This is very satisfactory so far, but we can go further. Here we are landed evidently in the worship of one of the local divine dynasties, that of Set; and we may justly, therefore, ask if Usertsen did not do at Heliopolis what it is very probable Pepi did at Denderah--namely, embellish an old temple which had in the first instance been used for observations of Dubhe and appropriate it to the use of the new Hathor γ Draconis. If this were so, then the original foundation stone was laid about 5100 B.C. The next line of argument is furnished by the emblems which are associated with the various goddesses. These obviously indicate that they arose in a time of totemism, when each tribe or nome had its special totem, which would be certain to be associated with the local goddesses or the stars which they personified. The local totem of the special warning-star in use at any time or place may be anything: hippopotamus, crocodile, hawk, vulture, lion, or even some other common living thing into which the totem degraded when the supply of the original fell short.[62] Hence, as the number of warning-stars was certainly very restricted, they--or, rather, the goddesses which typified them--had different names in almost every nome. Hence Egyptian mythology should be, as it is in fact, full of synonyms; each local name being liable to be brought into prominence at some time or another, owing to adventitious circumstances relating either to dynasties or the popularity of some particular shrine. Applying this test of symbolism, we find in the case of Hathor that the symbolism was double. The Denderah _Hathor_ was connected with the hippopotamus, while at Thebes _Mut_ was represented by a hippopotamus. Now this symbol of the hippopotamus helps us greatly, because it allows evidence to be gathered from a consideration of the old constellations. I do not think it is saying too much to remark that among these the attention of the North Egyptians was almost exclusively confined to the circumpolar ones. Further, the mean latitude being, say, 25°, the circumpolar region was a restricted one; 50° in diameter, instead of over 100°, as with us. But not quite exclusively, for to them in later times, as to us now, the Great Bear and _Orion_ were the two most prominent constellations in the heavens; for them, as for us, they typified the northern and southern regions of the sky. [Illustration: CAPITAL, WITH MASKS OF HATHOR WITH COWS' EARS.] There can be no question that the chief ancient constellation in the north was the Great Bear, or, as it was then pictured, the Thigh (Mesχet). After this came the Hippopotamus. I had come to the conclusion that this had been replaced on our maps by part of Draco before I found that Brugsch and Parthey had expressed the same opinion.