The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1907-03-19
skY.LleHrsp HISTORY.
How Astronomical Research Has
Found the origin Of Stonehenee.

Found the Origin Of Stonehenge.
Following the same line of thought
which he formerly applied to certain
Egyptian temples, Sir Norman Lock
yer is able TO show that Stoneheugo
was originally built 10 serve the pur-
pose of primitive observatory. It
was built for the use of the astronomer
priests who, perhaps, brought the wis
dom OF the East to this country many
centuries before its very name had
emerged into the light of history. The
sun and star worship which forms tho
basis of so many types of primitive
religion was closely interviewer with
the practical need of fixed dates I'm the
year for the use OF the agriculturist.
who possessed no calendar to tell him
when TO SOW his seed and when TO OK
pect his harvest To this day The
Pleiades are known as the "hocing
stars in South Africa. and take the
place of farming calendar ia Tho
solomon Islanders, just as their mid.
hlght elimination fixed the beginning
OF the feast of Isis at Busiris. and reg
uIated the fifty-two year cycle of the
ancient MeNicans. 1t is now proved.
from comparative study of prehis-
toric monuments and ancient temples
ali over the world that one of the first
uses OF these edifices was TO enable
lhe aStronomerpriests to fix such
dates with ease and certainty.
Every one knows that the sun rises
AT different point on the horizon
daily throughout the year. and that
.Ae lime OF star rising varies night
by hight. These simple facts sunlced
primitive man for the determination
pl MS calendar. Some of the Egyptian
temples were carefully oriented so that
bright star, like Sirius or Canopus
was visible down the avenue which
served as the tube of a telescope M y
particular hour on given night i'm the
year by far the greater number OF
stone circles, of which Stonehenpe is
the best known example. were so ori.
ented that the rising sun ON midsum.
nler morning flashed its rays directly
upon the central altar; in other words.
'helr axis was carefully directed TO the
point ON the horizon over which the
sun rose on the longest dav i'm he
year There are many other instances
ot different ordinations. each CORE
spending to the fixed points in some
ancient calendar But Stonehenge
was certainly a solar temple and OBJ
servatory.
Now comes in the bearing of this
lac' upon the history of its building.
Inc point of midsummer sunrise is not
always the same. The procession of
'he equinoNes-Or the fact that the
celestial pole is travelling round a
vast circle, which it takes about
twenty-five thousand years to COM
pIete-c causes a secular change in This
poIht Al the present day the axis
oi Stonehcnge is not directed to tbe
midsummer sunrise but to point
nearly one degree away from II Now
we Know the rate at which the place
vi midsummer sunrise changes in con
sequence of procession. and IL is a
comparatively simple calculation TO
determine the date at which the sun
must have risen on midsummer dav
In line with the avenue at Stone
hense. The conclusion Is that this
remarkable edifce must have been
erected about 1850 b. c.. the possiblo
error being not greater than two
huhured years on either side of this
uate. mus astronomy tells us that
SIonehenge must have been built
somewhere between 1900 and 1900
b. C., if the assumption of its pur-
pose be correct. The general evidence
from similar temples all over the
world hardly leaves room for doubt
on that head and thus we obtain what
may safely be called the first definite
TACT in British history, carrying IT
back more than fifteen centuries he
fore our islands first came into contact
with recorded civilization 1t is clear
that the people who could build
Stonehenge for such a purpose were
far removed from savagery.-The
Spectator