The Temple of Karnak Controversy.

This Karnak-corridor-11,700 BC controversy still abounds.
I ran across an article describing the controversy. Please [ay close attention to the bolded text:

The British astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer visited the site around 1890 and was struck by an immense corridor that ran the length of the complex. Lockyer believed that it was aligned westward across the Nile River to the midsummer sunset around 4000 B.C. It was quickly pointed out, however, that hills across the Nile from the temple blocked out any view of the setting sun, throwing the theory into doubt. Another astronomer did some quick calculations and found that the corridor only matched up with the sunset in 11,700 B.C. Even the Egyptians were not building temples that far back in time.

Temple near Nile has been source of controversy

Barring Gerald Hawkins theory on this paticular corridor, if the calculations are indeed correct, where the Egyptians actually building temples then? If not, then who built the temple of Karnak or how if the Egyptians did build Karnak, how were they able to calculate, with such accuracy, what the sunset would be in 11,700 BC so that they could align the corridor to match that sunset?





seekerof

[edit on 22-11-2005 by Seekerof]

your link is now fixed i hope...

great read here...

Originally posted by Seekerof
This Karnak-corridor-11,700 BC controversy still abounds.
I ran across an article describing the controversy. Please [ay close attention to the bolded text:

The British astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer visited the site around 1890 and was struck by an immense corridor that ran the length of the complex. Lockyer believed that it was aligned westward across the Nile River to the midsummer sunset around 4000 B.C. It was quickly pointed out, however, that hills across the Nile from the temple blocked out any view of the setting sun, throwing the theory into doubt. Another astronomer did some quick calculations and found that the corridor only matched up with the sunset in 11,700 B.C. Even the Egyptians were not building temples that far back in time.

Temple near Nile has been source of controversy

Barring Gerald Hawkins theory on this paticular corridor, if the calculations are indeed correct, where the Egyptians actually building temples then? If not, then who built the temple of Karnak or how if the Egyptians did build Karnak, how were they able to calculate, with such accuracy, what the sunset would be in 11,700 BC so that they could align the corridor to match that sunset?

seekerof

[edit on 22-11-2005 by Seekerof]

Seekerof,
Your link answers your own question.
Please pay close attention to the bolded text:

Gerald Hawkins, whose name is forever linked with Stonehenge, solved the mystery of Karnak. He pointed out that an axis runs two ways and that if one looked east rather than west, it lined up perfectly with the midwinter sunrise of about 2000 B.C. Hawkins said that the eastern horizon would have been of greater significance to the Egyptians as the heliacal rising of Sirius, associated with the annual flooding of the Nile, was observed in this direction.

Harte