ITS EARLIEST STAGES. 129 



latter including all the rainy and cold portion of 

 the year. The winter was then subdivided into the 

 Xeipiwv and eap, and the summer, less definitely, into 

 6epo$ and oirwpa. Tacitus says that the Germans 

 knew neither the blessings nor the name of autumn, 

 "Autumni perinde nomen ac bona ignorantur." Yet 

 harvest, herbst, is certainly an old German word 6 . 



In the same period in which the sun goes 

 through his cycle of positions, the stars also go 

 through a cycle of appearances belonging to them ; 

 and these appearances were perhaps employed at 

 as early a period as those of the sun in determin- 

 ing the exact length of the year. Many of the 

 groups of fixed stars are readily recognized, as 

 exhibiting always the same configuration ; and par- 

 ticular bright stars are singled out as objects of 

 attention. These are observed, at particular sea- 

 sons, to appear in the west after sunset ; but it is 

 noted that when they do this, they are found nearer 

 and nearer to the sun every successive evening, 

 and at last disappear in his light. It is observed 

 also, that at a certain interval after this, they rise 

 visibly before the dawn of day renders the stars 

 invisible ; and after they are seen to do this, they 

 rise every day at a longer interval before the sun. 

 The risings and settings of the stars under these 

 circumstances, or under others which are easily re- 

 cognized, were, in countries where the sky is usually 

 clear, employed at an early period, to mark the 



8 Ideler, i. 243. 

 VOL. I. K 



