258 STONEHENGE AND THE STARS 



in fact, Sir Norman shows that, if his hypothesis 

 is correct, different years were employed by differ- 

 ent races, each determined by the arrangements 

 of the heavens, but each depending upon a differ- 

 ent way of looking at them. Thus he says : 



" If we study the civilizations of Egypt, we find 

 that, so far as we know, one of the first peoples 

 who used this principle of orientation for agricul- 

 tural purposes was some tribe that came down the 

 Nile about 6400 years B.C. They used the star 

 Canopus, and their determination was that of the 

 autumnal equinox, which practically was the time 

 when the Nile began to go down and when their 

 sowing might begin. There was another race who, 

 instead of being interested in the sun, and therefore 

 in agriculture, at the time of the autumnal equinox 

 were interested in the year about the time of 

 Easter as well. This race built the Pyramids about 

 4000 B.C. . . . There were others, who at Thebes 

 started the solstitial worship that is to say the 

 worship of the sun at Midsummer and at Mem- 

 phis in May, so as to enable them to go on with their 

 agricultural operations with greater certainty." 



And further, with regard to England, he thinks 

 that in various times there has been a 



" farmer's year beginning in the month of May ; 

 we have had another farmer's year beginning in 

 the month of August ; we have had another far- 

 mer's year beginning at the longest day ; and it 

 appears that the year beginning at the longest day 

 was really the last year to be introduced. So that 

 while we have in Stonehenge a solstitial temple 



