Byrd asked - What "unusual series of solar eclipses?"

The "unusual series of solar eclipses" that is described in considerable detail in my eclipse lore web site that shows how the Nazca Lines and geoglyphs were almost certainly a religious response to the total solar eclipse "Eye of God" and other eclipse phenomena.

o I'm curious to see what evidence you have about an 800 year period of "unusual eclipses." Particularly the math.

The "math" is very straightforward. It is a well known scientific "fact" (dare I say "statistic"?) that "on average" or "usually" a total solar eclipse will only occur once every 400 years or so over any particular location on our planet. This highly misleading astronomical "statistic" makes it seem that it is "unusual" for human beings to witness a total solar eclipse in any one place on Earth. One could be forgiven for believing that any human being would be quite lucky to see just one total solar eclipse in his or her lifetime, and that any civilization that lasted a millennia or two would "usually" only witness a few total solar eclipses during its lifespan. In fact however, due to the cyclical nature of solar eclipses, and the fact that their paths of totality often cross over each other. . . it is possible for a human being to witness two or three total solar eclipses in their lifetime and even within a few years of each other. Indeed a civilization, such as the Nazca culture, might witness an "unusual series" of a dozen or more total solar eclipses within a millennia or two, with some of those total solar eclipses spaced very close together. Let's say two or three total solar eclipses being witnessed within a generation. . . In fact, it is even possible for two total solar eclipses to be witnessed in a single location or limited region within less than a year of each other, as happened recently in southern Africa.

Byrd said - Since the position of various pieces of the solar system can be determined by simple calculations (and there are ancient and accurate recordings and predictions of solar eclipses), I haven't seen any scenario that predicts the moon's shifting its present orbit for an 800 year period beginning in 200 BC.

This is a totally spurious argument that is presented out of apparent ignorance of the astronomical principles involved. I never said anything at all about the moon shifting its present orbit at all. That is a misinformed assumption on your part. The fact of the matter is that concentrations (in time) of solar eclipses occur over different regions of the Earth with the moon in its present (dare I say "usual"?) orbit around the Earth.

:We've got good data back to 700 BC (written data): [www.blackwell-synergy.com]

I am quite aware of that "good data" and made good use of it in researching and writing my Nazca Lines total solar eclipse theory. In fact I used Theodore von Oppolzer's "Canon der Finsternesse" aka "Canon of Eclipses" which, even though it was produced in the 19th century, provides reasonably accurate maps of the paths of totality of total solar eclipses back to around 1000 BC. . . Modern eclipse calculating astronomical computer programs could produce somewhat more accurate maps of the paths of totality of those same solar eclipses but that would not make a huge difference to my Nazca Lines research. Theodore von Oppolzer did remarkably well for someone who did it all by hand as it were and the maps are accurate enough to make my point.

Perhaps if you had bothered to briefly skim through my Nazca Lines eclipse theory web site, that I thoughtfully provided a link to. . . you might not have wasted your time and energy pushing electrons around to create your curious and quite spurious argument here.

Here it is again - [nazcalines.homestead.com]

The astronomical and archaeological evidence of that "unusual series of eclipses" that would assuage your curious mind is right there for anyone who actually bothers to read it. . .