The Kirghis
Kazaks.
Pastoral
astronomy.
Notions concerning
certain
clusters
of stars.
and the features of the country, as points to mark the heliacal
risings and settings, and the motions of the sun, moon, and
stars.
That a certain amount of astronomical knowledge may in
this way be obtained, is proved by that which has descended
from father to son, among the remains of a primitive people of
the present day, who wander with their flocks over the vast
steppes of Central Asia. Constantly living in the open air,
the Kirghis Kazak, under the shade of a rock, a cave, or a
tent, watches the motion of the sun during the day, and the
more interesting spectacle presented by the heavens on a serene
night. Like the earliest Chaldeans and Egyptians, he has no
other means of measuring time than those afforded by the sun,
moon, and stars, distributing his days by the heavens, as a
European does by his watch. Having no other occupation
than his pastoral cares, he studies the celestial arch almost
without being aware that he is doing so, and soon becomes
familiar with its principal phenomena, adding to this knowledge,
like his prototype of Chaldea, a system of astrology, in
accordance with the rude principles of which, he peoples the ’
heavens with good and evil spirits, who preside over the days
of the year, and to whose influence he supposes all living beings
to be subject. By such means he professes to be able at pleasure
to intimidate his enemies, or console and encourage his
friends. The names in use for the constellations seem to
denote a common origin with those of the ancient astronomers.
The North Pole, more particularly as a directing point, occupies
the first place in the heavens, and is called the Iron Stake;
Venus takes the name of the Shepherd, as rising when the
cattle are brought home, or taken out to pasture; the Great
Bear they compare to seven wolves following a grey and a
white gelding 1 the Pleiades to wild sheep, and when absent,
supposed to be bringing grass for the terrestrial sheep; the
Milky Way is called the road of the birds, emigrating north
and south.1
1 Alexis de Levchine. Description des hordes, &c,, des Kirghis-Kazaks,
traduite du Busse par Ferey de Pigny, revue par E . Charriere. Paris, 1840,
p. 386, and some preceding pages.
It may here be observed, with reference to this subject, that Early know-
a week, or a period of seven days (which coincides with that Weekly,
of the creation, and also with a phase of the moon), appears
to have been the first step taken by mankind towards the
measurement of time.
Syncellus states that from Adam to the 16oth year of
Enoch, years of seven days only were used; and in the
earliest ages, the weekly period prevailed among the Arabians,
and other oriental nations, as the Assyrians, Egyptians, Indians,
&C.1 To this succeeded the lunar ciicle of thirty days,8 which lunar>and
continued for many ages to be the established year, without
any longer measure of time. Afterwards, twelve such revolutions,
each commemorated by the festival of the new moon,3
comprised the longer period of 360 days. This discovery is
ascribed to Enoch, to whom, by God’s command, the knowledge
of the month, the tropics, and the year just mentioned, were,
revealed ;4 and it is evident that the latter period continued in
use, up to the time of Moses, from 150 days being given to
the five months of the deluge.5
The collected fragments of ancient authors9 leave little
doubt that, at a remote period of the world, a knowledge was
obtained of other cycles, as the Saros, Neros, Sossos, &c.'1; | ^ Neros>
the last was merely a day, and one of the others may have been
1 Compare Scaliger, de Emendat. Temporum, pp. 6, 9, and Pref. p. x lv i.;
Selden, de Ju re Nat. et Gent., lib. I I I . c. xix ; Syncellus, from Alexander
Polyhistor, p. 33; Spectacle de la Nature, t. V I I I . p. 63.
2 Diod. Sic., lib. I . p. 5 ; Varro, apud Lactant. Instit., lib. I I ., xiii,, p. 169 ;
Plin., lib. V I I ., sec. 4 8 ; Plutarch in Numa, cap. x v iii.; ex Eudoxo
Proclus. in Tim. p. 31 ; Stoboeus, Phys., p. 2 1 ; Gemin., p. 3 4 ; Suidas, in
voce, HXtoc, vol. I ., p. 1659. (Gaisford, Oxford, 1834.) Syncellus, p. 41.
Edit. Goar. Paris, 1642. Felio.
? I t was celebrated by many ancient nations. Spencer, de Leg. H ebr. Bitual,
lib. I I I . , sec. 1, dissert. 4.
4 Jewish Tradition from the book of Enoch. Apud Syncellus, p. 41,
Goar Ed; Paris, 1642. Folio.
5 Compare Genesis, ch. V II., v. 24, with M r. Bichard Allen’s Dissertation,
p. 144, et seq.; also p. 291 of Whiston’s Theory of the Earth. London,
1755.
6 Translated from Berossus, Abydenus, Megasthenes, Nicholas Damas-
cenus, Eupolemus, and others, by Isaac Preston Cory, Esq. W. Pickering,
London, 1832. z Ibid. p. 32.