-1842 (interregnum, 2 years)
1841-1821 Shao Kang, 21 years
1820-1819 (interregnum, 2 years)
1818-1802 Zhu, 17 years
1801-1800 (interregnum, 2 years)
1799-1756 Fen, 44 years
1755-1754 (interregnum, 2 years)
1753-1696 Mang, 58 years
1695-1694 (interregnum, 2 years)
1693-1669 Xie, 25 years
1668-1667 (interregnum, 2 years)
1666-1608 Bu Jiang, 59 years (retires; no interregnum)
1607-1590 Qiong, 18 years
1598 Qiong 10:
Bu Jiang dies; no calendar break shown
1589-1588 (interregnum, 2 years)
1587-1580 Jin, 8 years (a.k.a Yin Jia)
1579-1578 (interregnum, 2 years)
1577-1569 Kong Jia, 9 years
1576 Kong Jia
2: the planets "move in succession"
1575 First year
of Shang's claim to rule
1568-1567 (interregnum, 2 years)
1566-1564 Hao, 3 years
1563-1562 (interregnum, 2 years)
1561-1555 Fa, 7 years (perhaps a.k.a Di Gui)
1555 Xia defeated
by Tang (Da Yi) of Shang
1554 First year
of the Shang Dynasty
6. Evolution of early Shang chronology in the Annals
Actual dates 4-year shift, Effect of
mourning
(hypothesis) mourning deleted deletion
(Bamboo Annals)
Conjunction 1576
1580
Proclamation 1575
1575
Shang 1
1554
1558
Tang's 12th year 1543
1547
Zhong Ren (for Tai Jia) 1542
Wai Bing (mourns) 1541-40 (2) 1546-45
(2)
Zhong Ren (1542/)39-36
(4) 1544-41 (4)
Tai Jia, reign 1539-28 (12)
1540-29 (12)
Wo Ding mourns 1527-25 (3)
-3
Wo Ding reign 1524-06 (19)
1528-10 (19)
Xiao Geng mourns 1505-03 (3)
-6
Xiao Geng reign 1502-98 (5)
1509-05 (5)
Xiao Jia mourns 1497-95 (3)
-9
Xiao Jia reign 1494-78 (17)
1504-1488 (17)
Tai Wu mourns 1477-75 (3)
-12
[Yong Ji
1487-76 (12) +12]
Tai Wu reign 1474- (?)
1475-01 (75)
Yong Ji
?
I assume that the revision at some stage was
done by someone
who realized that his "corrections" left a large gap before 1475,
and filled it in with Yong Ji's 12 years; i.e., perhaps Yong Ji's
reign (properly after Tai Wu) actually was 12 years. Or it may
be that this editor, knowing he was judging four 3-year gaps to
be in error, simply gave Yong Ji 12 years to make up for them.
It then follows (perhaps for another editorial
hand) that if
the date 1475 was regarded as mandatory, and Wai Bing and Zhong
Ren were assumed to precede Tai Jia, there must be a four-year
backshift of the earlier dates (except for 1575, held in place by
1475 and probably by an independent Shang chronology: 575 BC was
the first year of Duke Ping of Song, heir of the Shang kings).
His editorial hand would then in effect add: 1475, + 12, + 17,
+
5, + 19, + 12, + 4, + 2, + 12 = 1558.
This would then force a four-year shift in
the Zhou starting
date: The original Zhou chronology probably took 1058 as
"Mandate" year (following the conjunction of 1059), and as the de
jure first year of Zhou. The summary at the end of the Western
Zhou chronicle takes 1062 (the year of Wen Wang's death in the
3rd month) as the first (de facto) year of Wu Wang, and of Zhou
(one would expect 1061). The summary for Shang says that Shang
lasted 496 years. This was the actual time from 1554, the first
year of Shang, to but not including the Zhou Mandate year 1058.
Thus, given the date 1558, "496 years" determines the date 1062.
Note that the following absolute dates are
validated by the
gan hypothesis: 1542; 1541; 1539; 1527; 1524; 1505; 1502; 1497;
1494; 1477; 1474.
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