Ohfervations on the Zodiac at Dendera. J1$ 



acc6rds with the Roman commencement of the year on the 

 Pahha. Hence, Aries is aeain found on the 2ifl; of March. 

 In perfect congruity with this is the chain of nine Hnks an- 

 nexed to the (tar. F'or, as the fidereal revolutions in a year, 

 from meridian to meridian, are 366 days, there will confe- 

 quc^tlv be a day gained by lidereal reckoning: hence, as the 

 fun enters capricorn on the 220 of December, at noon, thefe 

 nine days afcertain the ditference betwetm tl»at time and the 

 noon of the ifl; of January, and thus account for the difler- 

 ence of ten days by the kalendar of Julius when he reformed 

 the Roman year. 



Having then found, in this zodiac, the key to the reforms 

 of the Roman vear, we have alio the clue to that of the 

 Egyptian, introduced bv Auguftus in the year of Rome 725, 

 correfponding to the vear ot Nabonallar 720, and making the 

 difference of biifextiles fix Egyptian months, or 180 days ; but 

 thefe carried back fnini the 29th of \uguft, or fixed Thoth, 

 go to the moveable Thoth on ihe 26th of February. Thus, 

 then, have we the two Thoths, before and behind Capricorn, 

 and thefe 180 days, from the fun's entrance into Capricorn, 

 with the four biilextiles between the reform of Julius and 

 Auguftus, fall in with the fummer folftice on the 21ft of 

 June. 



But it will be remembered that one of the dog-ftars on the 

 fhouldcr of Ifis was dcfedive in two rays, and that Numa 

 augmented by two months the Roman year: if, in retrocef- 

 fion from Capricorn, thefe two months be cut off, we are 

 Itopped at the 21 ft of Auguft, and thence, eight days allowed 

 for the fun's advance in the fign, we are brought again to the 

 29th. To this month Auguftus gave his name, and Capri- 

 corn was his appropriate fvmbol. Suetonius relates of him, 

 that, on confuhing in his youth Theogencs, the mathema- 

 tician of Apolionia, v^hen the circumftaiices of bis birih were 

 made known, Theogenes rofe, furpriled, and adored him. 

 The reafon of this conduct I ftiall elfewhcre explain; but 

 Ijere it will be proper to obferve, that, on the celebrated 

 gem of this emperor's deification, the fign Capricorn is 

 placed in a circle, with the dog-ftar behind, which, as five 

 only of its rays can be feen, the others fupprefled, will accord 

 wiih the ditference between the ift of January and April, 

 reckoned one way, and, as Auguftus was born on the 23d 

 of September, adding the diflcrence bciueen lunar and I'olar 

 time (the Roman year being then limar), to the ift of JaiKiary 

 in the other. The abfent three rays being thus accounted 

 for, it will be obvious that the reinaining five relate to the 

 dillauce beiweca the 23d of September and the iiyth of Fe- 

 H i bruary. 



