used by the Ancient Egyptians. 175 



some of the pyramids at least, this was the case. It is a remarkable fact, that the 

 date assigned by this writer for the erection of the great pyramid of Jizeh is the 

 identical year of the epoch, at which I have been led to place the reformation of 

 the Egyptian calendar ; he calculates that it would cast its first shadow on the 

 first of Thoth in 1767 ; and that is the very year, to which the cycle that I have 

 discovered conducts me from A. D. 34 ; and in which, consequently, the length 

 of the shadow at noon was sensibly the same as in every preceding year. This 

 is a curious coincidence ; and I should lay a good deal of stress on it, if I could 

 depend on the inclination assigned to the pyramid by this writer being correct. 

 It would appear from the measurement of the French engineers that it was more 

 considerable ; and that of the second pyramid, of which the top is in a finished 

 state, is certainly so. It is not to be supposed that all the pyramids in a group 

 were constructed for being used as chronometers. A single one would alone be 

 required for this purpose, and the second pyramid at Jlzeh was probably the one 

 used. This would cast a shadow on the first day of the year, reaching to a per- 

 pendicular wall of rock, parallel to the north side of the pyramid. On this wall 

 there are said to be hieroglyphics. It would be desirable that travellers in Egypt 

 should ascertain if this be the case, and especially if the rocky wall be marked, 

 opposite to the vertex of the pyramid, in any such manner as might constitute a 

 sort of dial. 



We must not suppose that the Egyptians waited for the construction of 

 a pyramid in order to determine the commencement of their year, nor is it 

 likely that there was any in existence so early. They used such a pointed 

 object as they could readily procure ; fixing upon some one object, and some one 

 length of its shadow, as standards. The standard of measurement was easily 

 copied. It was only necessary to have a suitable object previously prepared, 

 and on the first day of the year, as indicated by the original standard, to mark 

 the length of the shadow of that object. In this manner the standard of mea- 

 surement might be transferred from one place to another ; and at length such 

 gigantic objects as the pyramids were every where used. But this led to an 

 inconvenience, which was probably a principal cause of the wandering year 

 being substituted for the fixed one. The indications of these standards would 

 not always agree ; and the longer the measure used, and therefore, apparently, 

 the more accurate the measurement, the more distinguishable would be the dif- 



