There might well be. Again we must be careful with regards any radiocarbon evidence in the 17th and 16th century BC period, but one cannot help but note that the traditional Bamboo annals date (as given by Legge) for the transition between the Xia and Shang dynasties is 1557/6 BC and that the last years of the Xia have been characterized by a dim sun, summer frosts, crop failure and the earth emitting yellow fog etc. We now know that there was a volcanic eruption around 1560 BC, and that it was likely climatically effective (as per a frost ring in 1560 BC in bristlecone pine). Legge's dates are pretty close to that determined by David Pankenier.

However, i do have some issues with regards some of the astronomical datings. For example, the bamboo annals give the date for the five planets gathering in "fang" (aka the constellation of scorpio) as being 1069 BC, but Pankenier says that this conjunction was in 1059 BC and that it was in Cancer, not Scorpio. However, the five planets do indeed make a close conjunction in Fang but in 1198 BC. I have argued (mostly with myself and anyone who feigns the remotest interest), that this may well be the correct date in the chronology. The five planet conjunction is said to occur in the 32nd year of the last King of the Shang's reign (king Chow), but 1198 BC can be argued to be the 32nd year of life of Chow's adversary Wu Wang (whose dynasty succeeded the Shang). If this is the case then one can show that there is a 97 year offset from the Bamboo annals and real events, with the Bamboo annals being too young. If one then moves the relative chronology of the Bamboo annals back by 97 years, then we find that the End of the Xia with Yellow fogs, summer frosts, and dim sun is around 1654 BC, i.e. in the vicinity of the 1653 BC eruption we have identified in our recent paper. The issue of course is that if one moves the whole bamboo chronolgy back by around a century, then there is obviously a century of missing history to account for to link in with the more robust historical records from the 3rd/2nd century BC onwards. But it sure is fun to play with this stuff!

Jonny





The path to good scholarship is paved with imagined patterns. - David M Raup