The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1907-03-26
skY.LIeHTED HISTORY.
How Astronomical Research Has
Found the Origin Of stonehenee.

How Astronomical Research Has
Found the Origin Of stonehenee.
Following the same line OF thoucht
which he formerly applied TO certain
Egyptian temples, Sir Norman Lock
yer is able TO show that Stonehenge
was originally built 10 serve the pur-
pose of a primitive observatory. II
was built for tho use Of the astronomer
priests who, perhaps. brought the wis
dom or the East to- this country many
centuries before it's very name had
emerged into the light of history. The
sun and star worship which forms the
basis of SO many types of primitive
religion was closely interviewer with
the practical need of fixed dates i'm tho
year Tor the use of the agriculturist
VINO possessed no calendar 10 tell him
When TO SOW his seed and when TO OK
pect his harvest To this dav The
Flelades are known as the "hoeing
stars In South Africa. and take the
place OF farming calendar to- :ho
solomon Islanders Just as their mid.
Hlshl elimination fixed the beginning
OF the feast of Isis at Busiris. and reg.
uated the tfty-two year cycle of the
ancient MeMcans 1t is now proved
from a comparative study of prehis-
lollc monuments and ancient temDl,s
ali over the world, that one of the first
uses or these edifccs was To enable
lHe aStronomcrpriests TO fix such
yates with ease and certainty.
every one knows that the sun rises
at a different point ON the horizon
ualIN throughout the year. and that
,Ae tlme of star rising varies night
by night These simple facts suGlced
primitive man for the determination
pt MS calendar. Some of the EgvptIan
temples were carefully oriented SO tbot
bright star, like Sirius or Canopus
was visible down the avenue which
served as the tube of a telescope M q
particular hour on a 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 mat the rising sun on 'midsum-
mer morning flashed it's rays direcrIv
upon the central altar; I'm other words.
ther axis was carefully directed 10 the
point ON the horizon over which tbe
sun rose ON the longest dav in Tho
year. There are many other instances
OF different ordinations. each CORE.
spending to the fixed points in some
ancient calendar But Stonebenya
was certainly solar temple and OBJ
servatory.
Now comes i'm the bearing of thie
Iac' 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
ceieSual pole is travelling round
vast circle. which it takes about
twenty-five thousand years TO com
pie'e- causes a secular change in This
p"ihI AT the present dav the axis
oI Slonohcnge is not directed to the
midsummer sunrise. but to noint
nearly enc degree away from If Noy
We know the rate at which the place
vi midsummer sunrise changes in con.
sequence of procession. and il is
comparatively simple calculation to
determine the date at which the SIM
must have risen ON midsummer dav
IN line with the avenue nj stone
henge. The conclusion Is that this
remarkable edifce must have been
erected about 1850 b. c., the possible
error being not greater than two
hundred years on either side of This
date. Thus astronomy tells MS that
Stonehenge must have been buut
somewhere between 1900 and 1900
b. c., if the assumption of its pur-
pose pc 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 II
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