The Reigns of Roman Emperors 

is mentioned as having been seen during Titus' reign. These were two very noticeable comets. Since the 

Romans believed comets were ill omens, they would have associated these with the death of Titus, if they had 

been seen during his reign. They also would have likely associated these comets with the eruption of Mount 

Vesuvius, a major fire in Rome, and an outbreak of the plague, all of which occurred during Titus' reign. Yet 

there is no mention of these comets. Therefore, the observation of these comets did not occur during the reign 

of Titus. 

    However, both of these two comets (

A.D.

 65 and 

A.D.

 66) fit well the description of the comet preceding the 

death of Vespasian. They both had long tails and so could be described as  long haired  comets. And Dio 

makes a point of saying that the comet preceding the death of Vespasian was visible for a long time. The two 

comets of 

A.D.

 65 and 

A.D.

 66 were seen from July to Sept. of 

A.D.

 65 and Jan to April of 

A.D.

 66. These two 

could easily have been mistaken as one comet, which seemed to be visible for an unusually long time. Thus the 

long haired comet at the end of Vespasian's reign was actually two comets, seen over much of the year 

preceding his death. Vespasian's death must then be placed in June of 

A.D.

 66, after an antedated reign of 

nearly 12 years (July of 

A.D.

 54 to June of 

A.D.

 66), not ten years as Dio stated. (Further evidence in support 

of a longer reign for Vespasian is presented below.) 

    As occurred with Tiberius' reign, here again is a case where the antedating of an emperor's reign may have 

resulted in confusion over when that reign began and ended. The antedating of the reigns of Vespasian and the 

three emperors before him (Otho, Galba, Vitellius) may have been the cause of this misunderstanding as to the 

length of Vespasian's reign. 

    The usual year given for the end of Vespasian's reign is 

A.D.

 79. There was a comet recorded by Korean 

astronomers in 

A.D.

 79, which was described as a  broom star,  meaning that it had a conspicuous tail.

961

However, that comet was only visible for about 20 days, and so does not fit Dio's statement that Vespasian's 

comet was visible for a long time. Also, there is no record of the comet of 

A.D.

 79 from the observations of the 

Chinese astronomers. Thus there is no comet fitting Dio's description within the usual chronology of 

Vespasian's reign. 

    Pliny states that an unusual celestial event occurred during the reign of Vespasian a pairing of solar and 

lunar eclipses.  For the eclipse of both sun and moon within 15 days of each other has occurred even in our 

time, in the year of the third consulship of the elder Emperor Vespasian and the second consulship of the 

younger. 

962

 Vespasian, the emperor, had a son named Titus, whose surname was also Vespasian.

963

 So the 

year referred to here is the year in which the two consuls were the emperor Vespasian and his son, the younger 

Vespasian, who is usually called Titus. 

    In the usual chronology, Titus held his second consulship in the year 

A.D.

 72, which coincided with 

Vespasian's fourth consulship.

964

 Now, perhaps Pliny is counting Vespasian's fourth consulship as his third, 

since, in the usual chronology, it was his third consulship after he became emperor. However, the pairing of a 

solar and lunar eclipse occurred in 

A.D.

 71, not 72. There was a lunar eclipse on March 4, 

A.D.

 71, visible from 

Rome, beginning just after sunset and lasting over 2 hours. A partial solar eclipse, visible from Rome, followed 

on March 20.

965

 Notice the incongruities here:  these eclipses were 16 days apart, not 15 as Pliny states, and 

they occurred in a year in which Titus was not consul. 

    In my revised chronology, the fall of Jerusalem occurred in 

A.D.

 56, the year of Vespasian's third 

consulship. In 

A.D.

 56, a lunar eclipse on June 16 was visible from Rome before and during dawn. A partial 

solar eclipse followed, 15 days later, on July 1.

966

 This solar eclipse was not visible from Rome, but was visible 

from all of Spain, most of northern Africa, southern France, and the island of Sicily. Pliny was not, however, 

relying on calculation to determine when this eclipse pair occurred. Pairs of lunar and solar eclipses occurring 

15 days apart are common; what is rare, and what Pliny was referring to, is a pair of lunar and solar eclipses, 

15 days apart, which are both visible. Pliny was stationed in Spain from the latter part of Nero's reign until 

Vespasian became emperor. But during the time of this solar eclipse, Pliny had left his post in Spain and was 

probably in living in Rome. Pliny was a part of Vespasian's inner circle at Rome and was eventually put in 

command of the Roman fleet at Misenum on the Bay of Naples.

967

 Though the solar eclipse was not visible 

from Rome or Naples, it was visible from the sea and the islands to the west and south of Rome and Naples. 

Pliny may have received reports from those locations, or from Spain where he was formerly Procurator, so 

that he knew about the eclipse but did not view it himself. 

207