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
Let us begin with the apparent result of the inquiry into sun-worship
as practised at Annu and Thebes.
It was suggested that, although in the matter of simple worship the sun
would come before the stars, in _temple_-worship the conditions would
be reversed in consequence of the stable rising-and setting-places of
the latter as compared with those of the sun at different times of the
year.
Another suggestion was hazarded that sun temple-worship might have been
an accidental result of the sunlight entering a temple which had really
been built to observe a star; and that such temple sun-worship might
possibly have preceded the time at which the solstices and equinoxes,
and their importance, had been made out. I think it is possible to
show that this really happened, and we owe the demonstration of this
important fact to the Egyptian habit of having two associated temples
at right angles to each other, because this habit justifies the
assumption that at Annu the mounds and single obelisk which now remain
not only indicate the certain existence in former times of one temple,
but, in all probability, of two at right angles to each other.
The next question we have to consider is whether the researches at Annu
bear this surmise out. Let me refer to what has already been stated.
As I have shown in Chapter VIII. (p. 77), the north and south faces
bear 13° north of west--13° south of east. I have elsewhere shown
(Chap. XXI., p. 215) that there is good reason for believing that the
original foundation of the temple at Annu dates from the time when the
north-pointing member of such a double system was directed to α Ursæ
Majoris. This was somewhat earlier than 5000 B.C.
Bearing in mind the facts obtained with regard to other similar
rectangular systems, we are led to inquire whether at that date a
temple oriented to declination 11° north, that is the declination
proper to the amplitude of the member looking west, was directed to any
star.
We find that the important star Capella was in question.
Now, so far in my references to stars, little mention has been made
of Capella. It is obvious that the first thing to be done on the
orientation hypothesis is to see whether any other temple--and if of
known cult, so much the better--is found oriented to Capella. There is
one such temple; it was erected by Thothmes III. (Time of Thothmes,
1600 B.C. Amplitude of temple, 35° west of north = with hills 3° high,
32½° north declination; Capella 33° north declination about 1700
B.C.) It is the temple of _Ptah_ at Karnak.
And now it appears there is another. During the year 1892 the officers
of the Museum of Gîzeh, under the direction of M. de Morgan, excavated
a temple at Memphis to the north of the hut containing the recumbent
statue of Rameses, and during their work they found two magnificent
statues of Ptah, "les plus remarquables statues divines qu'on ait
encore trouvées en Égypte,"[88] and a colossal model in rose granite of
the sacred boat of Ptah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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