barry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yesterday's New Year Holiday in parts of India
> provides a strong counterargument to the view
> advanced by some (Hamlet's Mill) that the numbers
> mentioned in ancient texts indicated knowledge of
> the precessional cycle.

Gary Thompson's website has an interesting review of "Hamlet's Mill". Much of de Santillana's and von Dechend's theory that precession was recognized in antiquity depends on the supposed existence of an ancient Zodiac, of which Thompson remarks: "The myth of a prehistoric 12-constellation zodiac (of equal divisions) is not yet extinguished. The suggestion that the zodiac was originally established as an intended scheme of 12 constellations and 12 equal divisions some 6000 years ago (or even earlier) is untenable."

It should also be borne in mind that there is a distinction between recognizing the phenomenon of precession, and actually understanding the real mechanism behind the phenomenon; they're not necessarily identical. Although there might be some evidence of some ancient cultures changing their ritual behaviour because of the changing appearance of the night skies over time, it was, I think, Hipparchus who was the first to describe the actual mechanism (although I'm happy to be corrected on this point, as it's been some time since I've looked at the question).

Hermione
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Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2010 12:49PM by Hermione.