next page previous page table of contents home

There were 10 star kings, beginning with Hamal (in a way corresponding to Oto Uta) and ending with Scheat:

... Strassmeier and Epping, in their Astronomishes aus Babylon, say that there its stars formed the third of the twenty-eight ecliptic constellations, - Arku-sha-rishu-ku, literally the Back of the Head of Ku, - which had been established along that great circle milleniums before our era; and Lenormant quotes, as an individual title from cuneiform inscriptions, Dil-kar, the Proclaimer of Dawn, that Jensen reads As-kar, and others Dil-gan, the Messenger of Light.

George Smith inferred from the tablets that it might be the Star of the Flocks; while other Euphratean names have been Lu-lim, or Lu-nit, the Ram's Eye; and Si-mal or Si-mul, the Horn star, which came down even to late astrology as the Ram's Horn.

It also was Anuv, and had its constellation's titles I-ku and I-ku-u, - by abbreviation Ku, - the Prince, or the Leading One, the Ram that led the heavenly flock, some of íts titles at a different date being applied to Capella of Auriga.

Brown associates it with Aloros, the first of the ten mythical kings of Akkad anterior to the Deluge, the duration of whose reigns proportionately coincided with the distances apart of the ten chief ecliptic stars beginning with Hamal, and he deduces from this kingly title the Assyrian Ailuv, and hence the Hebrew Ayil; the other stars corresponding to the other mythical kings being Alcyone, Aldebaran, Pollux, Regulus, Spica, Antares, Algenib, Deneb Algedi, and Scheat ...

Scheat means 'seat' (or 'saddle', etc). There was one such seat at Aquarius (δ) and another (β) at Pegasus. The proper motions of the stars could possibly explain such a phenomenon, for there was a firm structure in the background against also small star movements could be detected. Likewise was there one 'fish mouth' in the Southern Fish (α) and another in Pisces (β):

JUNE 28 29 (180) 30 (SIRIUS) JULY 1 (*102 = *166 - *64)
Ga4-16 Ga4-17 (100) Ga4-18 Ga4-19
CLOSE TO THE SUN:
ν Hydrae (163.1) no star listed (164)

ALTAIR (α Aquilae)

Wings-27 (Snake)

η Octans (165.4), ALKES (Shallow Basin) = α Crateris (165.6)

*124.0 = *165.4 - *41.4

ANA-TIPU-4 (Upper-side-pillar - where the guards stood)

MERAK (Loin, not Lion) = β Ursae Majoris (166.2), DUBHE (Bear) = α Ursae Majoris (166.7)
Aug 31 Sept 1 2 (7 * 35) 3 (246)
°Aug 27 28 29 (*161) 30 (242 = 11 * 22)
'Aug 4 (216) 5 (*137) 6 7
"July 21 22 / 7 23 24 (*125)
DAY 163 164 165 (= 11 * 15) 166 (= 182 - 16)
CLOSE TO THE FULL MOON:
DEC 28 29 (363 = 11 * 33) 30 31 (*285)
ι Cephei (346.0), λ Aquarii, γ Piscis Austrini, σ Pegasi (346.5) SCHEAT AQUARII =  δ Aquarii (347.0), ρ Pegasi (347.2), δ Piscis Austrini (347.4), FOMALHAUT (Mouth of the Fish) = α Piscis Austrini, τ Gruis (347.8)

*306.0 = *347.4 - *41.4

FUM AL SAMAKAH (Mouth of the Fish)  = β Piscium (348.3), ζ Gruis (348.5), ο Andromedae (348.9) 

Al Fargh al Mukdim-24 (Fore Spout) / Purva Bhādrapadā-26 (First of the Blessed Feet) / House-13 (Pig)

SCHEAT PEGASI = β Pegasi, π Piscis Austrini (349.3), κ Gruis (349.4), MARKAB PEGASI = α Pegasi (349.5)

*308.0 = *349.4 - *41.4
March 2 (365 + 61 = 426) 3 (377 + 50 = 61 * 7 = 427) 4 (7 * 9) 5 (64)
°Febr 26 27 28 (*344) °March 1 (60)
'Febr 3 4 5 (36) 6 (*322)
"Jan 20 21 22 23 (*308)
DAY 346 347 348 (= 12 * 29) 349 (= 365 - 16)

I have not tried to complicate matters by investigating where each star would have been in relation to all the other stars at different times anciently (with the exception of a quick look at how the number of days between Aldebaran and Antares must have slowly increased through the millenia). However, Sirius is a very special case which needs attention:

... The Sothic cycle was based on what is referred to in technical jargon as 'the periodic return of the heliacal rising of Sirius', which is the first appearance of this star after a seasonal absence, rising at dawn just ahead of the sun in the eastern portion of the sky. In the case of Sirius the interval between one such rising and the next amounts to exactly 365.25 days - a mathematically harmonious figure, uncomplicated by further decimal points, which is just twelve minutes longer than the duration of the solar year ...

... In ancient Egypt they thought Sirius was behind the yearly rise of the Nile ... the seasonal cycle, throughout the ancient world, was the foremost sign of rebirth following death, and in Egypt the chronometer of this cycle was the annual flooding of the Nile ...

... Pliny wants to assure us that 'the whole sea is conscious of the rise of that star, as is most clearly seen in the Dardanelles, for sea-weed and fishes float on the surface, and everything is turned up from the bottom'. He also remarks that at the rising of the Dog-Star the wine in the cellars begins to stir up and that the still waters move ...

This means Sirius 'walked hand in hand' with the Sun when he gradually preceded the equinoxes and the solstices in relation to the basic structure in the background.

At the time of rongorongo Sirius rose heliacally in June 30 and likewise, it could be calculated, had Sirius risen with the Sun in day 181 in the Golden Age of the Bull, 64 precessional days earlier. In a Sun calendar Sirius stood firm like a pillar and on Easter Island one of the names for this star was Te Pou (column, pillar, post).

But at the ancient time of the Bull they had waited for the heliacal stars to return into sight, which took approximately 16 days. Therefore 64 + 16 = 80 corresponded to right ascension day 80 after 0h at the time of rongorongo.

At the Eye of the Bull the Chinese has given us a clue in form of the Crow (presumably implying sweet drinking water, vai ora):

... There was no water in the village. The lakes and rivers were dry. Raven and Crow, two young girls who were having their first menstrual courses, were told to go and draw water from the ocean. Finding the journey too long, Raven decided just to urinate into her basket-bucket. She decieved no one and was severly scolded. Crow returned much later but with drinking water. As a punishment, Raven was condemned never to find water in the summer; only in winter would she find something to drink. For that reason the Raven never drinks during the hot months; she speaks with a raucous voice because of her dry throat ...

0h (64 + 16 = 80) MARCH 22 (*1) 23 (82)
no glyph
Ga1-1 Ga1-2
CLOSE TO THE SUN:
HYADUM II = δ¹ Tauri (64.2)

Net-19 (Crow)

AIN (Eye) = ε Tauri, θ¹ Tauri, θ² Tauri (65.7)
no star listed (66)
May 24 25 (145) 26 (*66)
°May 20 21 (*61) 22 (142)
'April 27 28 (118) 29 (*39)
"April 13 14 (104) 15 (*25)
DAY 64 (= 80 - 16) 65 66
CLOSE TO THE FULL MOON:
SEPT 20 (80 + 183) 21 (248 + 165 = 264) EQUINOX (*185)

Heart-5 (Fox)

σ Scorpii (247.0), HEJIAN = γ Herculis (247.2), ψ Ophiuchi (247.7)
ρ Ophiuchi (248.1), KAJAM (Club) = ω Herculis (248.3), χ Ophiuchi (248.5), SHE LOW (Market Tower) = υ Ophiuchi, Tr. Austr. (248.7), ζ Tr. Austr. (248.8)

Al Kalb-16 (The Heart) / Jyeshtha-18 (Eldest) / ANA-MUA-1 (Entrance pillar)

ANTARES = α Scorpii (249.1), MARFIK (Elbow)  = λ Ophiuchi, φ Ophiuchi (249.5),  ω Ophiuchi (249.8)
Nov 23 (327) 24 25 (*249)
°Nov 19 20 (*244) 21 (325)
'Oct 27 (300) 28 29 (*222)
"Oct 13 (286) 14 15 (*208)
DAY 247 (263 - 16) 248 249

And at the Heart of the Scorpion, half a year later, the association should be a Fox, they said:

... Proclus informs us that the fox star nibbles continuously at the thong of the yoke which holds together heaven and earth; German folklore adds that when the fox succeeds, the world will come to its end. This fox star is no other than Alcor, the small star g near zeta Ursae Majoris (in India Arundati, the common wife of the Seven Rishis, alpha-eta Ursae ...

1 Horn α Virginis (Spica) Crocodile Oct 9 (282)
2 Neck κ Virginis Dragon Oct 21 (294)
3 Root α Librae (Zuben Elgenubi) Badger Oct 31 (304)
4 Room π Scorpii (Vrischika) Hare Nov 17 (321)
5 Heart σ Scorpii Fox Nov 23 (327)
6 Tail μ Scorpii (Denebakrab) Tiger Nov 30 (334)
7 Winnowing Basket γ Sagittarii (Nash) Leopard Dec 19 (353)
December solstice
8 South Dipper φ Sagittarii (?) Unicorn Dec 30 (364)
9 Ox / Herd Boy β Capricornii (Dabih) Buffalo Jan 23 (388)
10 Girl ε Aquarii (Albali) Bat Jan 29 (394)
11 Emptiness β Aquarii (Sadalsud) Rat Feb 9 (405)
12 Rooftop α Aquarii (Sadalmelik) Swallow Feb 18 (414)
13 House α Pegasi (Markab) Pig Mar 5 (429)
March equinox
14 Wall γ Pegasi (Algenib) Porcupine Mar 22 (81)
15 Legs η Andromedae (?) Wolf Apr 1 (91)
16 Bond β Arietis (Sheratan) Dog Apr 17 (107)
17 Stomach 4¹ Arietis (Bharani) Pheasant May 1 (121)
18 Hairy Head η Tauri (Alcyone) (?) Cockerel May 16 (136)
19 Net ε Tauri (Ain) Crow May 25 (145)
20 Turtle Head λ Orionis (Heka) Monkey Jun 12 (163)
21 Three Stars ζ Orionis (Alnitak) Gibbon Jun 13 (164)
June solstice
22 Well μ Gemini (Tejat Posterior) Tapir Jun 24 (175)
23 Ghost ρ Gemini ? Goat Jul 11 (192)
24 Willow δ Hydrae Stag Jul 28 (209)
25 Star α Hydrae (Alphard) Horse Aug 10 (222)
26 Extended Net ε Hydrae / μ Hydrae Ox Jul 30 (211) / Aug 25 (237)
27 Wings α Crateris (Alkes) Snake Sep 2 (245)
28 Chariot γ Corvi (Gienah) Worm Sep 22 (265)
September equinox

The Chinese began their list with Spica, not with Hamal. We can therefore guess the ancient Babylonian list of 10 star kings could have had 5 kings on one hand and 5 on the other:

Spica Antares Algenib Deneb Scheat
Hamal Alcyone Aldebaran Pollux Regulus