RELIGIOUS CULT TO THE SUN IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS:THE AZTEC AND EGYPTIAN CASES

摘要

Since ancient times,people realized that the sun was an important source of life;mankind related the sun to goodness;and very soon the sun became a god to worship,it was the origin and beginning of life.This adoration for the sun made civilizations increase their awareness about stars in the sky,and the sun's apparent motion through the creation and development of solar observatories, which consequently increased their scientific dnowledge.Nowadays,contemporary astronomers recognize that the ancient observatories and astronomy knowledge trrned out to be incredible exact.There is evidence that shows that they knew that the highest sun's position changed daily,and that they also determined the summer/winter solstice,and the spring/autumn equinox.This paper presents both,the ancient civilizations'cult to the sun,and their scientific solar knowledge.There is a short review of how most important civilizations considerde the sun as a god,followed by the presentation of the Aztec and Egyptian's religious cult to this star,which illustrate how their precise calendars became a religious tool to predicted cilmate changes that affected their everyday life.