ABSTRACT

Rulers of ancient Egypt let it be known to the populace that the sun did not rise until bidden to do so by the Pharaoh. Having control of the sun was a great help in maintaining a position of authority, and this idea was used in various early societies. On a more sophisticated level, those who learned how to predict eclipses found it profitable to claim credit both for darkening the sun and for allowing it to return, just as Mark Twain's fictional Connecticut Yankee did at King Arthur's Court.