A Preliminary Statement of an Investigation of the Dates of some of the Greek Temples as Derived from their Orientation1

MR. LOCKYER has made out I think quite satisfactorily that the Egyptian temples were so oriented that the rising or setting of some conspicuous star on or near the axis of the temple, and visible from the adytum, would give warning of sunrise; and he applied to me for particulars of Greek temples for the purpose of seeing if there was any analogy, and the comparison appeared to promise a favourable result. Mr. Lockyer had found, before he had proceeded far in these studies, that he had been anticipated to a considerable extent by Herr Nissen, of Bonn, who has published several articles on the subject in the Rheinisches Museum of Philologie , and has brought within his scope both the Egyptian and the Greek temples. There is room, however, in the inquiry for a distinct work on the Greek temples, and especially with the help of more exact measurements of the orientation angles than Herr Nissen has made use of; as he appears to have contented himself with magnetic bearings—which are liable to considerable local variations, which are sufficient in an inquiry like the present to vitiate many of the conclusions that may be founded on such measurements—and there is a want of recognition of the influence of an elevated horizon. I had taken, in several instances, astronomic observations with a view to the more exact orientation of different temples, but something more is wanted even in the case of most of these—namely, the apparent altitudes of the mountains in the directions of the axes of the temples. I wish also to add that, but for Mr. Lockyer's suggestion, I should probably not have carried the inqury further than I already had done.