A total solar eclipse is one of the most beautiful celestial phenomena visible to the naked eye. It can inspire awe, and solar eclipses have sometimes been interpreted as omens. Despite their rarity, solar eclipses have had a large impact on society and sometimes they could change the course of history. In the Middle East the best-known solar eclipse affecting a historical event occurred during a war between the Lydians and the Medes on 28 May 585 B.C.Darkness fell in the middle of battle, so both sides became fearful and eager to make peace. The Greek historian Herodotus (I, 168) tells us that the year of the eclipse had been predicted by Thales of Milete. But the claim is vague and the contribution of Thales doubtful in the opinion of modern historians of astronomy; no theoretical framework for the prediction of such eclipses seems to have existed at the time (see Panchenko, 275)….