The Dawn of Astronomy

The Dawn of Astronomy is by Norman Lockyer, and one chapter is headed The Astronomical Basis of the Egyptian Pantheon.

The text gives a table of the amplitudes at Thebes of rising or setting of celestial bodies having declinations from 0° to 64°. The text says the absolute connection between the declination of a heavenly body and the amplitude at which it rises and sets is obvious from the table: given the declination we know the amplitude; given the amplitude we know the declination. The text says the solstice took place in the year 3285 B.C., and that it is possible the Egyptians utilised this heliacal rising within a hundred years of the date. The text says there is ample evidence to show that by this time the priests were fully acquainted with the true year, which was called the sacred year, and that every four years an additional epact was interpolated. The text says that myrrh-producing plants exist both in Somali-land and Arabia, and also in Socotra, and that we know myrrh was largely used by the Egyptians in embalming.