380 



Mr. F. C. Penrose, On the 



[Apr. 27, 



at ^Egina a doorway placed excentrically in the west wall of the cella 

 was adapted for the observation of a setting star. 



A clue is given for finding out the dates of the foundations of 

 temples oriented to stars by means of the changes produced upon 

 them by the precession of the Equinoxes, a movement which in- 

 duces a divergence between the latitudes and longitudes of stars, 

 and their places reckoned in declination and right ascension ; so 

 that after the lapse of 200 or 300 years a star which rose or set 

 in 'the direction of the axis of a temple would have passed to a 

 different amplitude, so as to be no more available for observation, as 

 before, from the adytum. 



In the earlier ages of Greek civilisation the only accurate 

 measure of time by night was obtained by the rising or setting of 

 stars, and these were more particularly observed when heliacal, or 

 as near as possible to sunrise. For the purpose of temple wor- 

 ship, which was carried on almost exclusively at sunrise, the priests 

 would naturally be very much dependent for their preparations on 

 the heliacal stars as time warners. 



The orientation of temples may be divided into two classes, solar 

 and stellar. In the former the orientation lies within the solstitial 

 limits ; in the latter it exceeds them. In Greece there are compar- 

 atively few of the latter class. 



In the lists of temples which follow, all the orientations were 

 obtained from azimuths taken with a theodolite, either from the 

 Sun or from the planet Venus. In almost every case two or more 

 sights were observed, and occasionally also the performance of the 

 instrument was tested by stars at night. The heights subtended 

 by the visible horizon opposite to the axes of the temples were also 

 observed. 



The first list comprises twenty- seven intra-solstitial temples : 



7 examples from Athens. 



Olympia. 



Epidaurus. 



Bhamnus. 



iEgina. 



Tegea. 



Nemea. 



Corfu. 



1 example from Sunium. 



Corinth. 



Bassae. 



Ephesus. 



Plataea. 



Lycosura. 



Megalopolis. 



Argos. 



For all these the resulting solar and stellar elements are given, 

 with the approximate dates of foundation, similarly to the following- 

 specimen, namely, that of the Temple of Jupiter at Olympia. 



