378 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



Mechir, Phamenoth, Pharmuthi ; in the 3d, Pa- 

 chons, Paoni, Epep, and Mesore. Between this 

 last and the first, or Thoth, a space is left, corre- 

 sponding, as I imagine, to the five days of the epact 

 (introduced between the end of Mesore and the 

 commencement of Thoth of the ensuing year), 

 and beneath this is the figure of Sothis, representing 

 the heliacal rising of that star. This, then, must 

 have occurred either at the beginning of Thoth, or 

 in the middle of the five days of the epact; and it 

 serves to point out the period when the building 

 was erected. For, since the Canicular period com- 

 menced when the 1st of Thoth fell on the 20th of 

 July, in the year 1322 B.C., we may assign this date 

 to Rgmeses the Great, in whose reign it was built ; 

 and it may not be presumption to consider that it 

 justifies me in fixing his accession to the year 1355 

 B. c, which I had already concluded from other 

 data previous to observing this astronomical fact. 

 Tlie appearance of Isis-Sothis in a boat confirms 

 the statement of Plutarch *, that the heavenly bodies 

 *' were not represented by the Egyptians drawn in 

 chariots, but saihng round the world in boats, inti- 

 mating, that to the principle of moisture they owe 

 not only their power of moving, but even their 

 support and nourishment." 



According to Herodotus t, Isis was the greatest 

 of all the Egyptian Goddesses. This remark must, 

 however, be limited to her mysterious character, 

 as husband and sister of Osiris, and attending him 



* Plut. de Is. s. 84. t Herodot. ii. 40. 



