How the Night Sky Was Explained (aboriginal, Egyptian, Babylonian)
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Aboriginal
The Aboriginal explanation of the night sky involved stories from the dream time to teach them about weather, location of types of food, and the behavioural codes of their kind. For though many stories could be passed down, the night sky was used as a record of past events. The Aboriginal people had depended upon a culture of song dance and ritual for about 40 thousand years, though the stars intrigued the Aboriginals as a form of explanation. Aboriginal knowledge of the night sky was fairly accurate, considering they were dependant upon the naked eye. Aboriginal astronomers found the pattern of the stars and colours more important then brightness or more noticeable stars. The Aboriginals attempted to make a connection between social and natural life compared with the night sky, and hence have some control over nature. Though any Aboriginal could witness the stars, interpretation was only open to those who had certain lore which stressed the intimate, causal association between physical events and the human dramas of good and evil. Lessons about compassion, brotherhood and respect for land as Mother, the prohibition of incest and adultery and taboos on killing or eating totem animals were nightly reinforced by being enacted in the sky world, establishing the basic moral strengths and weaknesses of the tribe.
Egyptian
For the Egyptians, astronomy went beyond wonder and legend. The Egyptians began by focusing on certain gods, represented by the stars, and used them for legends/myths/stories about the daily lives of those gods, etc. Egyptians later began using astronomy in nearly everything they did. From a religious aspect, to building an amazing structure, where a certain light can be seen from it maybe only once a year. It was not only the night sky that was important to the Egyptians. Every being in the sky was important to them, including the horizon, the positioning of the sun, the moon, and the stars and planets. Ex; once the Sun had set, it became Osiris, god of death and rebirth. In this way, night was associated with death and day with life or rebirth. This reflects the typical Egyptian idea of immortality. The stars in Egyptian mythology were represented by the goddess of writing, Seshat, while the Moon was either Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, or Khons, a child moon god. The Nile River was recognised as the centrepiece of Egyptian civilisation, and provided rich soil for Egypt. The Priests of Egypt recognised the time that the flooding of the Nile occurred, and could predict the coming flood. As early as 4000 BC, Egyptian Temples where built so that the light from the sun could enter them at only one time a year. Another