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| Imhotep via Wikipedia |
Ancient peoples were obsessed by the heavens and all the happenings in the skies. So complete was this obsession that the first things that we seem to have been students of were the stars. Their rituals and beliefs very much focused on the skies. They measured the movement of the Sun, the Moon, and the constellations. They were aware of eclipses and even comets and asteroids that visited our skies. If it was above it was studied.
Using this information we see aspects of society that were advanced beyond ours in many ways. The Maya had one of the most precise calendars in history, comparably more precise than our atomic clock today. The Egyptians had multiple calendars in use to follow to compensate for the variance between solar and lunar years. The Jewish traditional calendar adds 'days' to realign itself on a regular basis. Stonehenge is believed by most to be based on celestial alignment, as are many other megalith sites and other neolithic structures. There are stones scattered across Australia that in most likelihood are star maps.
The connections were not limited to following the movement of the stars. The Inca's gods came from the Stars. Most Native American tribes have legends of Sky People. The Sumerians have the Anunnaki, or "from the stars". Many stories in the Vedas refer to the Stars or gods and others from the Stars. The Egyptians believed that their gods created and came from the skies and that upon death the souls, especially of their important leaders ascended to the heavens to live among their gods. All these examples show that for our ancient ancestors what was above was of utmost importance.
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| Milky Way |
This extreme importance was not just identifying heavenly bodies, but measuring their paths through the night sky over millennia. It was also knowing the patterns of the paths so as to know the cycle of the seasons and the universe. The very important task of mastering the heavens fell to the priest classes of the various societies. For us, now, this focus is on the Egyptian priests and magi. It is believed that Heliopolis was the learning place of these highly skilled and learned keepers of time for the Egyptians.
In the ancient times the Priests and Priestesses were some of the most learned and valued members of society. They were the go betweens between the people and the gods. They were the ones that predicted the future, knew if it was a good day to go to war, or the right day to sign treaties or enter into contracts and if the season would be blessed or not and were to correct or make amends for any injury caused to the gods so as to appease the wrath of said god or to invoke favor from the god, thus increasing the blessings from that same said god. In some societies you were born into your place in society and your training began basically from birth. As with the priests/priestesses and magi there was much to learn before being able to lead the people and advise the ruler in one's own right.
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| Met. Museu via wikipediacommons |
In the time of ancient Egypt the priests were in effect "jacks of many learned trades". They were students not only of the scared texts, but also masters of astronomy, geometry, medicine, and mathematics. They were master builders and adept politicians. They were leaders and manipulators; they were advisers and confidants; they were clever and deceiving. Their roles were so vast and encompassing that they were some of the most influential individuals of their time. By some measure, they could be, at present, referred to as the first enlightened persons that we know of.
There is belief that their knowledge was not all of their own, that it was passed down from more ancient ones, ones they referred to as gods, or teachers and civilizers send by the gods; yet, the 'experts' only give these claims the title of legends, lore, myths, stories. On the other hand, the 'experts' have no real answers as to how the priests acquired so much knowledge that literally went well beyond the existence of their civilization.
The 'experts' gloss over the fact that historically or evolutionarily speaking the people of the Nile went from being hunter gatherers to a full fledged civilization with all the components virtually overnight. There are, as of yet, no finds that show these people learning writing or experimenting with buildings, or evolving a more complex religion. Suddenly, all these things were there and well documented; except of course the specific building plans and administrative records of the Giza plateau during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. I guess there is the hope that one day we will find those artifacts and the mainstream experts can be vindicated, I just hope none of them are holding their breath for it.
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