78 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



Sa<>-ittai-ius. The latter is expressed Ijy a Ijow and arrow, the arrow 

 heiiio- nearly invisible. Capricornus was, as we learn from an astro- 

 nomical monument of the Egyptians,* a species of antelope, and 

 the same animal, though a little deformed, resembles our Capri- 

 cornus. A(|uarius and Pisces explain themselves, for the former was, 

 on ancient monuments, very often symbolized by an amphora. 



The seven planets conjoined with six signs of the Zodiac are easily 

 recognized, for the seven characters below, Pisces, Aries, Gemini, T^eo? 

 Sagittarius, and Amphora, signify the seven ])lanets. (See PI. I, line 

 ().) It is, however, to be deplored that the Indian names of the plan- 

 ets, and the pi-onunciation of the characters (expressing the latter, are 

 still totally unknown. Otherwise it would have been an easy task to 

 deterinine the year in which the j)lanetary configuration before us has 

 l)een observed by human eyes. 



For the present 1 can make out but the following approximate 

 probabilities: First, the girdle next to the earth on the Indian Tab- 

 let contains the marks signifying the cardinal points of the Zodiac, in 

 other words, the beginnings of the spring, summer, autumn, and win- 

 ter of the year at that time, as we have seen (p. 77.) Those three 

 short lines placed below Pisces, and Gemini, and Virgo, and Sagitta- 

 rius, (PI. I, p,) argue that at that time, at the beginning of spring, the 

 sun stood in Pisces. Further, since the ancients were in the habit of 

 observing the planets on the cardinal days,f and commonly on the day 

 of the vernal ecjuinox, it is probable that the figure, PI. I, line o, 12, 

 signifies the sun, and this is confirmed by the two planets referred to 

 Aries, (LiTie o, 1.) For, since Aries contained two planets, and since 

 Mercury and Venus stand always not very far fiom each other and 

 from the sun, it is very credible that No. 12 signified the sun, and the 

 two characters in No. 1 were the planets Mercury and Venus. 



Consequently, it being known that in 1579 B. C. the sun entered 

 the constellation of iiries on the day of the vernal equinox, our plan- 

 etary configuration may have been observed before the year 157') B. 

 C. The result will certainly l)e confirmed as soon as the astronomi(;al 

 significations of the chai-acters Nos. 1, 3, 5, I), 11, 12, will have been 

 fixed by other researches, which is not impossible. At least, it is to 

 be borne in mind that no planetary configuration like that depicted 

 on our Indian Tablet occius twice during a period of 21-l-() years, and 



* Si'i/ff(irth, ]Jpriclili,i>ui),!j,en der alten Gescliiclite. 185.1, }). i;>7. 

 ■ f See the writer's Astronomia Ae^., 18;:33, and Berichtigungen der alten 

 Geschichte, IS:]'). 



