New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RESEARCHES INTO THE SUBJECT OF
ORIENTATION.
rIIE DAWN OF ASTRONOMY A Study Of

THE DAWN OF ASTRONOMY A Study OF the
Temple Worshp apa Mythology Of the Se Anf Ed
ton. Octave. pp. xvi. iS2. The Macmillan COM
pany.
1t was long the practice OF the builders Vi
Christian houses Of worship IN England ana
elsewhere to have the axis Of the structure point
exactly 10 the particular spot where the sun
would rise on the festival Of the saint whose
name the church bore. Various heather temples
have been orientated in a similar way. in iac'
1t IS highly probable that the modern custom is
a survival from very ancient times. and mas
been inherited from pagan nations. The study
Of the pyramids end run9 In Egypt suggested
years ago. that the architects OF that country
not only possessed good knowledge OF astrono-
my. but exhibited It Ia the construction OF the
temples of their day. No ore. however has IN
vestigated that possibility so thoroughly as Pro-
lessor J. Norman Iockyer. the eminent Enghsh
astronomer. When he once undertook the TASK
he found much TO confirm the supposition tha'
some OF the buildings were arranged win spe-
cial reference to the sun. one OF the great OBJ
jects Of worship in the earliest stages OF ciViza-
ton and that others were dedicated to certain
stars Part Of the evidence obtained in corrobo-
ration Of this view comes from inscriptions
which may be deciphered. and part OF 1t from
the ARRANGEMENT Of various features OF n tenn
door would pass over the heads Of the people
within. and fall upon a mirror N the sanctuary
When once the general fact OF such usage Is
fairly established some clew Is afforded to the
age Of a given temple. Owing to slight changes
In the obliquity OF the eclptic. sunbeam would
not follow precisely the same direction to-day
that II did three thousand or four thousand years
ago a different factor is the more marked
though very slow change in the region OF the SKY
to which the ear;hs north pole points. so that
star does not rise exactly where II did two
hundred or three hundred years ago. 1t is posi-
ble OF course. to compute the time which has
elapsed since one OF these stone telescopes was
correctly aimed at any celestial object. and II
We know with certainty which object 1t was
originally trained upon. we can say just when
the foundations We're laid.
Mr.. Lockyer's thoughts were first turned into
this channel by noting IN 1890. some peculiari-
ties in the direction in which the Parthenon
faces and the mary changes in the foundation
of the old temple of Eleusis The latter discov
cry was afterward paralleed repeatedly while
studying Egyptian temples dedicated. as Mr..
Lockyer believed. TO the stars Slight changes
in direction would. of course. be necessary 10
keep the latter always within range. And the
fact that the axis of such ediflces was altered,
with each reconstruction. by only a very small
angle but Just the correct angle. is highly sig
nihcant.
In THE Dawn Of Astronomy" OF which the
Macmillan Company has issued a fresh edition.
Mr.. Lockyer has gone into this fascinat-
ing subject as far any one could who is not
a trained Egyptologist. but he frankly admits
that much more work must be done in order TO
reach correct conclusions. lie is satisfied how
ever, that he has evidence that carries the prac
tice in question back nearly six thousand years.
This fixes the date of the temple a. Karnak, for
instance at 800 B. C, or $500 years ago. This
Is not TO be looked upon the earliest edifice
founded with special regard TO astronomical
phenomena. even in Egypt and what the rec
ords OF Nippur. the city buried under Babylon,
may reveal as 10 the orientaton Of still more
ancient places Of worship ii is too soon TO sur
mise. perhaps.