Читать книгу Universe: The story of the Universe, from earliest times to our continuing discoveries - Peter Grego - Страница 48

A collection of large stone slabs recently discovered in Nabta in Egypt (in the Sahara Desert) represent the world’s earliest known astronomically-aligned construction. Dated between 6,000 to 6,500 years old, it is thought that the megaliths were erected by the direct ancestors of the builders of the pyramids, in what was once a fertile area. Climate change caused the residents of Nabta to move eastwards into the Nile Valley, where the great pyramids at Giza were built some time between 2700 to 2500 BC. Astronomy was used to precisely position the pyramids, since their sides are aligned almost exactly north-south and east-west. The fact that they are more accurately aligned east-west suggests that the main positional sighting was made by observing the rising and setting points of a star due east and west; the star Acrab (Beta Scorpii) best fits for the era of the pyramids’ construction. It is likely that the positions of the three great pyramids were meant to reflect the belt stars of the constellation of Orion.

A belief that cosmic events and planetary positions influenced human affairs is remarkably absent throughout most of ancient Egyptian history. Astrology did not figure until the Ptolemaic period, from around the 3rd century BC, when the culture was being influenced by nearby civilisations. Perhaps the best star map depicting astrological constellations can be found on the ceiling of the Temple of Hathor (see left, page 30), constructed in the first century BC.

The three large pyramids at Giza appear to mimic the position of the three belt stars of Orion.