"King Tehuti-mes III. has caused this building to be erected in memory of his mother, the goddess Hathor, the Lady of An (Denderah), the eye of the Sun, the heavenly queen of the gods. The ground plan was found in the city of An, in archaic drawing on a leather roll of the time of the Hor-Shesu: it was found in the interior of a brick wall in the south side of the temple in the reign of King Pepi."[56]
But let us see what the facts are regarding the date supplied by the temple itself, accepting the statement made regarding the actual operations at the laying of the foundation stone originally.
To determine the dates approximately, we find that an amplitude of 71½° N. of E. in the latitude of Denderah gives a declination of 57¾° N., with a sea horizon (correcting for refraction) 58¾° N. with hills 1° high, and 59¾° N. with hills 2° high, which is not far from the exact conditions.
The star Dubhe had the declination of 60° N. in 5000 B.C.
If, then, I am right in my suggestion as to the word āk referring to α Ursæ Majoris, we find the closest agreement between the astronomical orientation; the definite statement as to a certain star being used in the building ceremonies; the inscriptions in the crypts referring to Cheops as the earliest historical personage who describes the building, and to the Shesu-Hor as the original designers of the building. According to most authorities, 5000 B.C. lands us in the times of the Shesu-Hor before Mena.
I must confess that this justification of the double record strikes me as very remarkable, and I think it will be generally conceded that further local observations should be made in order to attempt to carry the matter a stage beyond a first approximation.
We have got so far, then. If we take the history as we find it, and further take the trouble to work out the very definite statements made, we find that the temple was founded pointing to the rising of Dubhe before it became circumpolar, and that in those times this star was symbolised by the name of Hathor.
We may accept, then, the possibility that as the temple of Isis was oriented to Sirius, that dedicated to Hathor was directed to Dubhe.
It will have been obvious from what has preceded, that if the worship of Hathor was to go on at all, and if it were in any way connected with the observations of a star rising near the north point of the horizon, a new star must be chosen when α Ursæ Majoris became circumpolar. That is the first point.
I have already stated that α Ursæ Majoris began to be circumpolar at Denderah 4000 B.C. I may now add that γ Draconis ceased to be circumpolar about 5000 B.C. They had the same declination (62° N.) and the same amplitude (78° N.) 4400 B.C.