Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian
From: mib@geech.ai.mit.edu (Michael I Bushnell)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: PEACE ON EARTH was (Re: Christmas...)
Message-ID: <Jan.23.03.19.36.1991.1714@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 23 Jan 91 08:19:38 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: Free Software Foundation, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 12
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In article <Jan.15.04.47.12.1991.12830@athos.rutgers.edu> merlyn@digibd.com (Brian Westley (Merlyn LeRoy)) writes:

   It's hard to tell when the days stop getting shorter and start getting
   longer when your only instruments are a few sticks stuck in the ground.
   It would take 3 or 4 days before they could be certain that the days
   were getting longer, thus the celebration misses the event by a few days.

The accuracy of ancient astronomers is legion.  The Anasazi built huge
kivas which indicate the arrival of the solstices.  The Romans knew
when the solstice arrived with remarkable accuracy as well.

	-mib