I guess if you think stars control an individual's destiny, there would be a clientele for this type of information, but it seems to me, it takes so many years of careful study to figure out the various cycles that can be observed. Precession of the equinoxes, for example, takes 26,000 years to complete a single cycle - how did they figure that out without direct observation over hundreds or thousands of years? If you understand the mechanics of planetary motion I could see how one could predict that the constellation of Leo will rise at the vernal equinox at such-and-such a time, but how do you make that prediction if you don't (and these ancient people supposedly didn't) unless you have thousands of years of observation to refer to?
Atop one Minerett on a typical Mosque you’ll see the crescent moon & a star. Symbol for allah & his daughters honored?
No TV.
They did have thousands of years of observation, and the information was vital to daily life. I recommend the book “Hamlet’s Mill”. The ancients knew more than we can even imagine.
I don’t understand why so many cultures seemed to have an obsessive need to study the night sky. Once you get past figuring out solstices and equinoxes, what did they gain by putting so much time and effort into studying the stars?
Stars were studied for navigational purposes. Navigating over a desert is a lot like navigation on the ocean.
luckily for us, many people are more curious than others...
Also most desert cultures traveled at night due to the intense heat of day. They spent a lot of time at night navigating etc. stars were just there all the time. Have you ever been in the desert on a clear night?
“how did they figure that out without direct observation over hundreds or thousands of years?”
The interesting thing is that back in 9100 BC - which is how they arrived at this date - Sirius barely clears the horizon at Gozeli Tepe. Prior to 9100 BC, the precession of the equinoxes is so significant that Sirius actually does not rise over the horizon at Gozeli Tepe. Today, Orion would rise as much East as South - back then it would rise due South.
If a totally new star that was unfamiliar to you and to the society suddenly appeared just over the horizon - this would be a significant event. Especially with it being so bright, even on the horizon.
In the days before TV or books and when artificial light was either unreliable or very expensive, the nighttime “show” was in the sky. And there is lots to see with no urban light pollution.