Celestial Events and Agricultural Practices in Ancient Egypt
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The ancient Egyptians , developers of a strikingly sophisticated civilization, were astute observers of the heavens . [i] Their understanding of celestial phenomena was more than mere curiosity; it was intimately intertwined with their day-to-day lives, particularly their agricultural practices . [ii] The Nile flooded yearly, providing silt to the farm fields . [iii] It is realized that the flood of the river and celestial events are two sides of a coin that requires a very active system of observation and predictions to make agricultural work possible. [iv] Among the most important celestial phenomena was the so-called heliacal rising of Sirius , the brightest star of the nighttime. This phenomenon-the first appearance of Sirius just before sunrise after a period of invisibility-coincided quite remarkably with the onset of the annual flood of the Nile . [v] The Egyptians, recognizing this as a sign in the heavens , incorporated the heliacal rising of Sirius into thei...