THEORY OF THE EARTH. 211 



petition of the Scarabaeus, and by the figure of Si- 

 nus with the rays of the sun placed at the com- 

 mencement of the band to the right. Calculating 

 upon this basis, he concludes that the temple of 

 Dendera was built 2052 years before Christ, and 

 that of Esne 4600 * 



All these calculations, even admiting that the 

 division marks the solstice, would still be suscep- 

 tible of many modifications ; and, at first, it ap- 

 pears that their authors have supposed the con- 

 stellations all of thirty degrees like the signs, and 

 have not reflected that it is far from being the 

 case that they are thus equal, at least as they are 

 represented at the present day, and as the Greeks 

 have transmitted them to us. In reality, the sol- 

 stice, which is at present on this side of the first 

 stars of the constellation of Gemini, could only have 

 left the first stars of the constellation of Cancer 

 forty-five years before Christ, and had left the 

 constellation of Leo only 1260 years before the 

 same era. 



My distinguished and learned colleague, M. 

 Delambre, has favoured me with the following 

 table and remarks, which illustrate what has 

 been above said. 



* See M. Nouet's Memoir in Volney's New Inquiries re- 

 garding Ancient History, vol. iii. p. 328-336. 



O 2 



