Scholars made significant advancements in understanding ancient Mesopotamian culture through the translation of 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets that interpret lunar eclipses as ominous signs, Live Science reported Tuesday.

These tablets, which were discovered over a century ago and are now part of the British Museum’s collection, detail predictions of death, destruction and disease linked to specific celestial events, according to Live Science. The research, conducted by Andrew George, an emeritus professor of Babylonian at the University of London, and Junko Taniguchi, an independent researcher, was published in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies.

‘A king will die’: 4,000-year-old lunar eclipse omen tablets finally deciphered https://t.co/9gMm2Wwy8L

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The tablets are believed to originate from Sippar, a prominent city in what is now Iraq, during the era of the Babylonian Empire. This discovery provides the oldest examples of lunar eclipse omens found to date, the outlet reported. The tablets describe how ancient astrologers would use the time of night, the movement of shadows and the details of an eclipse’s occurrence to predict catastrophic events. (RELATED: Study Shows How Ancient Civilizations May Have Thrived In Now-Drowned Land)

For instance, one tablet interprets a sudden obscuring and clearing of an eclipse as a sign of a king’s death and the destruction of Elam, an ancient civilization in present-day Iran, Live Science stated. Other ominous predictions included the downfall of regions such as Subartu and Akkad, depending on the characteristics of the eclipse. “An eclipse in the evening watch: it signifies pestilence,” one omen reads.

While some of these omens may have been based on actual historical observations — events followed by disasters — most were likely derived from a theoretical system that associated specific eclipse features with particular outcomes, according to Live Science.