The dawn of astronomy: A study of the temple-worship and mythology of the ancient EgyptiansLockyer, Norman, Sir
Religion
The dawn of astronomy: A study of the temple-worship and mythology of the ancient Egyptians
Lockyer, Norman, Sir
Astronomy, Egyptian; Sun -- Mythology; Sun worship; Temples -- Egypt
As α Ursæ Majoris and γ Draconis were observed in the extreme north, so
several stars appear to have been observed near the south point, among
them Canopus (α Argûs), towards which star the temples shown in the
following table seem to have been directed, among them the well-known
temple of Khons at Karnak, so that provisionally we may take that
divinity as a personification of the star. Granting this, it will be
noted that the introduction of this cult into Thebes was late; this is
quite in harmony with the statements of Egyptologists, who point out
that this god has the side-lock, indicating youth, and that he was the
latest addition to the Theban Triad.
In later times the curve of declination of this star is so flat that
most accurate measures are required.
CANOPUS.
──────────────────┬──────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬─────
│ │ Sea │ Hills 1° │ Hills 2° │
│ Amp. │ Horizon. │ High. │ High. │
Place and Temple. ├──────┼─────┬──────┼─────┬──────┼─────┬──────┤ Re-
│ S. │Dec. │Years.│ Dec.│Years.│ Dec.│Years.│marks.
│ of E.│ S. │ │ S.│ │ S. │ │
──────────────────┼──────┼─────┼──────┼─────┼──────┼─────┼──────┼──────
=Karnak B= │ 63½° │ 54¼ │=2150=│ 53¼ │ 1300 │ │ │ 1.
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
=Naga= (_f_) │ 57° │ 53¾°│ 1700 │ 53¼ │=1300=│ 52¾°│ 300 │ 2.
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
=Karnak=(Seti II.)│ 63° │ 53¾°│ 1700 │ 53° │ 1000 │ │ │
=Karnak= │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
(Khons) │ 62° │ 53° │ 1000 │ 52¼ │ 300 │ │ │ 3.
│ │ │ │ │ A.D.│ │ │
──────────────────┴──────┴─────┴──────┴─────┴──────┴─────┴──────┴─────
Remark 1.
Hills 1½° high give us 1800 B.C.
Remark 2.
Hills 1½° high give us =1400= B.C.
Remark 3.
Hills 1½° high give us =300= B.C.
When we attempt to trace the _most_ southerly stars to which temples
were erected in Upper Egypt, we find a series of temples which are very
remarkable in several respects from the orientation point of view.
Their amplitudes are all above 74°, one being as high as 86½.° They
all face South of _West_, and when their latitudes are taken into
account, the very striking thing comes out that the declination of the
star observed was very nearly the same--that is, that probably _all the
temples were founded at about the same time to observe the same star_.
The facts are as follows:--
Temple. Amplitude S. of W. Declination S.
=Edfû= 86½° 64¾° Hills 1° high.
=Philæ Y= 76½° 64° Hills 2° high.
=Semneh= 76½° 64¾° }
=Amada= 74½° 64¾° }Local conditions not known.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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