Ritva Kurittu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Hermione,
>
> I am not claiming this or that, but wouldn't you
> find it surprising if a culture so keen watching
> the stars and their regular movement hadn't
> noticed the shift occurring every 72 years?

But how did they go about it?
Did they record the events of the night sky? Did they track the brightest stars against the two horizons, the zenith, an obelisk and how continuous was it before before they could state change, for example precession? How many multiples of 72 would be needed before the obvious was made known (one degree)?

All of the above are questions we might ask and they are probably the wrong questions

What was their approach? If they didn't record it perhaps they chanted it or passed it down orally or consulted the soothsayer who knew of such things. Then again we may be asking too much of them.


>They
> did base their whole belief system on the events
> in the sky! I'd personally think that they noticed
> when the divinities didn't act as predicted....

Did they?
What about things more closer to home. Nature can be observed up reasonably close, even touched if the need be.

Graham






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2008 03:14PM by fmetrol.