γ Draconis.
| Place and Temple. | Amp. | Sea Horizon. | Hills 1° High. | Hills 2° High. | Remarks. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. of E. | Dec. S. | Years. | Dec. S. | Years. | Dec. S. | Years. | ||
| Redesieh | 77½° | 61¾° | 4250 | 62¾° | 4600 | 63¾° | 4850 | l |
| Karnak (Z and X) | 72½° | 58¾° | 3100 | 59¾° | 3500 | 60¾° | 3000 | |
| Dakkeh | 69¼° | 58¾° | 3100 | 59¾° | 3500 | 60¾° | 3800 | |
| Denderah | 71½° | 57¾° | 2650 | 58¾° | 3100 | 59¾° | 3500 | Hills 2° high. |
| Annu (Restoration) | 77° | 57° | 2300 | 58° | 2800 | 59° | 3200 | |
| Karnak W | 68½° | 56½° | 2100 | 57½° | 2550 | 58¼° | 2900 | |
| Karnak [86]A M C | 63½° | 53¼° | 300 | 54¼° | 1000 | 55° | 1400 | Hills 1½° high. 54½. 1200. |
The table brings before us the remarkable fact that at Redesieh and Denderah, which both lie on the two old roads from the Red Sea into Upper Egypt, we have the first traces of the worship of Set: in other words, of observations during the night in that region, as we found it at Annu.
As α Ursæ Majoris and γ Draconis were observed in the extreme north, so several stars appear to have been observed near the south point, among them Canopus (α Argûs), towards which star the temples shown in the following table seem to have been directed, among them the well-known temple of Khons at Karnak, so that provisionally we may take that divinity as a personification of the star. Granting this, it will be noted that the introduction of this cult into Thebes was late; this is quite in harmony with the statements of Egyptologists, who point out that this god has the side-lock, indicating youth, and that he was the latest addition to the Theban Triad.
In later times the curve of declination of this star is so flat that most accurate measures are required.
Canopus.
| Place and Temple. | Amp. | Sea Horizon. | Hills 1° High. | Hills 2° High. | Remarks. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. of E. | Dec. S. | Years. | Dec. S. | Years. | Dec. S. | Years. | ||
| Karnak B | 63½° | 54¼° | 2150 53¼° | 1300 | Hills 1½° high give us 1800 B.C. | |||
| Naga (f) | 57° | 53¾° | 1700 | 53¼° | 1300 | 52¾° | 300 | Hills 1½° high give us1400 B.C. |
| Karnak(Seti II.) 63° | 53¾° | 1700 | 53° | 1000 | ||||
| Karnak (Khons) | 62° | 53° | 1000 | 52¼° | 300 A.D. | Hills 1½° high give us 300 B.C. | ||
When we attempt to trace the most southerly stars to which temples were erected in Upper Egypt, we find a series of temples which are very remarkable in several respects from the orientation point of view. Their amplitudes are all above 74°, one being as high as 86½.° They all face South of West, and when their latitudes are taken into account, the very striking thing comes out that the declination of the star observed was very nearly the same—that is, that probably all the temples were founded at about the same time to observe the same star.
The facts are as follows:—
| Temple. | Amplitude S. of W. | Declination S. | |
| Edfû | 86½° | 64¾° | Hills 1° high. |
| Philæ Y | 76½° | 64° | Hills 2° high. |
| Semneh | 76½° | 64¾° | Local conditions not known. |
| Amada | 74½° | 64¾° | " |