The morning call., 1894-03-18
that while we always know when we are
down we never know when we are up.
THE STARS AS HISTORIANS.

One of the most interesting studies in
modern science is the application of as
tronomy to chronology. Every student
of history knows that the Greeks. and the
Christians after them. built their temples
and churches so as to face the skies in GER
tain directions. The eastern windows of
nearly all the gothic cathedrais were set so
as to face the rising of the sun on the day
of the saint TO whom they were dedicated ;
and the Parthenon and the emple at
Elensis were located so as to face a certain
point in the heavens. II has lately oc-
Cured TO two learned men, one an Eng
lishmaD, Professor L@&kyer, the other a
German, Professor Nissen. to try to fad
out If this rule was not observed in Egypt
as well. and to endeav0r to deduce from a
comparison of the situation of the great
ruins with the known movements of the
stars some tentative conjecture as to the
age in which the ruined buildings were
erected.
1t appears that in Egypt there were wor-
shippers of northern stars who lived near
the Delta of the Nile; worshipers of east
and west stars who lived near the site Of
the pyramids, and worShipers of south
stars who inhabited the lake country
lOQuu blO SUulCCS VI lL6 MIG. 1uEo6 StdI ,
were not fixed, but were constantly ex-
changing places, and it is set forth in
| astronomical tables when the changes
took place. II is shown that the star
Draco, which the Egyptians called Hippo
potamus. did not move round the pole
after 5000 b. c.; and astronomers have
recorded the position occupied by other
stars at various periods in the past
MesSrs. Nissen and Lockyer's idea is that
! by visiting the site of ruins they can deter
mine by their facing this or that star,
which was an object of worship when
they were built. They do not pretend to
reach results without absolute accuracy
that cannot be done even by their process,
till charts of the heavens going back far
| beyond the realms of historical knowl-
edge have been drawn; but by working on
the history of particular stars, approximate
/ conclusions may be arrived at.
For instance, Egyptian history is sup
posed to begin with Menes, the first king of
the first dynasty; that is 10 say, records
previous to this time appear to be legend
airy. When Menes fiouTished chronicle
gers are not agreed Various dates are as
signed to him, from 5000 b. c., which is
Bunsen's figure, to SOP, which is Boz kh's.
But Professor LOckyer announces that a
swarm of invaders from tie south invaded
Egypt with their armies and their gods
In 64O0 b. C.. that they held possession of
the country and built temples for a CEN
fury, at the emo of which they were sub
dued by a new race of invaders, who came
from the northeast, that is Arabia and
Persia. The southern invaders were wor-
shippers of The moon, while the northern
invaders worshiped the sun. At the time
the pyramids were built, the two races
fused. worshiped both sun aud moon, and
recognized some of the stars as dvinitles.
The remains of the monuments, when in
telllgently studied, are expected TO show
what stars were in the ascendent' when
they were erected. and the stellar charts
will show how these periods compare with
our chronology.
1t will strike the ordinary reader that
this theory is fanciful. So many things
must be taken for granted tnat hardly any
results can command implicit belief. Still
ii will DO no harm to work the notion out
TO conclusion. Better results, however,
may be expected from the laborious dig
ging of Flinders-Petre and Brugsh Bey,
who are adding year by year to our knowl-
edge of ancient Egypt The chief obstac le
they encounter arises from the impossi-
bility Of attaching faith 10 the chronology
Of the ancients. or to any of their state
ments which involve numbers. Still we
are learning something. bit by Bit Things
which seem dark to us may be clear
enough TO Dosterity. There is but one
thing which is clear now. and that is that
he is bold who undertakes to fix period
at which the lands OF Egypt and Babylonia
became the abode of man