EARLY AURORAL OBSERVATIONS

Early auroral observations from Europe and Asia, and catalogs of these observations, are described and discussed. Cautions to be aware of wh en using these data include the dating of the observation, and the cul tural context, especially for observations included in histories and a nnals as omens and portents. Specific attention is then paid to observ ations from classical Greece and Rome, the Middle East in biblical tim es, Asian annals, and the period from late antiquity through the medie val period. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.